2013 Dodge Charger AWD offers Sport package, paddle shifters

Dodge will offer a new Sport package for the all-wheel-drive 2013 Charger sedan. It will be available on all trims except the SRT8, costing $1,395 on the SXT and SXT Plus models and $1,195 on R/T and R/T Plus versions.

The Sport package includes a gloss-black grille and surround, 19-inch polished aluminum wheels, all-season performance tires, body-color spoiler and sport seats. For the first time, steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters are offered, as is a sport calibration mode for the transmission.

The Charger Sport package also adds a full sound system with Beats Audio technology. That comes with a 12-channel amplifier, three 3.5-inch speakers in the instrument panel, two in the rear doors, two 6-by-9-inch speakers in the front doors and two in the rear parcel shelf. Those are joined by an 8-inch subwoofer in the trunk.

The Pentastar V6 is upgraded for 2013. It now makes 300 hp, a boost of 8 hp, with the addition of a sport-tuned exhaust and cold-air induction system. Fuel economy is still rated at 18 mpg in the city and 27 on the highway. Of course, the Hemi is still an option.

Both V6 and V8 all-wheel-drive models get Chrysler’s active transfer case and front-axle disconnect system that helps the sedan switch seamlessly between rear- and all-wheel drive.

The 2013 Charger is built at the Brampton, Ontario, assembly plant. The SXT-base Charger AWD Sport will cost $33,685 while the R/T Plus trim with the Sport package will come in at $36,685 including $995 in destination charges.

By Jake Lingeman