Retro muscle gone sensible? 2009 Dodge Challenger V6 vs. 2009 Ford Mustang V6


November 1, 12:46 PM
by Brady Holt, D.C. Car Examiner

The Ford Mustang (above) and the Dodge Challenger are both retro-styled muscle cars, but the Mustang feels more like a sporty car.

Car nuts like big engines. Always have. Some have suggested it’s another manifestation of that same good ol’ proud American excess that puts a family of three in a 6,000-lb SUV, but that’s not it. A large, powerful V8 is appreciated throughout the car-nut world, it’s just easier for Americans to afford gas for one.

To that end, Ford has offered its Mustang with such an engine for more than four decades, Chrysler has re-introduced the Dodge Challenger with the iconic Hemi, and GM expects the resurrected Chevrolet Camaro on sale next year sharing an engine with the Corvette. (A redesigned Mustang is also due next year.)

Obviously, the most fun comparison would be among the three 2010-model rear-wheel-drive V8 retro sport coupes from the Big Three. But sometimes the most fun isn’t the most realistic.

Step back from the flashy looks and think about that comparison. In 2010, there might not be three American automakers. Gas prices are down but aren’t guaranteed to stay there. And it isn’t 2010 yet; you can’t buy a new Camaro or the upcoming redesigned Mustang today.

So it’s time for the realistic comparison, of the current Mustang and the new Challenger. In base V6 form, to save on future gas and the immediate purchase price, and available now for immediate delivery.




A Mustang Deluxe (Deluxe means “base”) coupe with no options has a sticker price of $19,995, plus a $795 destination charge. The Mustang driven for this review also included an ambitiously priced “appearance package” installed by the dealer: racing stripes and a spoiler, for $4,293. Vehicle pricing site Edmunds.com estimates an unaltered example of an option-free 2009 Mustang could be haggled down to $18,775. Antilock brakes would have added $775 to those prices had the car I drove included them. It didn’t. Deluxe means base. The V6 Mustang with the manual transmission is rated by the EPA for 17 miles per gallon in the city and 24 on the highway.

The Challenger is a bit dearer, in part because of the standard automatic transmission (which would have added $995 to the Mustang’s price) and in part because it’s the newer of the two. An SE (base) with no options would have a sticker price of $21,320, plus a $675 destination charge. Though the Challenger has a bit more standard equipment even besides the transmission, pricing site Truedelta.com estimates it costs some $1,550 more than a comparably-equipped Mustang – thanks entirely to the older Ford’s rebate.

The Challenger reviewed here, unlike the Mustang, was equipped with optional equipment, pushing its price to $27,285. The Challenger being new and in relatively short supply, it’s easier to find a stripped-down bargain Mustang in a dealer’s inventory. Edmunds.com says Challengers still sell for their sticker price, too.

The V6 Challenger is rated for 17 miles per gallon in the city and 25 on the highway.




Base-model sporty cars like the Mustang Deluxe and the Challenger SE are traditionally sold to people who put a priority on sporty appearance rather than a sporty drive. Show over go. Where’s the fun in that?




Like it has since 2005, base Mustangs have a 4.0-liter, 210-horsepower V6 and 5-speed manual transmission. Car and Driver magazine reported taking a Mustang thus equipped from 0-60 in 6.5 seconds, impressive for a car with a base price under $20,000 even when you consider that the gearheads there were unlikely to have been gentle to the clutch.


The Dodge Challenger, new for 2008, added its new base version for 2009. This Challenger SE comes with a 3.5-liter, 250-horsepower V6 and 4-speed automatic; unlike the Mustang, which offers a choice of transmissions, V6 Challengers offer no option for a manual. Motor Trend magazine says it gets to 60 in 7.3 seconds, albeit without a clutch to destroy.

