ATLalien
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
If you've seen my other thread (Jumped Ship!), you know by now that I sold my sold to the devil and bought Charger Daytona 392.
Even though it's an unnatural comparison, I thought I'd make a right up for anyone else who may be considering the same trade for the same reasons.
First off, I've always been a Mustang fan, and expect to always be even if I'm not driving one. I learned to drive in my first Mustang, a 65, 289 coupe, then owned a 2000 GT, and a 2012 GT, before my S550 PP. It's just a great formula: V8 power, competitive handling, and great looks for an affordable price. I will likely be back in the mustang fold at some point.
Mainly, I started considering options outside of Mustangs, because I wanted more space and something a little different. The timing was also good, as I didn't owe much on the car, and it still had decent value left.
But, on with the comparison:
Charger: Knock wood, I haven't noticed any issues yet. All the panel fitements, look spot on, widows, and interior all seem pretty well put together. I did notice on the instrument bezel, there was a little extra material around one edge, looked like excess from the molding process. Fingernail scraped it flush. The Daytona gets the 6 piston Brembos from the Hellcat & SRT, with 4 piston Brembos in back. So I wouldn't be terribly shocked if these start to squeal as well at some point.
Winner: Charger. (I think my mustang must have been assembled after the union Christmas party or something!).
Charger: Overall, it's comparable in material quality. The Dash is a slightly more rubbery material in leather grain, but it's soft touch and this carries over to the tops of the door cards. Just like the Mustang, those areas that aren't as visable have some scratchy plastics, but there's probably less of these cheap plastics than in a non-premier Mustang. Still pretty dang close.
Winner: Tie
Charger: Obviously, straight line performance is this car's primary mission. One major mag article I read tested a 392 Scat pack getting a 0-60 of 4.1 secs, and 12.4 in the quarter. (in fairness, most other road tests I saw were more like 4.2-4.3 and 12.6 but still!). The Daytona 392 certainly feels capable of that. The 8 speed auto is impressive in sport mode. Rev matches and shifts fast and hard. On the handling side, it's actually surprisingly good considering the sheer mass involved but it's no canyon carver.
Winner: Tie. Mustang faster in turns, Charger faster on straights.
Charger: Daaaamn! This thing sounds good, at an idle. With a few revs it's actually a little too loud for my tastes, though not so much as I'd complain! Active exhaust eliminates drone at cruising speeds, and gets a bit louder in sport mode.
Winner: Charger
So what's the verdict? I really think it's a virtual tie, but they're different cars with slightly different missions. The Mustang is a great Pony car that overlaps Sports Car territory. It gets more sophisticated, and better with each generation. The Coyote V8 is really an engineering Marvel. On the other hand, the Charger remains an unapologetic, old school, knuckle dragging, muscle car that packs a serious punch.
If you're looking for a pony car, get a Mustang. If you need something bigger and still want to enjoy serious performance, I highly recommend the Charger (least until the doors fall off: still a little wary about longer term reliability, but we'll see).
All the best!
Even though it's an unnatural comparison, I thought I'd make a right up for anyone else who may be considering the same trade for the same reasons.
First off, I've always been a Mustang fan, and expect to always be even if I'm not driving one. I learned to drive in my first Mustang, a 65, 289 coupe, then owned a 2000 GT, and a 2012 GT, before my S550 PP. It's just a great formula: V8 power, competitive handling, and great looks for an affordable price. I will likely be back in the mustang fold at some point.
Mainly, I started considering options outside of Mustangs, because I wanted more space and something a little different. The timing was also good, as I didn't owe much on the car, and it still had decent value left.
But, on with the comparison:
- Initial Quality:
Charger: Knock wood, I haven't noticed any issues yet. All the panel fitements, look spot on, widows, and interior all seem pretty well put together. I did notice on the instrument bezel, there was a little extra material around one edge, looked like excess from the molding process. Fingernail scraped it flush. The Daytona gets the 6 piston Brembos from the Hellcat & SRT, with 4 piston Brembos in back. So I wouldn't be terribly shocked if these start to squeal as well at some point.
Winner: Charger. (I think my mustang must have been assembled after the union Christmas party or something!).
- Interior Materials:
Charger: Overall, it's comparable in material quality. The Dash is a slightly more rubbery material in leather grain, but it's soft touch and this carries over to the tops of the door cards. Just like the Mustang, those areas that aren't as visable have some scratchy plastics, but there's probably less of these cheap plastics than in a non-premier Mustang. Still pretty dang close.
Winner: Tie
- Interior Space: Charger wins. No contest. Everyone knows how big and heavy this car is (longer than my wife's bmw X3!), and interior space is where it pays off. Seats 4, real adults, and I could squeeze 5. The trunk is like a small cave.
- Performance:
Charger: Obviously, straight line performance is this car's primary mission. One major mag article I read tested a 392 Scat pack getting a 0-60 of 4.1 secs, and 12.4 in the quarter. (in fairness, most other road tests I saw were more like 4.2-4.3 and 12.6 but still!). The Daytona 392 certainly feels capable of that. The 8 speed auto is impressive in sport mode. Rev matches and shifts fast and hard. On the handling side, it's actually surprisingly good considering the sheer mass involved but it's no canyon carver.
Winner: Tie. Mustang faster in turns, Charger faster on straights.
- Sound
Charger: Daaaamn! This thing sounds good, at an idle. With a few revs it's actually a little too loud for my tastes, though not so much as I'd complain! Active exhaust eliminates drone at cruising speeds, and gets a bit louder in sport mode.
Winner: Charger
So what's the verdict? I really think it's a virtual tie, but they're different cars with slightly different missions. The Mustang is a great Pony car that overlaps Sports Car territory. It gets more sophisticated, and better with each generation. The Coyote V8 is really an engineering Marvel. On the other hand, the Charger remains an unapologetic, old school, knuckle dragging, muscle car that packs a serious punch.
If you're looking for a pony car, get a Mustang. If you need something bigger and still want to enjoy serious performance, I highly recommend the Charger (least until the doors fall off: still a little wary about longer term reliability, but we'll see).
All the best!
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