2020 Dodge Charger

Dodge Charger Sedan comes with a number of engine options starting from the V6 to the V8 while an 8-speed automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive remain standard with all the engine options.

A true American muscle-car in all aspects, the Charger SXT offers performance and comfort at the price of bread and butter cars. Impressively, apart from being quick, the V6 delivers excellent fuel economy and even V8s are relatively efficient. Infotainment is handled by the Chrysler group's acclaimed and intuitive U-connect system. The Charger rides well too and its fun to drive around corners as well.

While base Charger SXT with V6 starts at $29,895, the all-wheel-drive GT trims start at $31,895. Rear-wheel drive and the 8-speed automatic transmission are common for all the trims. Dodge Charger Sedan draw their power from the 3.6-litre V6 engine while the R/T and Daytona trims get a 5.7-litre V8 engine.

Trim	SXT	GT
MSRP RWD	$29,895	$31,895
MSRP AWD	$33,595	$34995
	Keyless entry and ignition	All features of SXT Plus:
	17-inch alloy wheels	20-inch wheels
	Rearview camera	LED foglights
	Rear parking sensors	Performance hood, side sills, and fascias
	Power-adjustable driver’s seat	Dual-zone automatic climate control
	Cloth sport seats	Houndstooth Cloth seats with performance bolster
	Uconnect 4 infotainment system	Uconnect 4C infotainment system
	7-inch touchscreen	8.4-inch touchscreen
	Bluetooth	HD radio
	Apple CarPlay/Android Auto	4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot
	Six-speaker sound system	Enhanced suspension

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Although the V6 engine accelerates this full-size car with gusto, the HEMI V8s gives this car a proper muscle car character. The HEMI V8 equipped R/T comes with plenty of basic convenience features as well. Our ideal R/T will also be equipped with the Super Track Pack ($1,205) for those massive hood scoops.

If you want your charger to be an intercity liner, the base 3.6L Pentastar V6 will impress. It’s smooth, fast and efficient. However, if you want your charger to be the spiritual successor to the legendary 1970 Dodge Charger, by all means, go HEMI. Those iron block V8s produce enough torque to dig the asphalt. Also, the Challenger handles well for its size and it can cushion imperfect roads. In GT trims, they develop 300 hp and although it’s fast, it's more efficient than V6 engines of rivals too. 

Coming to the 8-speed automatic transmission, it works brilliantly with all the engines and provides effortless performance irrespective of the speed. However, if you want even more noise and tire smoke, the iconic 392 HEMI is available in R/T Scat Pack and above. This naturally aspirated iron-block pushrod V8 develops 485 hp and 475 lb-ft. Now, behold the 707 hp Supercharged Intercooled 6.2L HEMI SRT Hellcat V8.

Models	Dodge Charger Sedan	Chrysler 300	Kia Stinger	Toyota Avalon
MSRP	$29,895	$29,470	$32,990	$35,800
Engine	3.6-litre V-6 regular gas	3.6-litre V-6 regular gas	2.0-litre Inline-4	3.5-liter V-6
Transmission	8-speed automatic w/OD and auto-manual	8-speed automatic w/OD and auto-manual	8-speed shiftable automatic	8-speed shiftable automatic
Horsepower	292 hp @ 6,350 rpm	292 hp @ 6,350 rpm	255 hp @ 6200 rpm	301 hp @ 6600 rpm
Torque	260 lb.-ft. @ 4,800 rpm	260 lb.-ft. @ 4,800 rpm	260 ft-lbs. @ 1400 rpm	267 ft-lbs. @ 4700 rpm

In comparison to its rivals, the Dodge Charger Sedan somehow ends up being the second-best. The Toyota Avalon tops the engine performance table with its massive output of 301 horsepower and 267 pound-feet of torque. The Chrysler 300, offer identical power figures as the Charger while the Kia Stinger stands at the last spot.

