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Challenger vs. Charger Scat Pack - A Comparison

7K views 34 replies 11 participants last post by  Telco 
#1 · (Edited)
Good Morning All,

I've been meaning to post this for a while for anyone who might be interested in a comparison of these two monsters. Let me add a disclaimer that I don't address topics that are apparent, such as interior space. Instead this is focused on how the cars feel in the real world.

Having owned a 2015 Challenger Scat and now a 2016 Charger Scat, I can vouch for the fact that the differences in how they drive is readily apparent. Despite the fact that they are both E-segment chassis held over from the old Daimler-Chrysler days the way they hold the road, accelerate and behave is markedly different.

Challenger: To me this is a big, stupid muscle car. I say "stupid" with a sense of affection. The Challenger is great fun to drive and is a definite attention getter however it's prone to certain "antics" in it's handling characteristics. With the A8 transmission, matting the gas in first gear results in a very squirmy rear end that struggles for traction vis a vis an interesting side to side tail wag. Once the rear tires hook, it goes but it's not as friendly on the launch. Again, this is great fun and very entertaining but not always conducive to getting off the line quickly.

Cornering performance is also good but seems to be affected, especially at the limit, by suspension rake. When comparing the Challenger and Charger, the Challenger sits higher in the rear and has a shorter wheelbase (116 inches). It's still fun but even with 3 degrees of built in negative camber it can be twitchy at the limit on hard corners.

Charger: The Charger is definitely more low profile than the Challenger. I don't get as much attention in it (which is OK with me) but it feels like an entirely different animal. I would describe the acceleration characteristics as more linear. With the same engine and transmission combination, I can roll the Charger out to 4000 RPM in first gear, floor it, get a small chirp and instant acceleration. This is likely the result of the longer 120" wheelbase and the more even suspension setup (Charger is lower in the rear and has much less wheel to fender gap).

Cornering is a vastly different experience. The Charger is much more predictable at the limit and feels more planted. The Challenger screams muscle car and the Charger firmly declares that it's a performance sedan. It's much more balanced and communicative when carving turns in stock form. In the Charger, adding 275s all around is something I'll get around to. In the Challenger I felt that it was more of an immediate need.

Both are excellent cars but have a very different feel to them. I know this is intentional on FCAs part and they've created enough separation between the two to make people choose on more than just subjective variables. Both are very easy to live with, reliable and stupidly fast for the price point. When it comes to ticking my boxes however, it's the Charger all the way. I wanted a Gentleman's Hot Rod and it suits me perfectly. Ask my wife and the Challenger wins hands down.

To each their own and I hope this helps someone wandering through and wondering what they're like to drive. If I had my choice, I'd own both!

Cheers,

Andy
 
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#4 ·
I actually see more Challengers around more than ever and all trims too. The Charger SP and up trims are still kinda rare. I'm as I won't see my car's(B5 Charger SP) twin everwhere lol.

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#8 ·
Same here in metro Detroit. There are tons of Challengers on the lots and they move. Charger SP and SRTs are more of a rarity and are generally ordered one at a time.
 
#5 ·
Andy:
+2 on the well written article. Agreed that the Challenger and Charger both are exciting and different rides with their own personalities.
My first set of wheels was a 2 door (72 Camaro), but once I had a 4 door, the extra room and ease of access that the 2 extra doors provides won me over.
I hope to be behind the wheel a '13 or '14 Charger R/T AWD by the end of the year. I may end up waiting until Spring as I would not have it out in the crazy winters we have here in southwest Ohio.

Don
 
#6 ·
Great write up! In my area there are a lot of Challenger SPs and quite a bit of Chally HCs too. I have yet o see any Charger SRTs and have seen only 2 Charger SPs in the past year. My daughter is saving for a Challenger for when she turns 18. I like the Challengers but for a man of my vintage the Charger fits my needs.
 
#9 ·
What's interesting is that most of the Chargers we do see are leases as opposed to people buying them. Once I tell them that the 392 will be going away in the near future they start considering lease buy-outs.

