If you want a classic American muscle car experience, you’ve probably stumbled upon the Charger and Challenger. After all, both have been around for decades — their history and influence on muscle cars is difficult to ignore.
Which is the best fit for you and what you’re looking for out of a muscle car? Dodge’s tough rides have many similarities, but a few major differences that might make this an easy decision for you. Here’s the rundown to understand what these differences are:
Exterior
The easiest difference between the Challenger and Charger is the doors — the Challenger is a two-door coupe and the Charger is a four-door sedan. The bodies themselves also have distinctive differences.
The Challenger’s sleek body stays true to its muscle car heritage. It has updated features but Challenger still has the classic muscle car look, with its aggressive, tough-looking grille and wide rear.
The Charger has a more modern look to it. The extra space it has, compared to the Challenger, gives it a higher roof and rear for more of a street racing-car appearance.
The 2019 Charger has a 120.2-inch wheelbase and the 2019 Challenger has 116.2 inches. However, they are both roughly the same overall length — 200.8 inches for the Charger and 197.9 for the Challenger. The Challenger is 0.7 inches wider than the Charger.
Engines and Performance
The Charger and Challenger’s base models both have 3.6-liter V-6 engines that give them 300 horsepower and 264 pounds-foot of torque each. They’re both matched with eight-speed automatic transmissions. Each comes standard with rear-wheel drive and the option to switch to all-wheel drive at the lowest trim level — the SXT.
The biggest differences show at the top trim levels. The Charger’s top trim, the SRT Hellcat, gets 707 horsepower and 650 pounds-foot of torque from a 6.2-liter V-8 engine. The Challenger wins the raw power category; its top trim level, also called the SRT Hellcat, pulls off 797 horsepower and 707 pounds-foot of torque.
As far as manual transmissions go — the Charger doesn’t have any. But, the Challenger has an option to switch to a six-speed manual at the R/T trim level and the SRT Hellcat comes standard with it.
Interior
The main difference in the Challenger’s and Charger’s interior is space. They both seat five people. However, the Charger seats them more comfortably. Their front rows have similar legroom space, but the back row is a different story — the Charger has 40.1 inches of legroom and the Challenger has 33.1 inches. The Charger has significantly more trunk space than the Challenger. The cars offer similar setups with their interior features like bezels and driver infotainments systems but have different atmospheres.
When you’re deciding between a Charger or a Challenger, your biggest deciding factors might be space and exterior looks. Both are fantastic examples of the American muscle car and are sure to strike awe in drivers. If you’re still not sure, contact Huffines in Plano to test out both to see which is a better fit for you.
Image by _gee_ via Flickr | CC BY 2.0 | Cropped from original