Acceleration

The Dodge Charger Sedan is all about its quick acceleration. The transmission quickly cycles up and down the gear ratio without any power-loss revs and makes brilliant use of the massive torque produced by the monstrous engines. While the 6.4-litre V8 engine reaches the 60 mph mark in just over 4 seconds, the 6.2 litre V8 of the Hellcat does it in just 3.7 seconds!

As we said, the V6 is pretty quick – it can do 0-60 in 6.4 seconds. The Dodge Charger Sedan doesn't lose its focus over the quarter-mile and continues to impress by covering it in 14.8 seconds.

Model	Dodge Charger Sedan	Chrysler 300	Kia Stinger	Toyota Avalon
0-60 MPH	6.4	6.2	6.6	6.0
Quarter Mile	14.8	15.7	14.7	14.6
Engine	3.6L	3.6L	2.0L	3.5L

The Dodge Charger Sedan’s 6.4 seconds 0-60 dash time seems a bit subdued in this equation, and the ride is quicker than the Kia Stinger but stays behind of the Chrysler 300 and the Toyota Avalon.

Braking

The 2020 Dodge Charger Sedan now offers huge and upgraded Brembo brakes fitted with 6 piston callipers in the front. Along with that, the multi-mode adaptive damping system makes sure the car has enough control on the track without compromising its ride quality.

The Charger gets 12.6 brake rotors on all four wheels. With this, the charger can stop from 60 in 110 feet – impressive considering its heft.

Model	Dodge Charger Sedan	Chrysler 300	Kia Stinger	Toyota Avalon
Brake front (in.)	12.6	12.6	12.6	12
Brake Rear (in.)	12.6	12.6	12.4	11.1
Curb Weight (lbs.)	3,934	4,013	3649	3560
60-0 MPH (ft.)	107	109	126	115

Dodge Charger Sedan is quick right off the line, it's also the fastest to bring the car at a halt and covers a distance of 107 feet to come down from 60 mph in spite of its heavy curb weight. The Kia Stinger takes 126 feet to stop which is worst in the competition. The Chrysler 300 and Toyota Avalon takes the second and third spot respectively.

Ride and Handling

The Dodge Charger Sedan doesn't compromise with its handling at any cost as the tight suspensions enhance the ride quality and composure inside the cabin. Fitting perfectly with its muscular body-language, the well-weighted steering is very accurate. All the trims expect for R/T trim feature a system that allows you to adjust the steering and throttle response according to your needs.

The Charger handles with composure through corners and its high-speed stability is similar to some German luxury saloons. The performance-focused Daytonas and SRT can actually entertain you on a racetrack despite their porky weight. The low-slung chassis and the weight of the Charger do help the car stay flat in corners. The amount of body roll is very contained.

In exchange for its outstanding power-packed performance, the Charger Sedan will cost you with its fuel economy. The stronger the engine output, the lesser the fuel-efficient it is. The V6 is marked at 19 mpg in the cities, 30 mpg in the highways and 23 mpg combined.

Selecting all-wheel drive brings down the ratings to 18 mpg in the cities, 27 mpg in the highways and21 mpg combined. Choosing the V8 further degrades the fuel-efficient from 16, 25 and 19 mpg for the R/T to 13, 22 and 16 mpg for the Hellcat in cities, highways and combined respectively.

Model	Dodge Charger Sedan	Chrysler 300	Kia Stinger	Toyota Avalon
MPG (city)	19	19	22	22
MPG (highway)	30	30	29	32
MPG (combined)	23	23	25	26
Fuel tank capacity (gallons)	18.5 gal.	18.5 gal.	15.9 gal.	14.5 gal.
Range (city/highway) (miles)	352/555	352/555	350/461	319/464

The Toyota Avalon boasts the best fuel economy ratings of 22 mpg in the cities, 32 mpg in the highways and 26 mpg combined, making it the most efficient in the group. The Dodge Charger Sedan shares an equal of 30 mpg on the highways with the Chrysler 300 and Kia Stinger. 

