Challenger or S650

[FarNorth]

You are right pointing out Stellantis not so stellar reliability record but Ford is actually worse leading this years recall list with 16% of all recalls…Living in a glass house you should not throw stones… But I am not too worried about the reliability record of the Challenger/Charger as these cars have been in production for 16 years and you can get Stellantis bumper to bumper warranty for up to 8 years and 85/100/125K miles for 2.5-3.5K $ which is cheap insurance for about a buck a day…And you get your money back if you had no warranty claims or sold your car before

The ratings for Ford have gone up 17 points this year according to JDP & CR much higher than either GM or Chrysler but none here equal the likes of Toyota or Honda but we all make our choices and have to live with them.

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[Ace]

I like the styling of Challengers, but they drive so horribly bad. They are really just car to cruise with and don't allow any sporty amibition in corners. I was suprised how well the S650 GT with MR drives, I would go for Steedas stop the hop kit and dual rate springs and it will be a great sporty GT to live with.

The only reason to go for a Challenger to me is if you need the space

 

[Rocket Man]

Have you ever driven a Challenger? The "they don't handle" is grossly overstated. Not saying it handles as well as a Mustang, but it's really not bad, you can hustle it pretty good. As far as speed and comfort, a definite winner. As far as reliability, my last 4 vehicles have been Dodges, 110k on a 2000 Dakota RT (still going strong), 135k on a 2005 SRT4, 75k on a 15 Charger RT and 58k so far on a 16 Scat Pack. The only dealer visit was during the first year of owning the Challenger for a water pump, a well known problem for the 15-16 392's. Not what I would call reliability problems over 24 years of cars.

 

[BoostRabbitGT]

Have you ever driven a Challenger? The "they don't handle" is grossly overstated. Not saying it handles as well as a Mustang, but it's really not bad, you can hustle it pretty good. As far as speed and comfort, a definite winner. As far as reliability, my last 4 vehicles have been Dodges, 110k on a 2000 Dakota RT (still going strong), 135k on a 2005 SRT4, 75k on a 15 Charger RT and 58k so far on a 16 Scat Pack. The only dealer visit was during the first year of owning the Challenger for a water pump, a well known problem for the 15-16 392's. Not what I would call reliability problems over 24 years of cars.

That's cool. Ultimately I'm more invested and interested in the Mustang, but maybe if my curiosity peaks I'll try out a Challenger R/T or Scat Pack and see for myself if it handles better than the Charger did for me at least. RIght now though it's not a priority.

 

[Karguy]

The Challenger WB actually handles great and is more fun to drive than either Camaro or Mustang…Dodge did a lot to it when they brought the WB Scatpack out in 2019…TFL & SavageGeese made informative videos about it ! The Mustang GT compared to it does not handle as well because it feels more loose as the front understeers and the rear oversteers feeling loose when pushing it and the steering giving Zero feel…They masked this behavior by putting huge sized super sticky tires that tramline and wear quick on the Darkhorse but as soon as it rains the same behavior comes back…As for the Charger the two canadian boys at Throttle House they actually liked the Charger WB from a handling perspective the best…Must be the linger wheelbase ? Reliability like Ford one of the brands on the bottom of the list but so far after 8 months Zero complaints and 8 years/100K max care plus for 3 grand with 100$ deductible from Stellantis takes the bite out of crime especially since you get your money back if you dont use it And yes besides looks I Love the comfort , size of interior/trunk of the Challenger and the way it handles on the road and the torquey 392 in combination with the short 3.90 rear and 6 spd Tremec The ZF8 speed shifts much better than the A10 in Camaro or Mustang…As in faster or better logic but I am a save the manuals man !

 

[BoostRabbitGT]

I got to test drive a Scat Pack Challenger today and I was quite impressed. Nice throttle response at low RPM, decent handling considering its size, and of course the V8 sound. Noticeably felt better overall than the Charger R/T I test drove a short while ago. In the end though I prefer the Mustang's driving dynamics and active exhaust to the Challenger and the Charger.

 

[Gregs24]

The Challenger WB actually handles great and is more fun to drive than either Camaro or Mustang…Dodge did a lot to it when they brought the WB Scatpack out in 2019…TFL & SavageGeese made informative videos about it ! The Mustang GT compared to it does not handle as well because it feels more loose as the front understeers and the rear oversteers feeling loose when pushing it and the steering giving Zero feel…They masked this behavior by putting huge sized super sticky tires that tramline and wear quick on the Darkhorse but as soon as it rains the same behavior comes back…As for the Charger the two canadian boys at Throttle House they actually liked the Charger WB from a handling perspective the best…Must be the linger wheelbase ? Reliability like Ford one of the brands on the bottom of the list but so far after 8 months Zero complaints and 8 years/100K max care plus for 3 grand with 100$ deductible from Stellantis takes the bite out of crime especially since you get your money back if you dont use it And yes besides looks I Love the comfort , size of interior/trunk of the Challenger and the way it handles on the road and the torquey 392 in combination with the short 3.90 rear and 6 spd Tremec The ZF8 speed shifts much better than the A10 in Camaro or Mustang…As in faster or better logic but I am a save the manuals man !

BLAH BLAH COPY / PASTE

 

[Karguy]

I got to test drive a Scat Pack Challenger today and I was quite impressed. Nice throttle response at low RPM, decent handling considering its size, and of course the V8 sound. Noticeably felt better overall than the Charger R/T I test drove a short while ago. In the end though I prefer the Mustang's driving dynamics and active exhaust to the Challenger and the Charger.

