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" The 22nd annual Route 66 Rendezvous happened in San Bernadino, Calif., last week. And PM was proud to be inducted into the event&amp;#039;s Cruisin&amp;#039; Hall of Fame in the Entertainment/Media category.  But while we&amp;#039;re thrilled with the accolades, let&amp;#039;s talk about what we really love: absurdly fast cars. While we were in San Bernadino, we got to eye plenty of shiny sheet metal, too, as car buffs bring out their classic machines for the show. But I got a special treat\u2014getting behind the wheel of a 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8.  The Charger is pure muscle and power, and it&amp;#039;s fierce. Even our car guys, who regularly test such high-horsepower machines, came away impressed when PopMech did its official test drive of the car this summer. As someone who doesn&amp;#039;t test drive performance cars for a living, though, I can tell you that climbing into this bad boy is a hell of an experience.  What&amp;#039;s it like to trade in your 100-hp econobox for a day to drive a Charger SRT8? Even slipping into the driver&amp;#039;s seat was overwhelming. There&amp;#039;s an 8.4 inch LCD touchscreen complete with navigation, satellite radio and a ParkView rear backup camera. The Charger includes keyless entry and start button, blind spot detection, auto-dimming rearview mirror and built-in heaters and coolers in the cup holders. Coming from a car with hand-crank windows, I didn&amp;#039;t know what to do with all the buttons and gadgets in the Charger.       As soon as I stepped on the gas, I fell in love. The 470-hp Hemi V8 engine made my heart leap right into my throat. This car commands attention on the road; no longer did I have to fight my way on the freeway. The Charger coasts with hardly a tap on the gas. It zooms from zero to 60 in less than 5 seconds. Even with all that muscle\u2014and weighing two tons more than the car I usually drive\u2014it handled surprisingly well down the twisty grade on my commute home. On the freeway, drivers were compelled to roll down their windows to get a better look. In the parking lot, guys gathered around the car, awestruck. And as I pumped gas in the fuel-hungry tank, fellow motorists raved about the car&amp;#039;s attitude. Okay, maybe I won&amp;#039;t drop $46,000 on an SRT8 for my daily commute. But the Charger is a beast that commands respect on the road. It&amp;#039;s beauty, brains and power rolled into one. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a11851/popmech-wins-route-66-rendezvous-award-and-drives-a-dodge-charger-srt8/>