The Charger is a full-size sedan and the interior roominess backs up that tag. Both rows offer plenty of space for all the occupants to stretch out and the trunk can easily swallow all your luggage. However, the interior does not feel or look as upscale as the rivals like the Maxima. That said, the U-connect is among the most intuitive infotainment around and the optional Performance Pages are plain wow.

While the charger can do sideways and burn rubber all day long with panache, it can also accommodate five well-fed Americans in comfort with its roomy interiors. While the rivals have a better quality interior, the Charger rear seats are more spacious. The optional sports seat offer good lateral support for spirited driving and still provide comfort for relaxed cruising.

Model	Dodge Charger Sedan	Chrysler 300	Kia Stinger	Toyota Avalon
Passenger Capacity	5	5	5	5
Front (Head/Shoulder/Leg) (in.)	38.6/59.5/41.8	38.6/59.5/41.8	37.4/58.3/42.1	37.4/58.3/42.1
Second (Head/Shoulder/Leg) (in.)	36.6/57.9/40.1	37.9/57.7/40.1	37.5/57.1/40.3	37.5/57.1/40.3

The seats are made from a mix of leather and suede upholstery improving support while driving. The backroom is quite roomy as well but it could have done better with the absence of the huge driveshaft tunnel.

Interior Features

• 8-way power-adjustable driver seat with multi-level heating
• Folding centre armrest
• Rear ventilation ducts
• Split-folding rear seatback
• 2 one-touch power windows
• External temperature display
• Tilt and telescopic electric power steering with audio and cruise controls
• Universal remote transmitter and keyless ignition
• Electrochromatic inside rearview mirror
• Interior air filtration
• Dual illuminated vanity mirrors

Cargo Capacity

The Charger has a cavernous 16.1 cubic feet of trunk capacity. The folding rear seats also ensure that you can carry longer items too. The small-item accommodation inside the cabin is also below the average level for the Dodge Charger. The door and centre panel sacs are tiny and can hardly accommodate most of the standard-size belongings.  

Model	Dodge Charger Sedan	Chrysler 300	Kia Stinger	Toyota Avalon
Cargo Volume (ft3)	16.1	16.3	23.3	16.1

The Dodge Charger and the Toyota Avalon offer the most insignificant cargo volume with 16.1 cubic feet. The Chrysler 300 does not do much either bu the Stinger offers an unbeatable 23.3 cubic feet, confirming the opinion that non-performance oriented cars are so more skilled at meeting your utilitarian needs.

Infotainment System

U-Connect is one of the best infotainment systems in the automotive industry. It's intuitive, crisp and responsive. And while these impress, the even bigger highlight is the performance pages available with a package from SXT Plus onwards. It allows you to peek into various performance parameters that are normally hidden from you like Intake Air Temperature and Engine Oil Pressure.

Audiophiles also have a lot to choose – a 6-speaker Premium Alpine Speaker is standard on SXT Plus and above but you can also have beats Premium Audio system with 10 speakers and 552-watt amplifier for $995. The Daytona gets an even more impressive 19-Speaker Harman Kardon Premium Audio system as a $1,995 optional extra.

Infotainment Features

• 7-inch touchscreen infotainment panel 
• AM/FM Radio 
• SiriusXM
• Bluetooth Streaming
• Voice Command 
• Hands-free Calling
• Apple CarPlay
• Android Auto

Among the rounded and safely styled competitors, the Charger boasts a long muscular hood, the “Coke Bottle” lines, and two-piece trunk spoilers. While even the standard charger displays plenty of aggression, the super track pack adds dark grille, huge functional hood scoops and side sills lending it an intimidating presence.

All the trims of the Dodge Charger Sedan share the same dimensional figures and the similar blunt front and rear ends and grille design. It has a massive skeleton that give off the vibes of an excellent muscle car and it's necessary to house the gushing power that it generates.

