Compare the2023 Lexus RCVS 2023 Dodge Challenger

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Lexus RC have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Dodge Challenger doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The RC’s optional pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Challenger doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The Lexus RC has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help 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 RC has standard Pre-Collision System, 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.

The RC’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 RC offers optional Intuitive Park Assist to help warn the driver about vehicles, pedestrians or other obstacles behind or in front of their vehicle. The Challenger doesn’t offer a front parking aid.

The RC has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Challenger’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the RC has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Challenger.

The RC’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 RC and the Challenger have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras and available all wheel drive.

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 Lexus RC is safer than the Challenger:

	RC	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	20 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	.56/.43	1.46/1.01

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) performs roof strength tests. In that test the RC earned the top rating of “Good” because its roof supported over four times the RC’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 RC is safer than the Challenger:

	RC	Challenger
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Head Restraint Design	GOOD	GOOD
Distance from Back of Head	16 mm	61 mm
Distance Below Top of Head	21 mm	28 mm
Dynamic Test Rating	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Seat Design	Pass	Fail
Neck Force Rating	Low	Low
Max Neck Shearing Force	0	83
Max Neck Tension	340	456

(Lower numerical results are better in all tests.)

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and its standard front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the RC the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 230 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Challenger was not even a “Top Safety Pick” for 2016.

Warranty

The RC comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Challenger’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

Lexus’ powertrain warranty covers the RC 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Dodge covers the Challenger. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Challenger ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The RC’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Challenger’s (6 vs. 5 years).

Reliability

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

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Lexus vehicles are more reliable than Dodge vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lexus above average in long-term dependability. With 33 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Dodge is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Lexus vehicles are more reliable than Dodge vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Lexus third in overall reliability. Dodge is ranked 10th.

Engine

As tested in Car and Driver the RC 350 3.5 DOHC V6 is faster than the Dodge Challenger V6 (automatics tested):

	RC	Challenger
Zero to 60 MPH	5.6 sec	6.3 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	6 sec	6.7 sec
Quarter Mile	14.1 sec	14.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	100 MPH	95 MPH
Top Speed	132 MPH	131 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
RC
RWD	Auto	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/31 hwy
		3.5 DOHC V6	20 city/28 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

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Lexus RC higher (5 out of 10) than the Dodge Challenger (1 to 3). This means the RC produces up to 39 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Challenger every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the RC’s standard front brake rotors are larger than those on the Challenger:

	RC	Challenger
Front Rotors	13.2 inches	12.6 inches

The RC’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 RC stops much shorter than the Challenger:

	RC	Challenger
70 to 0 MPH	162 feet	176 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

The RC’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

For better maneuverability, the RC’s turning circle is 3.2 feet tighter than the Challenger SXT/GT/R/T’s (34.2 feet vs. 37.4 feet). The RC AWD’s turning circle is 3.9 feet tighter than the Challenger Supercharged/Widebody’s (34.8 feet vs. 38.7 feet).

Chassis

The RC is 1 foot shorter than the Challenger, making the RC easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The design of the Lexus RC amounts to more than styling. The RC offers aerodynamic coefficients of drag from .3 to .31 Cd (depending on bodystyle and options). That is significantly lower than the Challenger (.337 to .398). A more efficient exterior helps the RC go faster and keeps the interior quieter. It also helps the RC get better fuel mileage.

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

Cargo Capacity

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the RC easier. The RC’s trunk lift-over height is 27.6 inches, while the Challenger’s liftover is 33.2 inches.

With its coupe body style, valet key, locking rear seatbacks and remote trunk release lockout, the RC offers cargo security. The Challenger’s non-lockable folding seat and non-lockable remote release defeat cargo security.

Servicing Ease

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Lexus service is better than Dodge. J.D. Power ranks Lexus first in service department satisfaction. With a 57% lower rating, Dodge is ranked 21st.

Ergonomics

The RC’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 Challenger doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The RC’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Challenger’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The RC’s standard power windows have a locking feature to keep children from operating them, but the driver can still raise and lower both of them with the lock engaged. Dodge does not offer a locking feature on the Challenger’s standard power windows.

The RC’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.

If the front windows are left open on the RC the driver can close them at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Lexus service department.) The driver of the Challenger can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The RC 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 RC’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 RC’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.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The RC offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Challenger doesn’t offer headlight washers.

When the RC 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 Challenger’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The RC’s standard rear view mirror and optional side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Challenger has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the RC is less expensive to operate than the Challenger because typical repairs cost much less on the RC than the Challenger, including $550 less for a muffler, $299 less for front brake pads and $239 less for a fuel pump.

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