Did you drive the skinny version or the Widebody ? I always loved the looks when they came out in 2019 as also the torquey 392 Hemi with the 6060 Tremec from the Viper but thought it was a boat…When I finally testdrove one in 2023 I thought boy was I wrong and traded my then 2019 SS1LE on it a car that drove better than Mach1 or DH which is basically a better tired and heavier Mach1 with Touchscreens inside…Reason I said this you cant compare the WB with a regular Scatpack because of grip and unique suspension tuning as springs on front and swaybars are hollow and bigger than on the heavier HC which makes a big difference…Faster than HC on track,not as fast as Camaro or Mach1/DH on track but who cares as it is more fun on regular roads Also the ZF-8 shifts faster and has better logic than the A10 GM and Ford shares but the Tremec is more fun…

 

[BoostRabbitGT]

Did you drive the skinny version or the Widebody ? I always loved the looks when they came out in 2019 as also the torquey 392 Hemi with the 6060 Tremec from the Viper but thought it was a boat…When I finally testdrove one in 2023 I thought boy was I wrong and traded my then 2019 SS1LE on it a car that drove better than Mach1 or DH which is basically a better tired and heavier Mach1 with Touchscreens inside…Reason I said this you cant compare the WB with a regular Scatpack because of grip and unique suspension tuning as springs on front and swaybars are hollow and bigger than on the heavier HC which makes a big difference…Faster than HC on track,not as fast as Camaro or Mach1/DH on track but who cares as it is more fun on regular roads Also the ZF-8 shifts faster and has better logic than the A10 GM and Ford shares but the Tremec is more fun…

I test drove the "skinny" version, although I will admit I prefer the looks of the widebody more. Something that baffled me was when the sales person essentially said the V8 Challengers would have worse handling than the V6 ones. Maybe that actually is the case...but while I could make the case for the EcoBoost being more of a "canyon carver" than the GT, I can't see the SXT/GT doing that with what I'd imagine to be "non-existent" low end torque.

 

[Karguy]

I test drove the "skinny" version, although I will admit I prefer the looks of the widebody more. Something that baffled me was when the sales person essentially said the V8 Challengers would have worse handling than the V6 ones. Maybe that actually is the case...but while I could make the case for the EcoBoost being more of a "canyon carver" than the GT, I can't see the SXT/GT doing that with what I'd imagine to be "non-existent" low end torque.

That salesperson obviously never drove a Widebody…LOL For looks & handling WB all the way and if you go HC the non WB are dangerous because the skinny 275 will just go up in smoke all the way to 100 mph which can be fun or frightening depending how you look at it…Try a WB Scat with a Tremec and tell us what you think…

 

[BoostRabbitGT]

That salesperson obviously never drove a Widebody…LOL For looks & handling WB all the way and if you go HC the non WB are dangerous because the skinny 275 will just go up in smoke all the way to 100 mph which can be fun or frightening depending how you look at it…Try a WB Scat with a Tremec and tell us what you think…

Thanks, but unless they're still trying to sell '23 Challengers in 2025, I'll most likely stick with the S650 GT going forward, flaws and all.

 

[Karguy]

Thanks, but unless they're still trying to sell '23 Challengers in 2025, I'll most likely stick with the S650 GT going forward, flaws and all.

Only a good test drive can give you the answer which is the one for You ! Do some speed dating and take them out WB , S650 and M2 and then You know which one is the one for you ! There is still some WBs and Hellcats on cargurus but 6 speeds are getting scarce but the ZF8 shifts better and does not overheat driven hard as the A10 can…MT / Jonny L had a interesting video on that matter you can watch if you have not already.

 

[wilkinda65]

I got to test drive a Scat Pack Challenger today and I was quite impressed. Nice throttle response at low RPM, decent handling considering its size, and of course the V8 sound. Noticeably felt better overall than the Charger R/T I test drove a short while ago. In the end though I prefer the Mustang's driving dynamics and active exhaust to the Challenger and the Charger.

There is no comparison of an R/T and a ScatPack. the torque and horsepower difference is the reason I was NEVER interested in the 5.7L at all. My current 2023 Chrysler 300C is a phenomenal car. with the 6.4L ScatPack motor. Only complaint was tire size being 245/45/20 GoodYear Eagle RSA. I upgraded to Michelin Pilot Sport AS 4 at 275/40/20 and it rides better, quieter and is much better in rain. This pic is before tint and tire size upgrade

 

[Zig]

There is no comparison of an R/T and a ScatPack. the torque and horsepower difference is the reason I was NEVER interested in the 5.7L at all. My current 2023 Chrysler 300C is a phenomenal car. with the 6.4L ScatPack motor. Only complaint was tire size being 245/45/20 GoodYear Eagle RSA. I upgraded to Michelin Pilot Sport AS 4 at 275/40/20 and it rides better, quieter and is much better in rain. This pic is before tint and tire size upgrade

Fun begins at 6.6 - anything else is in the small but mighty category. Not poking nor picking just remembering the days of the small big block.

 

[robvas]

Food for thought: In the Car and Driver Lightning Lap (which there are very few results for Dodge vehicles for some reason), the 2018 Widebody Hellcat Challenger ran a 2:59.8, the 2016 Hellcat Charger went 3:03.

That Challenger is a hair quicker than the 2013 GT500 and the 2006 Ford GT, as well as the 2015 BMW M4 2008 Corvette Z51.

However, it's only 7 seconds faster than the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk from the same year. 9 seconds faster than the 2012 SRT8 392 (I don't know how that would compare to a current car but I'm sure it's been improved)

It's 5 seconds slower than the 2017 Camaro SS 1LE, and 8 seconds slower than the 2021 Mach 1.

The 2020 GT500 and ZL1 Camaro 1LE are 14-15 seconds faster than the Hellcat

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