2009 Dodge Challenger R/T: Why I Like It Better Than the Camaro

If somebody thinks the Camaro is better looking from the side then they need eye surgery. That angle and the black paint is just stunning. After driving both I agree with Ed. It is just a more grown up type of car......simple, exciting and competent. There are a lot of Camaro fans out there and more power to them but the Challenger is a better executed car.

Have you seen the inside of the old '70 Challenger? It looks similar to the new one. The 09 is very faithful to the original styling inside and out.

Oh and Subaru123.....for the love of god will you stop spamming every thread with Subaru crap? If something is unrelated to the post THEN DONT POST IT....IT IS INCREDIBLY RUDE. We are so happy you like Subarus OK????? But QUIT!

I second the motion, bodyblue.

@bodyblue
I'll get eye surgery and stop posting unrelated crap :)

On topic... from the point of view of someone who has only sat in them, not driven I would easily pick the Challenger over the Camaro.

Off topic ... that is a cool ad, seen it lots of time. I would suggestion posting it on a Subaru long term test but there doesn't seem to be one.

Two of most other brands but no Subarus. Maybe they are selling so well they don't have to give them to car magazines in order to get free press.

That photo looks like it could've been taken at USC. :o)

It's natural to draw comparisons between the Challenger and Crapmaro. I'm glad to see that opinions are turning more favorable.

The Camaro REALLY needs a higher final-drive ratio. A 3.73 in the tail would liven it up. I know because that's the tail that's in my G8 GXP. And I LOVE the way the GXP's geared.

Would you also take the Challenger over the Mustang?

Couldn't get that thing closer in the parking spot?

Saying that you like the Challenger is ridiculous. Most reviews and people agree that the Camaro is better. Just look at the sales; your opinion is totally invalid because the sales of the Camaro are so way higher than of the Challenger.

/sudo 1487 rant

@ benson2175,

http://imgur.com/OxbBE

"your opinion is totally invalid because the sales of the Camaro are so way higher than of the Challenger. "

Ummm....huh? Opinions are just that and good old Ed here happens to get paid to share his. If you want disagree because of a sales chart (comparing a car that's been out a couple of months to one that's been out over a year I might add) that's your right, but that doesn't make him wrong. I for one happen to agree with Ed. After the dust settled on the Bumblebee buzz with the Camaro I came down on the side of the Challenger as well.

The Challenger just seems to have soul in a way that the Camaro and, to a lesser extent, even the Mustang don't. I get excited when I see one. If I wasn't sitting on a 300C SRT Design that's only 1 and half years old I'd have a Hemi Orange Challenger SRT8 with Pistol Grip 6-speed in my driveway right now. Give me a little more time and that'll be one sale the Dodge will get over the Chevy.

Just thought I'd throw my "invalid" opinion out there too!

^^ I think benson was just being facetious.

"Saying that you like the Challenger is ridiculous. Most reviews and people agree that the Camaro is better. Just look at the sales; your opinion is totally invalid because the sales of the Camaro are so way higher than of the Challenger.

/sudo 1487 rant"

Pathetic. Just come up with your own ideas- if you have them. I'm flattered that I am on your mind so much- I assure I've never been worried about you or what you might post. Ever.

Challenger is more practical and aimed at an older crowd. If you favor practicality over style its your choice. It certainly doesn't look better. Any wheels other than the 20s look far too small and the overhangs are huge. Its the most traditional looking of the muscle cars- very American. To me style is a key factor in buying a coupe and thus I wouldn't trade the style of the Camaro for the comfort and practicality of the Dodge. If I was older I might feel otherwise.

I've got to be honest... The more and more I see Challenger on the road, the more and more they grow on me...

The Camaro, not so much..

I'm just talking looks here of course. I've driven a V6 Camaro, not an SS, and I've driven a Challenger SRT-8.

The Camaro feels good, but I liked the steering better in the Chal. I know that you can't compare a V6 'Maro and a top-of-the-line Challenger, but just my two cents.

The LX platformed Challenger feels more planted, but maybe it's just because i've had several chances to drive different family members' 300's and Chargers, and i'm more used to it.. Who knows..

When I ordered my Challenger in February I thought I'd use it as a daily driver. When I picked the car up in April my mind changed. There was no way this thing would sit in the driveway or plow through the snow. My wife's van had to give up the space in the garage.

