2014 Dodge Charger Pros vs Cons

The 2014 Dodge Charger is nearly flawless. It looks like a traditional muscle car and performs the part with amazing agility, acceleration, handling and that all important “fun factor”. Aside from being a nice piece of eye candy and a blast to drive, the '14 Charger also functions as a full size sedan with ample interior space. It is offered in the following trims: SE, SXT, R/T, SRT8 and the Super Bee.

The Charger's competitors include the Chevrolet Impala, the Toyota Avalon and the Kia Cadenza. The Impala doesn't compare to the Charger's eye catching curves and sporty style but does have plenty of seating and cargo space as well as an array of high tech features. The Avalon is an interesting competitor as it has a hybrid option that attains 40 mpg, yet it pales in comparison to the Charger's beastly engine and muscular aesthetic. The Cadenza is much more luxurious than prospective buyers would expect but it lacks the pizazz and powerful performance of the Charger.

What's new for 2014

Like the '13 edition of the Charger, the '14 hasn't changed much. There's a Redline Package that provides aluminum wheels with black chrome and a 6 cylinder, 3.6 liter engine with 300 horses. A Wheel Sport Appearance Group is also available and several new exterior paints can be selected. They are Header Orange, Plum Crazy and TorRed.

Ten Reasons to Buy a 2014 Dodge Charger:

1) The Charger's unmistakable style is one of its best features. It has a characteristic bar of 164 LED taillights, a cross hair style front grille, sharp angles, a lifted belt line, a spoiler and curves that are more muscular than sexy. It looks perfect.

2) Although the Charger looks sporty and drives like a dream, it is also full of safety features. These include a rearview camera, blind sport monitors, front seat active head restraints, anti-lock disc brakes, electronic stability control, a rear cross traffic warning system, a forward collision warning system, a driver's side knee airbag, front seat side airbags and full length side curtain airbags.

3) The price is outstanding. While the Charger looks like a luxurious sports vehicle, the SE starts at under $27,000. That is quite shocking considering everything that the car has to offer.

4) It is loaded with features like remote keyless entry, a USB audio auxiliary jack, 3 power accessory outlets, a driver's seat that is powered in 6 ways and much more.
The Charger handles similar to a Nascar race car. Although it is big, it is easy to control and has a powerful engine under the hood.

5) The Charger brakes better than expected. During Edmunds testing, a Charger SXT stopped from 60 mph in merely 113 feet. This is an incredibly short braking distance for a full size sedan.

6) The Charger breezed through crash tests, earning the best possible 5 star rating for overall crash protection, 4 stars for frontal impacts and 5 stars for side impacts. At the IIHS, it earned the best possible rating of “Good” in most categories of its crash tests.

7) Drivers can choose between a wide variety of trims with differing engine sizes. The SE and SXT trims provide a 6 cylinder engine with 3.6 liters, 260 pound feet of torque and 292 horses. There are several packages that boost the engine power to 300 horses and 264 pound feet of torque. The R/T has an 8 cylinder with 5.7 liters, 370 horses and 395 pound feet of torque. Or, buyers can pick a SRT8 with a monstrous 8 cylinder engine with 470 horses and 470 pound feet of torque.

8) Although rear wheel drive is standard and provides excellent performance, snow belt drivers will be happy to know that Dodge also empowers buyers to choose an all wheel drive system if they desire.

9) The Charger has a simple to use, easy to see 8.4 inch touchscreen. Other standard amenities include keyless entry, cruise control, 60/40 split style folding rear seats, a 6 speaker sound system and more. Upper level trims offer buyers the chance to enjoy features like heated mirrors, heated front seats, Bluetooth connectivity, satellite radio, performance brakes and tires and a sport tuned suspension.

10) The Charger's interior is surprisingly luxurious. It is composed of high quality materials compared to earlier editions of the Charger. The center stack is perfectly positioned and shifted a bit towards the driver for optimal viewing and control.

Reasons you may not want to buy a 2014 Dodge Charger

1) Some Charger drivers complain that rear visibility is a bit limited.

2) Compared to other full size sedans, the Charger's rear seat legroom is lacking.

3) While Chargers equipped with an 8 speed automatic transmission and a 6 cylinder engine attain 31 mpg on highways, the 6 cylinder base Charger SE and Chargers with 8 cylinder engines deliver an unimpressive 18/27 mpg on city and highway roads, respectively. The SRT8 is even worse with 14/23 mpg.

4) There's an 8.4 inch touchscreen that, unfortunately, is not standard on the SE and Super Bee trims. These two trims come with only a 4.3 inch touchscreen.

5) Compared to other full size sedans, the Charger's trunk is a bit small, coming in at 15.4 cubic feet in volume.

6) The Chargers equipped with 8 cylinder engines are tied to five speed automatic transmissions. Gear heads would have preferred the option of a manual transmission with their V8s.

7) Some Charger drivers complain that Chargers equipped with 8 cylinder engines have inferior ride quality compared to 6 cylinder Chargers. They complain that the ride is a bit louder and bumpier.

Conclusion

While there are some shortcomings listed above, these should not be what car buyers focus in on when examining the '14 Charger. Without a doubt, the Charger is one of the best cars on the American market. It play dual roles, serving the family as a spacious station wagon-esque sedan while offering automotive enthusiasts a driving experience that is hard to match. This year's Charger is an incredible value with a starting MSRP under the $30,000 level. Buy it.