Compare the2024 Audi S7VS 2023 Dodge Charger SRT

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

Safety

© 1999 - 2024Advanta-STAR Automotive Research, all rights reserved. This vehicle comparison and all of the content in it are provided only by license from Advanta-STAR Automotive Research Corporation of America (“Advanta-STAR”). If you are not a legally licensed user of this vehicle comparison, it is against federal law to access it, copy it, forward it, or use it in any manner whatsoever. Any unauthorized use of this vehicle comparison is a violation of U.S. and international law and is punishable criminally and civilly. Removal of this watermark/notification without prior written license and approval received from Advanta-STAR is an agreement, understanding, and/or stipulation by the person(s), entities, agents, attorneys, and any other persons involved in the removal of this watermark/notification (including but not limited to Search Optics, LLC and any and all parent entities, sister entities, and subsidiary entities of Search Optics, LLC and/or any other entity, agent, attorney, and persons related in any manner to Search Optics, LLC) to: 1) an agreed upon amount of liquidated monetary damages of a minimum of $1,250,000.00 US Dollars in favor of Advanta-STAR; 2) the jurisdiction and enforcement of any legal claims associated with this matter asserted by Advanta-STAR in the United States Federal District Court in Portand, Oregon; and 3) service of process of any legal claims asserted by Advanta-STAR associated with this matter may be accomplished by First-Class Postage by the United States Postal Service or comparable service. XPYNN-M34HG 2a06:98c0:3600::103 2024/12/03

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Audi S7 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Dodge Charger SRT doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The S7’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Charger SRT doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the S7 and Charger SRT have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The S7 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Charger SRT’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Audi S7 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 Charger SRT doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The S7 has standard Pre Sense Front, 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 Charger SRT doesn't offer collision warning or crash mitigation brakes.

The S7 has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Charger SRT doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The S7 has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Charger SRT doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the S7 Prestige helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The Charger SRT doesn’t offer a night vision system.

The S7’s lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane. The Charger SRT doesn’t offer a lane departure warning system.

The S7 offers an optional Top and Corner View Cameras to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Charger SRT 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 S7 and the Charger SRT have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available 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 and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Audi S7 is safer than the Dodge Charger SRT:

	S7	Charger SRT
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	135	138
Chest Movement	.9 inches	1.4 inches
Abdominal Force	174 lbs.	212 lbs.
Hip Force	262 lbs.	372 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	135	164
Spine Acceleration	43 G’s	44 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	15 inches
Spine Acceleration	39 G’s	48 G’s
Hip Force	514 lbs.	692 lbs.

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

Warranty

The S7 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Charger SRT’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The S7’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Charger SRT’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Reliability

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the S7 has an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of the engines in the Charger SRT.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the S7 gets better mileage than the Charger SRT:

		MPG
S7
	2.9 turbo V6 Hybrid	19 city/26 hwy
Charger SRT
	6.2 supercharged V8	12 city/21 hwy
	Redeye 6.2 supercharged V8	12 city/21 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the S7’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Charger SRT doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the S7’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Charger SRT doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The S7 has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Charger SRT. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Audi S7 higher (5 out of 10) than the Dodge Charger SRT (1). This means the S7 produces up to 39 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Charger SRT every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The S7 stops much shorter than the Charger SRT:

	S7	Charger SRT
70 to 0 MPH	151 feet	162 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the S7 has standard 21-inch wheels. Only 20-inch wheels are available on the Charger SRT.

The S7 has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Charger SRT; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

Chassis

The S7 is 5 inches shorter than the Charger SRT, making the S7 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The design of the Audi S7 amounts to more than styling. The S7 has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .34 Cd. That is significantly lower than the Charger SRT (.3763). A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the S7 get better fuel mileage.

Passenger Space

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the S7’s rear seats recline. The Charger SRT’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the S7’s power liftgate can be opened or closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Charger SRT doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening trunk.

Servicing Ease

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Audi service is better than Dodge. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 25% lower rating, Dodge is ranked 21st.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Charger SRT, the S7 Premium Plus/Prestige offers an optional passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position, outside mirror angle and climate settings and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The S7 Prestige has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Charger SRT doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The S7’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Charger SRT’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The S7’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Charger SRT’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the S7 the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Charger SRT can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The S7’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Charger SRT’s intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The S7 has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Charger SRT doesn’t offer headlight washers.

While driving with high beams on, sensitive light sensors standard on the S7 detect other vehicles which could be blinded and automatically switch to low beams. The Charger SRT doesn’t offer automatic dimming high beams.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the S7 has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Charger SRT doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the S7 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Charger SRT doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The S7 Premium Plus/Prestige offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Charger SRT.

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the S7 offers an optional Adaptive Cruise Control, which alters the speed of the vehicle without driver intervention. This allows the driver to use cruise control more safely without constantly having to disengage it when approaching slower traffic. The Charger SRT doesn’t offer an adaptive cruise control.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Audi S7 offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Charger SRT doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The S7 Prestige’s Park Assist Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Park Assist Plus Remote will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Charger SRT doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the S7 owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the S7 will cost $8470 to $9820 less than the Charger SRT over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Audi S7 will be $8813 to $9001 less than for the Dodge Charger SRT.