So these two cars can go, even in V6 form. But performance numbers mean little in the real world. They make for good bragging rights, but they don’t say anything about whether these base-model muscle cars are actually any fun to drive. A Toyota Camry can soundly beat either car’s acceleration specifications, but that doesn’t make it a desirable performance car. The real question is in how they feel in daily driving.




In the 15 years or so before the current version was introduced, the Mustang was a very crude car offered with very big engines. 2005 brought significant improvements to the car’s ride, handling, refinement, and interior quality. But it took quite some time for the automotive world to realize that even with these upgrades, it was still a crude car. The 2009 Mustang, unchanged from 2005, has a loud and rough-sounding engine, a vague shifter, and cheap-feeling interior materials.


Though both are retro-styled muscle cars, V6 Challenger offers a very different feel from the equivalent Mustang. Based heavily on the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger large family sedans, it is smooth and quiet and generally feels like a large family sedan. The interior is pleasantly appointed, and the rear seat is more hospitable than the Mustang’s.

In the Challenger SE, you set the automatic transmission in Drive and drive off, and you can easily forget you’re supposed to be in a performance car. For show over go-ers, that’s not only fine, but preferred. But the Challenger doesn’t offer anything more than its retro styling to justify the higher price and greatly reduced practicality over the 300 or Charger sedans.

That is not to say the Mustang has a sportier drive than the Challenger, aside from the ability to choose your own gears. Though it’s lighter than the Challenger, it’s not a small car either, and it doesn’t hide its size well. And though its V6 put out strong performance numbers when Car and Driver abuses it on a race track, it didn’t put out much more than a lot of noise on public streets.




The Mustang and the Challenger have rear-wheel-drive so they can handle the power of the large V8s in their high-end versions. Front-wheel-drive offers greater space-efficiency and weighs less, and many front-drive vehicles have more power than either of these muscle cars. There are family sedans that offer driving dynamics that equal or exceed that of these two.

So for this type of car, the Mustang is the clear choice. Unlike the Challenger, it offers the feel of a sporty car, even if it doesn’t offer additional performance. The noise and vibration and the retro-styled interior keep you from ever mistaking the car for anything ordinary. The V6 Challenger on the other hand is a convincing family car from behind the wheel until you realize how little rear visibility you have.


But really neither of these two offers the maximum of driving enjoyment at their price point. The V6 Mustang seems to offer most of the same charms as its V8 version in daily driving and is one of the quickest relatively inexpensive cars if you are willing to destroy it. But it’s still a fairly big car without the high-tech suspension system that makes some fairly big cars light on their proverbial feet. Mainstream compact cars, like the Mazda 3 or Volkswagen Rabbit, offer increasing pep and much better handling than the Mustang and Challenger.

But car nuts like big engines. Always have. And when you’re driving the Mustang, even the V6, you know you have a big engine when you hear the racket that results from any increase in velocity. It may not make the most sense, but it at least delivers that essential aspect of the old muscle car experience.

While the too-polished Challenger offers only its exterior styling to suggest it’s anything more than a two-door version of a family sedan. If you want the look of a sporty coupe with the feel of a family sedan, look to the Honda Accord and Nissan Altima coupes for even more refinement, lower prices, and better gas mileage than the Challenger.




Vehicles tested: 2009 Dodge Challenger SE / 2009 Ford Mustang Deluxe coupe
Vehicle base prices: $21,320 / $19,995
Vehicle prices as tested: $27,285 / $20,790
Test vehicles provided by: Waldorf Dodge / Waldorf Ford

 

Having both a V-6 Mustang and a V-6 Challenger, I can only assume this "test" was made on a closed track. Had it been done out in the real world, the first thing the writer would have noticed is the reaction the Challenger gets from passers-by. When I want to feel like a rock star, I drive the Challenger. When I want to slip around anonymously, I use the Mustang (which, being dark green with white side stripes that say "Mustang" and the letters M-U-S-T-A-N-G in white on the rear valance, is fairly eye-catching). I will admit, though, that the Mustang sounds better.

 

a mustang for everyone.