Compare the2023 Subaru BRZVS 2023 Dodge Challenger

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The Subaru BRZ has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Challenger doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The BRZ Auto has standard Pre-Collision Braking, which use forward mounted sensors to warn the driver of a possible collision ahead. If the driver doesn’t react and the system determines a collision is imminent, it automatically applies the brakes at full-force in order to reduce the force of the crash or avoid it altogether. The Challenger offers an available collision warning system without the automated brake feature that would prevent or reduce the collision if the driver fails to react.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The BRZ Auto has standard Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Challenger doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The BRZ Auto’s lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. The Challenger doesn’t offer a lane departure warning system.

The BRZ Auto’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Challenger doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the BRZ and the Challenger have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Subaru BRZ is safer than the Challenger:

	BRZ	Challenger
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Restraints	GOOD	GOOD
Head Neck Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Peak Head Forces	0 G’s	0 G’s
Steering Column Movement Rearward	0 cm	8 cm
Chest Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Max Chest Compression	25 cm	26 cm
Hip & Thigh Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L	0%/0%	0%/0%
Lower Leg Evaluation	GOOD	POOR
Tibia index R/L	.44/.47	1.46/1.01
Tibia forces R/L	3.8/1.6 kN	4.8/2.4 kN

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) performs roof strength tests. In that test the BRZ earned the top rating of “Good” because its roof supported over four times the BRZ’s weight before being crushed five inches. The Challenger was rated lower at “Acceptable.”

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rates the general design of front seat head restraints for their ability to protect front seat occupants from whiplash injuries. The IIHS also performs a dynamic test on those seats with “good” or “acceptable” geometry. In these ratings, the BRZ with leather seats is safer than the Challenger:

	BRZ	Challenger
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Head Restraint Design	GOOD	GOOD
Distance from Back of Head	24 mm	61 mm
Dynamic Test Rating	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Seat Design	Pass	Fail
Neck Force Rating	Low	Low
Max Neck Shearing Force	27	83

(Lower numerical results are better in all tests.)

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, with its optional vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the BRZ its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 101 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Challenger is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick.”

Reliability

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the BRZ has an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of some of the engines in the Challenger.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Dodge vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 2 places higher in reliability than Dodge.

Engine

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the BRZ lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Challenger doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the BRZ gets better mileage than the Challenger:

			MPG
BRZ
RWD	Manual	2.4 DOHC flat-4	20 city/27 hwy
	Auto	2.4 DOHC flat-4	21 city/30 hwy
Challenger
RWD	Manual	6.4 OHV V8	14 city/23 hwy
		5.7 OHV V8	15 city/23 hwy
		6.2 supercharged V8	13 city/21 hwy
	Auto	3.6 DOHC V6	19 city/30 hwy
		6.4 OHV V8	15 city/24 hwy
		5.7 OHV V8	16 city/25 hwy
		6.2 supercharged V8	13 city/22 hwy
		6.2 supercharged V8	13 city/22 hwy
		Widebody 6.2 supercharged V8	13 city/21 hwy
		Widebody 6.2 supercharged V8	13 city/21 hwy
		6.2 supercharged V8	13 city/21 hwy
AWD	Auto	3.6 DOHC V6	18 city/27 hwy

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Subaru BRZ higher (3 out of 10) than the Dodge Challenger (1 to 3). This means the BRZ produces up to 22.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Challenger every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The BRZ’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 Challenger SXT are solid, not vented.

The BRZ stops much shorter than the Challenger:

	BRZ	Challenger
70 to 0 MPH	152 feet	176 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	107 feet	109 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The BRZ Premium’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Challenger SXT’s standard 55 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The BRZ Limited handles at .99 G’s, while the Challenger SXT pulls only .86 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the BRZ’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the Challenger SXT/GT/R/T’s (35.4 feet vs. 37.4 feet). The BRZ’s turning circle is 3.3 feet tighter than the Challenger Supercharged/Widebody’s (35.4 feet vs. 38.7 feet).

Chassis

The Subaru BRZ may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1050 to 1600 pounds less than the Dodge Challenger.

The BRZ is 2 feet, 5.6 inches shorter than the Challenger, making the BRZ easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The BRZ is 6.7 inches narrower on average than the Challenger, making the BRZ easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

For excellent aerodynamics, the BRZ has standard flush composite headlights. The Challenger has recessed headlights that spoil its aerodynamic shape and create extra drag.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the BRZ Limited is quieter than the Challenger SRT Hellcat:

	BRZ	Challenger
At idle	41 dB	59 dB
70 MPH Cruising	76 dB	76 dB

Cargo Capacity

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the BRZ easier. The BRZ’s trunk lift-over height is 27.1 inches, while the Challenger’s liftover is 33.2 inches.

Ergonomics

The BRZ has a lever hand brake in the console, easy to use while keeping both feet free and not impeding entry and exit. The Challenger’s foot pedal parking brake is not handy to use as a hill holding device with a manual transmission.

The BRZ’s standard power windows have a locking feature to keep children from operating them. Dodge does not offer a locking feature on the Challenger’s standard power windows.

The BRZ’s front power windows open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Challenger’s power windows’ switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the BRZ’s exterior PIN entry system. The Challenger doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The BRZ has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Challenger doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The BRZ’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Challenger’s standard projector halogen headlights and light instantly. LED lights also last over twenty times longer than halogen. The BRZ’s LED headlights produce a white, bright light using less electricity than the Challenger’s optional xenon high intensity discharge (HID) headlights. HID headlights can be slow to reach full brightness or power cycle, causing issues when flashing them to signal other vehicles; LED headlights light instantly. LED lights also last about three to four times as long.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the BRZ Limited has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Challenger doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Recommendations

The BRZ was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” in 2022. The Challenger has never been a Car and Driver “Top Ten” pick.