Compare the2022 Dodge ChargerVS 2022 Subaru Legacy

Compared to metal, the Charger’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Subaru Legacy has a metal gas tank.

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

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH, results indicate that the Dodge Charger is safer than the Subaru Legacy:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

There are almost 4 times as many Dodge dealers as there are Subaru dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Charger’s warranty.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Charger has a standard 160-amp alternator. The Legacy’s standard 150-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Charger has a standard 730-amp battery. The Legacy’s 620-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

The battery on the Charger is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the Charger’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The Legacy’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Charger’s reliability 13 points higher than the Legacy.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Charger third among large cars in their 2021 Initial Quality Study. The Legacy isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Dodge vehicles are better in initial quality than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Dodge second in initial quality, above the industry average. With 43 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is ranked 24th, below the industry average.

The Charger has more powerful engines than the Legacy:

As tested in Motor Trend the Charger Scat Pack 6.4 V8 is faster than the Legacy XT 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder:

As tested in Motor Trend the Charger Scat Pack 6.4 V8 is faster than the Legacy 2.5i 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder:

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Charger R/T’s fuel efficiency. The Legacy doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The Charger has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Legacy doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Charger Scat Pack’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Legacy doesn’t offer launch control.

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

The Charger stops much shorter than the Legacy:

For better traction, the Charger Scat Pack Widebody’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Legacy (305/35R20 vs. 225/55R17).

The Charger Scat Pack Widebody’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Legacy Sport/Limited/Touring’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Charger R/T has standard 20-inch wheels. The Legacy’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

The Charger offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The Legacy’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Charger has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Legacy doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Charger’s wheelbase is 11.9 inches longer than on the Legacy (120.2 inches vs. 108.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Charger is 1.9 inches wider in the front and .6 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Legacy.

The Charger’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (52% to 48%) than the Legacy’s (58% to 42%). This gives the Charger more stable handling and braking.

The Charger Scat Pack handles at .92 G’s, while the Legacy Touring XT pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Charger Scat Pack executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 3 seconds quicker than the Legacy Sport (25.3 seconds @ .8 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the Charger has liquid-filled engine mounts. The liquid helps further dampen engine harshness. The Legacy uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

The Charger has .7 inches more front hip room, 1.4 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear legroom, 1.3 inches more rear hip room and .5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Legacy.

The Charger has a much larger trunk than the Legacy (16.5 vs. 15.1 cubic feet).

The Charger has a 1000 lbs. towing capacity. The Legacy has no towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Damping on the Charger uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Legacy doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Charger uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Legacy uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The Charger’s optional easy entry system raises the steering wheel and glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Legacy doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Charger’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Legacy does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The power windows standard on both the Charger and the Legacy have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Charger is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Legacy prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

On a hot day the Charger’s driver can lower the front windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Legacy can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Charger’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Legacy’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted. The Charger’s optional wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield.

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 Legacy doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

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 is only available on the Legacy Premium/Sport/Limited/Touring.

Both the Charger and the Legacy offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Charger has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Legacy doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

The Charger is available in both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations. The Legacy doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Charger is less expensive to operate than the Legacy because it costs $564 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Charger than the Legacy, including $73 less for a water pump, $218 less for a starter, $15 less for fuel injection and $175 less for front struts.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Dodge Charger and the Subaru Legacy, based on reliability, safety and performance.