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2020 Dodge Charger GT AWD Marketed as a "Winter Warrior"

The Charger has all-wheel drive for quite a few years now, albeit only if you’re pleased with the ratings of the Pentastar V6 instead of the HEMI V8. For the 2020 model year, Dodge has taken marketing to a new level by advertising the Charger GT AWD as a “winter warrior” promising “unparalleled year-round performance.”
2020 Dodge Charger GT AWD 7 photos
Photo: Dodge
2020 Dodge Charger GT AWD2020 Dodge Charger GT AWD2020 Dodge Charger GT AWD2020 Dodge Charger GT AWD2020 Dodge Charger GT AWD2020 Dodge Charger GT AWD
All-wheel drive certainly helps in bad weather, but hey, remember when rear- or front-wheel drive was enough to tackle the harshest of winters as long the car had the proper tires installed? AWD isn’t a must when it rains either; sensible driving skills are, and pretty much everyone knows it too for Dodge to tell them otherwise.

"Most people think of Chargers and Challengers as high-performance muscle cars, which clearly they are, but they can also be four-season capable AWD performance cars," declared Tim Kuniskis. “Only Dodge offers vehicles that combine practicality and all-weather driving confidence without sacrificing muscle car attitude,” concluded the global head of passenger car brands at Fiat Chrysler.

He’s right about the part where AWD meets muscle car, a trick that Ford and General Motors has yet to pull off with the Mustang and Camaro. Even the Challenger is available as a GT AWD as long as you’re happy with the Pentastar V6 engine.

At $34,995 excluding $1,495 for the destination charge, the Charger in this specification has some tough competition from Dodge themselves and a lot more automakers. The Durango SXT AWD starts at $33,095, the Subaru Ascent with Symmetrical AWD costs $31,995, and there are plenty of other inspired choices to consider as long as muscle car aesthetics aren’t high up on your priorities list.

A counterintuitive part of the Charger GT AWD is how to active the full-time engagement of the all-wheel-drive system. To do that, you’ll have to push the Sport button instead of a button that reads AWD or something along those lines. The front-axle disconnect helps with fuel economy when all-wheel drive isn’t needed, and only the eight-speed automatic transmission is available for this specification.

Regarding the six-cylinder mill under the long and sexy hood of the Charger, the Pentastar is much obliged to develop 300 ponies and 264 pound-feet of torque.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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