Hazmat, are you saying that the Challenger Scat Pack is a handful to drive with the automatic? Of the vehicles that is on my list to get the Challenger SP is now among them but if it is a handful for my wife to drive then I'll have to 86 it. :(
I wouldn't necessarily say that it's a handful. My wife drove hers for over a year and gave it to me because she couldn't be responsible in it. For her it handled just fine. My write up is more about how different they feel with the Charger being the more planted and stable variant. The Challenger is a bit more loose in the rear but NOTHING like a live axle Mustang by perspective. It's still a great car with either transmission and your wife will absolutely love it.

Andy:
+2 on the well written article. Agreed that the Challenger and Charger both are exciting and different rides with their own personalities.
My first set of wheels was a 2 door (72 Camaro), but once I had a 4 door, the extra room and ease of access that the 2 extra doors provides won me over.
I hope to be behind the wheel a '13 or '14 Charger R/T AWD by the end of the year. I may end up waiting until Spring as I would not have it out in the crazy winters we have here in southwest Ohio.

Don
Thanks for the kind words Don. Funny that I was a Camaro owner first as well. Then went to Ford in the mid 90s and turbo imports (Eclipse GSX) for most of the early 2000s. Once I picked up my first Charger, an 11 SE, I knew what I liked. I salute your choice of an RT AWD. I still love that older body style and have the privilege of owning a 14 and a 16. Now all I need is a 2008-10 SRT and I'll have all three of the best modern Hemis.

Thanks everyone for the feedback and the questions. I didn't think too many people would respond to something like this.

Let me reinforce that I love both cars. They're amazing. But the Charger has that something extra that really ticks the boxes.
 
#16 ·
Oh yeah, tires are a big deal. What's great about the Scat Challenger is that if you want to go much wider all around you can. There are a couple of members on Challenger Talk that run on road courses. They have 20 x 10s with 295/35/20 all the way around. As long as you keep the wheel offset in the +20-25 range you can do this. Even at stock ride height they do very well.

The other option is a staggered muscle car look with 275s in the front and 315s in the rear. I've attached a couple of pictures for you. The first is from f4kev (red Scat Pack road racer) and the second is from SunnyS (B5 muscle car look). Both of them really like the way their cars handle with the new rubber.

The road race combination is about $3K with wheels and tires (Axxis wheels are from Tire Rack and he's using Bridgestone R003). Sunny's combination is built on American Racing VN 425s. Those are a custom offset wheel and are specifically made for the car from a machine blank. That combination is closer to $5K and he's running Continental DWS all around. He's also lowered on Hotchkis springs and it doesn't rub.

I was going to choose a more moderate package using American Racing Torq Thrust in Anthracite with 245s up front and 295s in the rear. This will at least give you a few ideas. Both are great looking cars but Sunny's is more of what I would want in a road car.

Enjoy!
 

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#15 ·
Seconded (or thirded) on the relative rarity of Charger SP/SRTs. You just don't see as many on the roads compared to Challys. At the dealerships neither - when I bought my Charger SP they had a ton of SP/SRT/HC Challengers readily available, but I had to search high and low for a Charger SP (and lucked into mine.)
 
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#17 ·
You're absolutely right and what's interesting is that because the Charger is more uncommon, dealerships, at least in this area don't feel inclined to negotiate at all. I never experienced this in the deep south (Oklahoma and Louisiana).
 
#29 ·
Interesting

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#31 ·
I have a '13 Charger RT AWD and I love the way it handles. I did look into the Challenger's when I purchased but what really sold me is the AWD and 4 doors. I figured it would be more future proof for starting a family in the next few years and it snows just enough here that AWD sounded like the smart choice. Good input on your comparison though.
 
#32 ·
Thanks for the positive feedback. I like the AWDs as well but didn't see the need since I lived in the Deep South when I bought my R/T. Had I know I was moving to Michigan I might have reconsidered.

Then again, I always have my wife's FJ Cruiser (on 33's) for when it gets tough. Nothing stops that monster.
 
#35 ·
After sitting in both, we went with the Charger because the interior layout is so much better, plus my wife needs to be able to get into the back seats easily. Spinal fusions suck. However, for pure looks I would have gone with the Challenger. If my money were unlimited, it would have had a little stylized cat's head on the side.
 
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