Model	Dodge Charger Sedan	Chrysler 300	Kia Stinger	Toyota Avalon
Curb Weight (lbs.)	3,934	4,013	3611	3560
Length (in.)	198.4	198.6	190.2	1973.65.9
Width (in.)	75.0	75.0	73.6	72.8
Height (in.)	58.2	58.5	55.1	56.5
Ground Clearance (in.)	4.9	5.0	5.1	5.3
Wheelbase (in.)	120.2	120.2	114.4	113.0
Track Width (in.) F/R	63.4/63.8	63.4/63.8	62.8/63.7	62.6/63.4

When compared to its rivals, the 2020 Dodge Charger Sedan is the heaviest, the longest, the widest, and the tallest and has the largest wheelbase and track width as well; clearly it's the bigger one than the rest .The Kia Stinger has a fairly balanced set of dimensions. The Chrysler 300 is one of the heaviest while the Avalon is the lightest.

Exterior Features

This car has the following exterior features:

• Compact Spare Tire Mounted Inside Under Cargo
• Black Side Windows Trim
• Body-Coloured Door Handles
• Body-Coloured Power Heated Side Mirrors w/Manual Folding
• Fixed Rear Window w/Defroster
• Light Tinted Glass
• Speed Sensitive Variable Intermittent Wipers w/Heated Jets
• Galvanized Steel/Aluminum Panels
• Black Grille
• Lip Spoiler
• Trunk Rear Cargo Access
• Fully Automatic Projector Beam Halogen Daytime Running Headlamps w/Delay-Off

The Dodge Charger lineup offers great safety features to ensure the safety of all the Americana-Patrons on-board. However, the base SXT trim is sparse from these highlights and offers pretty basic safety features. Some of the noteworthy Dodge Charger safety features are: 

• Front and Side-Mounted Airbags
• ABS
• Child safety rear door locks
• Daytime running lights
• Traction control
• Parking Sensors
• Tyre pressure monitoring system
• Back-up camera
• Stability control
• Side impact beams

Dodge Charger SXT vs. Chrysler 300

The Chrysler 300 appears like a vehicle that was particularly built with the purpose of bringing the Dodge Charger down. The Chrysler clowns the Dodge in almost every aspect, be it power, performance, fuel-efficiency, or utility. The ride comes fitted with a 3.6L V6 which can generate 292 hp and 260 lb.-ft. Of torque, which is the exact same figure as the Charger. 

The Chrysler 300 can do a 0-60 in 6.2 seconds, which is again very close to the Charger’s 6.4 seconds. Speak of the mpg figures, and again the Chrysler absolutely imitates the Charger.

Dodge Charger SXT vs. Kia Stinger

Priced at $32,990, the Kia Stinger is the real utility-character vehicle of the segment. It is the only car of the segment that houses a 2.0L Inline 4 instead of a V6. The Kia Stinger cannot achieve handsome 0-60 acceleration numbers, neither it can make you reach from one traffic signal to another, quicker than other cars. However, it can stuff in all the baggage for your family weekend getaway in its huge 23.3 cubic feet hood.

Dodge Charger vs. Toyota Avalon

The very affordable Toyota Avalon is represented by its original luxury and quiet riding experience. The standard V6 engine cruises phenomenally and the handling is quite agile given the size of the car. To make it even more tempting, Toyota offers the standard safety features like adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist and automated emergency braking.

When we compare the Avalon with the  Dodge Charger Sedan, we see that is falling behind terribly in engine performance and acceleration, braking is nowhere close to being impressive, has better fuel efficiency ratings though and decent interior and cargo area.

If you are shopping for a sensible and practical full-size sedan, there is no dearth of options. However, if you desire a V8 engine rear-wheel-drive 4-door muscle car that’s as American as the Apple Pie, there is no alternative other than the Dodge Charger.

What’s even more impressive is that the nostalgia is not the only reason to buy a charger – it's roomy and comfortable, has best in the industry infotainment system, rides and handles nicely, delivers decent fuel economy, and now there is an All-Wheel Drive option as well. The Dodge Charger may be the last remaining American 4-door muscle car, but it’s here to stay with its wide breadth of capability.