Compare the2024 Dodge ChargerVS 2024 Ford Mustang

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Charger has standard Rear Park Assist with Stop that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Mustang doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The Charger has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Mustang doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Charger offers an optional 360° Surround View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Mustang only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

Both the Charger and the Mustang have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The Dodge Charger weighs 1810 to 2250 pounds more than the Ford Mustang. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Dodge vehicles are better in initial quality than Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Dodge first in initial quality, above the industry average. With 61 more problems per 100 vehicles, Ford is ranked 23rd, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Dodge vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Dodge above average in long-term dependability. With 26 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Ford is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Dodge vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Dodge 1 place higher in reliability than Ford.

The Charger has more powerful engines than the Mustang:

	Horsepower	Torque
Charger Daytona R/T Coupe electric motors	496 HP	404 lbs.-ft.
Charger Daytona Scat Pack Coupe electric motors	670 HP	627 lbs.-ft.
Mustang EcoBoost 2.3 turbo 4-cylinder	315 HP	350 lbs.-ft.
Mustang GT 5.0 DOHC V8	480 HP	415 lbs.-ft.
Mustang GT 5.0 DOHC V8	486 HP	418 lbs.-ft.
Mustang Dark Horse 5.0 DOHC V8	500 HP	418 lbs.-ft.

As tested in Motor Trend the Charger Daytona Scat Pack Coupe is faster than the Ford Mustang (automatics tested):

	Charger	Mustang GT	Mustang Dark Horse
Zero to 60 MPH	3.2 sec	3.9 sec	3.7 sec
Quarter Mile	11.5 sec	12.2 sec	12 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	120.5 MPH	116.8 MPH	118.4 MPH

Motor Trend magazine performs a classic 0 to 100 MPH and back to 0 MPH performance test. The Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack Coupe completed this feat in only 11.8 seconds. It took the Ford Mustang Dark Horse 11.9 seconds.

On the EPA test cycle the Charger gets better mileage than the Mustang Fastback:

			MPGe
Charger
AWD	Auto	20" Wheels Daytona R/T Electric Motors	104 city/91 hwy
		18" Wheels Daytona R/T Electric Motors	92 city/81 hwy
		20" Perf Tires Daytona R/T Electric Motors	90 city/79 hwy
		Daytona Scat Pack All Season Tires Electric Motors	82 city/73 hwy
		Daytona Scat Pack Performance Tires Electric Motors	74 city/66 hwy
Mustang Fastback
			MPG
RWD	Manual	GT 5.0 V8	14 city/23 hwy
		Dark Horse 5.0 V8	14 city/22 hwy
	Auto	2.3 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/33 hwy
		Performance 2.3 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/29 hwy
		w/Start/Stop 5.0 V8	16 city/24 hwy
		GT 5.0 V8	15 city/24 hwy
		Dark Horse 5.0 V8	14 city/22 hwy

The Charger can travel with zero emissions for 216 to 308 miles (dependent on model). The Mustang can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the Charger’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Mustang doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Dodge Charger higher (10 out of 10) than the Ford Mustang (5 to 7). This means the Charger produces up to 19.8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Mustang every 15,000 miles.

All wheel drive, standard on the Charger, provides the best traction for acceleration in wet, dry, and icy conditions. In corners, all wheel drive allows both outside wheels to provide power, balancing the car. This allows for better handling. The Ford Mustang is not available with all wheel drive.

For better stopping power the Charger’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Mustang:

	Charger Daytona R/T	Charger Daytona Scat Pack	Scat Pack opt.	Mustang EcoBoost	Mustang GT	Mustang Dark Horse
Front Rotors	13.9 inches	15 inches	16.1 inches	12.6 inches	13.9 inches	15.4 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	14.2 inches	16.1 inches	12.6 inches	13.8 inches	14 inches

The Charger’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs standard on the Mustang EcoBoost are solid, not vented.

The Charger stops shorter than the Mustang:

	Charger	Mustang
100 to 0 MPH	297 feet	312 feet	Car and Driver
70 to 0 MPH	151 feet	153 feet	Car and Driver

For better traction, the Charger has larger standard tires than the Mustang (245/55R18 vs. 235/55R17).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Charger has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Mustang EcoBoost. The Charger’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels optional on the Mustang.

The Charger has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Mustang doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Charger’s wheelbase is 14 inches longer than on the Mustang (121 inches vs. 107 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Charger is 5.9 inches wider in the front and 4 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Mustang.

The Charger Daytona Scat Pack Coupe handles at .99 G’s, while the Mustang GT Premium Fastback pulls only .95 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skid pad test.

The Charger Daytona Scat Pack Coupe executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Mustang EcoBoost Premium Fastback (24.1 seconds @ .84 average G’s vs. 24.9 seconds @ .75 average G’s).

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Charger a Large car, while the Mustang Fastback is rated a Subcompact.

The Charger has standard seating for 5 passengers; the Mustang can only carry 4.

The Charger has 20.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Mustang Fastback (103.1 vs. 82.8).

The Charger Coupe has 1.5 inches more front headroom, 1.4 inches more front hip room, 3.2 inches more front shoulder room, 2.1 inches more rear headroom, 8.2 inches more rear legroom, 8.7 inches more rear hip room and 5.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Mustang Fastback.

The Charger Coupe has a much larger trunk with its rear seat up than the Mustang Fastback (22.7 vs. 13.5 cubic feet).

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the Charger offers an optional power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button. The Mustang doesn’t offer a power trunk.

The Charger offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Mustang doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Charger to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Mustang doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The Charger’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Ford only offers heated mirrors on the Mustang Premium/Convertible/Dark Horse.

When the Charger with available tilt-down mirrors is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Mustang’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Charger has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the Mustang. The Charger also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Mustang.

The Charger has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the car heater warms up. A heated steering wheel is only available on the Mustang Premium/Dark Horse.

The Charger has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Mustang doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

The Charger has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning costs extra on the Mustang.

For greater rear passenger comfort, the Charger has standard rear a/c vents to keep rear occupants more comfortable. The Mustang doesn’t offer rear vents.

The Dodge Charger has a standard Homelink wireless remote-control system for garage door operation and device management, conveniently located on the driver’s visor. Homelink® eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries. Ford charges extra for Homelink® on the Mustang.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Dodge Charger offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the front center console. The Mustang doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Dodge Charger outsold the Ford Mustang by 56% during 2023.