Compare the2024 Mercedes AMG C-Class SedanVS 2023 Dodge Charger SRT

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes AMG C-Class Sedan have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Dodge Charger SRT doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The AMG C-Class Sedan’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.

The Mercedes AMG C-Class Sedan 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 Charger SRT doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The AMG C-Class Sedan has standard Active Brake Assist, 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.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The AMG C-Class Sedan offers an optional Maneuvering Brake Function that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Charger SRT doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

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

Earlier warning of stopped traffic, traffic signals, dangerous road conditions, weather, or accidents, can keep driver's safer and prevent crashes. The AMG C-Class Sedan offers optional Car-to-X Communication, a system that seemlesly communicates important warnings to the driver about impending danger, if they're available. The Charger SRT doesn’t offer a system that can receive automated systems from infrastructure or other vehicles.

The AMG C-Class Sedan has a standard Surround View System 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 AMG C-Class Sedan and Charger SRT have rear cross-traffic warning, but the AMG C-Class Sedan has Active Brake Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Charger SRT’s Rear Cross Path Detection doesn’t automatically brake.

The AMG C-Class Sedan’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 Charger SRT doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the AMG C-Class Sedan 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras 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 Mercedes AMG C-Class Sedan is safer than the Charger SRT:

	AMG C-Class Sedan	Charger SRT
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	1 cm	9 cm
Chest Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Max Chest Compression	27 cm	28 cm
Hip & Thigh Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Femur Force R/L	.5/.4 kN	3.7/3 kN
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L	0%/0%	1%/0%
Lower Leg Evaluation	GOOD	POOR
Tibia index R/L	.3/.47	1.21/.58
Tibia forces R/L	1.9/1.7 kN	3/4.7 kN

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 AMG C-Class Sedan its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 131 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Charger SRT is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick.”

Warranty

The AMG C-Class Sedan 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.

Reliability

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the engines in the AMG C-Class Sedan have an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of the engines in the Charger SRT.

Engine

The AMG C 63 S E’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 45 lbs.-ft. more torque (752 vs. 707) than the Charger SRT Charger King Daytona’s optional 6.2 supercharged V8.

As tested in Car and Driver the AMG C 63 S E is faster than the Charger SRT Redeye:

	AMG C-Class Sedan	Charger SRT
Zero to 60 MPH	2.9 sec	3.5 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	7.1 sec	7.5 sec
Quarter Mile	11.2 sec	11.5 sec

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the AMG C-Class Sedan running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the Charger SRT:

			MPG
AMG C-Class Sedan
	AWD	AMG C 43 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	20 city/28 hwy
		63 S E 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	18 city/25 hwy
Charger SRT
	RWD	6.2 supercharged V8	12 city/21 hwy
		Redeye 6.2 supercharged V8	12 city/21 hwy

The AMG C 63 S E can travel with zero emissions for 7 miles. The Charger SRT can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the AMG C-Class Sedan’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 AMG C-Class Sedan’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 AMG C-Class Sedan 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.

Transmission

A nine-speed automatic (SMG) is standard on the Mercedes AMG C-Class Sedan, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Charger SRT.

The AMG C-Class Sedan offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Charger SRT doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

Brakes and Stopping

The AMG C-Class Sedan stops much shorter than the Charger SRT:

	AMG C-Class Sedan	Charger SRT
70 to 0 MPH	139 feet	162 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	103 feet	104 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The AMG C-Class Sedan’s optional 265/30R20 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 30 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Charger SRT’s 35 series tires.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the AMG C-Class Sedan can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Charger SRT doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

Suspension and Handling

The AMG C-Class Sedan’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Charger SRT doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The AMG C 63 S E handles at .99 G’s, while the Charger SRT Redeye pulls only .93 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

Chassis

The Mercedes AMG C-Class Sedan may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 500 pounds less than the Dodge Charger SRT.

The AMG C-Class Sedan is 1 foot shorter than the Charger SRT, making the AMG C-Class Sedan easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The AMG C-Class Sedan is 6.5 inches narrower than the Charger SRT, making the AMG C-Class Sedan easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

Passenger Space

The AMG C-Class Sedan has 2.4 inches more front headroom and 1 inch more rear headroom than the Charger SRT.

Cargo Capacity

Pressing a switch automatically lowers the AMG C-Class Sedan’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Charger SRT doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

With its sedan body style, locking rear seatbacks and remote trunk release lockout, the AMG C-Class offers cargo security. The Charger SRT’s non-lockable folding seat and non-lockable remote release defeat cargo security.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the AMG C-Class Sedan’s power trunk 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.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Charger SRT, the AMG C-Class Sedan has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The AMG C-Class Sedan offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, 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 AMG C-Class Sedan’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 AMG C-Class Sedan’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 AMG C-Class Sedan 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 AMG C-Class Sedan’s standard Keyless-Go allow you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, open the trunk, and start the car, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Keyless Enter-N-Go standard on the Charger SRT doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear door.

The AMG C-Class Sedan’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.

Heated windshield washer fluid is standard on the AMG C-Class Sedan to defrost the washer nozzles and quickly clear ice and frost from the windshield without scraping. The Charger SRT doesn’t offer heated windshield washer fluid. Its standard heated washer nozzles will defrost the washer fluid but not the windshield.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The AMG C-Class Sedan’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Charger SRT’s headlights are rated “Poor.”

While driving with high beams on, sensitive light sensors standard on the AMG C-Class Sedan 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 see further while navigating curves, the AMG C-Class Sedan offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Charger SRT doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The AMG C-Class Sedan 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 AMG C-Class Sedan offers an optional Active Distance Assist Distronic, 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 Mercedes AMG C-Class has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Charger SRT doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The AMG C-Class Sedan’s Active Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Charger SRT doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

J.D. Power and Associates rated the AMG C-Class Sedan third among compact premium cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Charger SRT isn’t in the top three.