As far as sales go, Chrysler isn't gonna build a lot of them. And besides, all of Chrysler's plants were shut down for two months. When inventories grow I think you'll see sales of 2500-3000/month and that's it. I look at that as being a good thing. You'll never see Challengers on every street corner like some cars.

A car like the Challenger doesn't come along that often. Who knows how long Chrysler will build them. It's a very special car that Dodge put together here. It's one beautiful automobile.

What's with all the Subaru SPAM?

Also, that link was hardly "worth watching" - it was a commercial.

Ah ha....I guess I hadn't frequented here enough to "get" the "sudo 1487 rant" portion, wondered what that was referring to. My apologies. Stand by preferring the Challenger though :p

I haven't driven either, but on looks alone I'd have the Camaro. I prefer the modern/retro mix to blatant retro any day. Plus, the Camaro V6 is actually a legitimate contender as far as I'm concerned, but you have to pony up for the R/T Challenger for that car to even be in the running.

I agree with audisport. The Challenger is slowly growing on me. The Camaro is too flamboyant. It just doesn't look or feel masculine or as American. The Challenger and even the Mustang are both more "guy specific". I honestly feel like the Camaro is a really great chick car but not a great muscle car (even if it is faster to 60). Sorry camaro-philes I guess I like my cars simple and not overly styled.

@ stlouiscarguy - Don't worry, you'll get familiar with 1487 soon enough.

@ benson2175 - You, sir, should know better than to poke the bear : )

"Plus, the Camaro V6 is actually a legitimate contender as far as I'm concerned, but you have to pony up for the R/T Challenger for that car to even be in the running. "

Good point, the V6 Challenger isn't a cotender at all. You have to get the V8 if you want performance.

Even though the Challenger has been out longer I've seen almost as many Camaros as Challengers. The Challenger has presence on the streets, especially with a tint and the 20s but it seems like a faddish design. I can't see sales sustaining for long because the car is so blatantly retro. The Camaro is just a good looking car that happens to take a few cues from old models. My father in law said he likes the Challenger better because it looks just like the old one. I dont want a car that looks just like something from 1970.

Lovely drama with the usual suspects....thanks guys, always entertaining.
Its just a matter of opinions, everyone has one, so who cares? This thread is so subjective, that is almost worthless.

It's just too big looking for my taste...

@1487 - What do you mean that the V6 Challenger with 250hp and craptastic 4 speed auto aren't competitive???? SARCASM

The V6 model is pretty hit.

GM has built a couple respectable powertrains and put them in an ugly package. Too many angles and creases and gills make it busy, as if each body panel was designed independently and then grafted together. Chrome rings around the taillights are too 1960s. The grille is certainly less creative than Dodge's, and the gauge pods inside belong back on the concept, not a production vehicle. No, the Camaro, not the Challenger, is going to be the fad. Once all the GM fanboys have had their fill, nobody else will buy one.

As time goes on, I have come to like the Challenger more than the Camaro. I thought for sure I would like the Camaro more and have wanted to. I really have. I have only sat in both of them a couple of times and I will probably never own either so my opinion is kinda mute, but as I read the blogs and experiences the Challenger just seems to appeal more as an everyday, daily driver type of car.

Straightforward interior, nice legible gauges, good seating position, decent visibility big trunk and powerful motor. The Camaro seems to compromise more on these issues. Small trunk opening, awkward interior and in my opinion hard to read gauges, POOR visibility and although a strong motor, it seems hampered by odd little things like gearing ratios and an odd shifter...

So for looking cool I'll take the Camaro, although the Challenger to me is just as good looking. I don't think either one looks so much better than the other. They both channel that exterior "retro" look very well. But the Challenger executes all the little things that make a car livable from day to day much better.

That the Challenger does this is very odd because GM executes these things MUCH better than Chrylser in everything else. It's odd that Chrysler got the Challenger right and GM got the Camaro that "wrong".

"That the Challenger does this is very odd because GM executes these things MUCH better than Chrylser in everything else. It's odd that Chrysler got the Challenger right and GM got the Camaro that "wrong"."

@ big al- You are so right. If Chrysler designed/built their vehicles like the Challenger there is no way they'd be where they are.

Great observation.

I'd take the Challenger R/T 6MT over a Camaro for the better looks, the usable back seat, the usable trunk. And most of all, it's got a cool factor that the Camaro doesn't have in my totally subjective opinion.

And before someone accuses me of being an aging Mopar fanboy, I'm 28 and I've never owned either a GM or a Chrysler product.