Car Buyer Labs

Car Buying Advice, Tips, and Reviews

A white and black 2021 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody is shown from a high angle parked in an empty garage.

2021 Dodge Charger: A Modern Muscle Car

Everyone has their own reasons for looking at a particular style, model, or brand of car. Some people are drawn to a specific maximum capacity for cargo or passengers, like a van or truck. Others are drawn to the look of a vehicle. This is especially common with sedans, whether with four doors or two. The 2021 Dodge Charger is unmistakably an homage to the muscle cars of the past. Sleek and streamlined, with a powerful engine, the Charger turns heads wherever it goes.

The defining features of muscle cars are their powerful V8 engines and rear-wheel drive. They are affordable and designed to excel at straight-line drag racing while remaining street legal. The 2021 Dodge Charger hits all of those requirements. It has a starting MSRP of $29,995 and offers four different V8 engine options as well as a surprisingly potent V6. This absolutely qualifies the 2021 Dodge Charger as a new model for a bygone era.

An orange 2021 Dodge Charger Scat Pack Widebody is shown from a high angle driving over a bridge.

Under the Hood

Unlike most muscle cars, the 2021 Dodge Charger is a four-door sedan – but that doesn’t mean it’s boring. Even the standard V6 engine offers up to 300 horsepower, while the top of the line supercharged Hellcat V8 engine provides an astounding 797 horsepower. For a good balance between affordability and power, choose either the 5.7L HEMI or the 6.4L HEMI 392. The 5.7L is found on the R/T trim and offers 370 horsepower for under $37,000, while the 392 is found on the Challenger Scat Pack and supplies 485 horsepower for a starting price of just over $41,000. But no matter which engine you choose, you will enjoy a fast-shifting 8-speed automatic and standard rear-wheel drive.

The Dodge Charger allows drivers to customize features like traction, suspension, steering, and transmission settings. There is a custom mode to save desired settings. Additionally, the Charger offers a valet mode, which limits the options that can be altered by drivers other than the owner. This can keep a friend or family member from entirely messing up your personal settings if they borrow your car. Eco mode modifies the engine and transmission settings for maximum fuel efficiency.

Stunning Looks

The Charger offers drivers many ways to stand out from the crowd. To begin with, there are no fewer than twelve different exterior color options to choose from, and none of them are boring. Available choices include everything from bright colors like Go Mango orange and TorRed to more subtle but still unique hues like Hellraisin purple and F8 green. There is also the option to accent the base colors with a variety of stylized racing stripes in carbon, gunmetal, silver, red, or blue. However, the Charger’s customization options go far beyond simple colors.

For further specialization, the Charger has a wide variety of wheels for buyers to choose from. These range from the 17×7 inch painted cast aluminum wheels that come standard on the SXT, all the way up to the 20×11 inch carbon black aluminum wheels that are standard on the SRT Hellcat Widebody. There are also a variety of different hood designs, with large hood scoops to supply more air to the engine while enhancing the looks of the car. But perhaps the most stunning options are the Widebody trims with their oversized fender flares to accommodate massive wheels for extreme traction.

A close up shows a woman driving a 2021 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody.

Interior Comfort and Safety

With seating for five passengers and four doors for easy loading, the Charger offers far more comfort and utility than any other muscle car. The Charger offers 41.8 inches of legroom in the front seats, a generous 40.1 inches in the back seats, and 16.5 cubic feet of cargo space in the cavernous trunk. With heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, and dual-zone automatic temperature control, everyone will be comfortable no matter the temperature outside. Those basic comfort features are only further enhanced by a variety of features and technologies.

The 2021 Dodge Charger offers push-button start, a large digital infotainment display, a built-in navigation system, and SiriusXM satellite radio. The standard touchscreen is 7 inches with the Uconnect infotainment system, and there is the option to upgrade to an 8.4-inch touchscreen. A six-speaker Alpine sound system is standard, while the higher trims bring either a nine-speaker Alpine system or an incredible nineteen-speaker Harman Kardon premium audio system.

A safety package called the driver convenience group adds features such as a blind-spot monitor, rear cross-traffic alert, and heated exterior mirrors. Standard safety features include the usual airbags as well as rear parking sensors. This may not be a lot compared to some competitors, but it covers the basics that most drivers require and allows you to avoid having to deal with safety features you don’t want. And while it may not come standard with all the latest bells and whistles, the 2021 Dodge Charger still has a five-star overall crash-test safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The Charger’s interior has a focus on function over form. The center console features multiple small cubbies for storage and a slot alongside the shifter that is perfect for cell phone storage. A suede headliner and carbon fiber trim bezels offer a stylized look for the interior. The eight-speed electronic transmission comes with a fully electronic shifter. Die-cast metal paddle shifters are also available mounted to the steering wheel for easy gear shifting with both hands still on the wheel. The key fob features standard push-button entry and push-button start and is available with a remote start to warm up the car before you get inside.

The front driver display on the 2021 Dodge Charger includes multiple stats, allowing the driver to monitor the car’s performance in real-time. In addition to the available turn by turn navigation, the driver can also see performance timers that measure reaction times against a simulated drag strip timing light. The engine screen measures and displays torque, boost pressure, and power. The gauges provide all the nitty-gritty details, such as oil temperature and pressure, battery voltage, and coolant temperature. Finally, a g-force feature provides measurements of the g-forces on the front, rear, left, and right of the vehicle.

Why the 2021 Dodge Charger?

The 2021 Dodge Charger is built for both speed and functionality – and even better, it comes at an affordable price tag. Being able to get your hands on a real American muscle car that can comfortably fit your family and friends is already unique. Being able to get all of that for under $30,000 is unheard of. When you have a Dodge Charger in your driveway, you will never again have to choose between practicality and fun. From the morning commute to tearing up the dragstrip, this is a car that can truly do it all.

If you have always dreamed of owning a muscle car but have never been able to justify the impracticality of it, the Dodge Charger is here for you. You can even opt for all-wheel drive and keep up with the SUVs in bad weather! Whatever angle you are looking for, whether a muscle car for speed or a flashy looking sedan for safe and comfortable road trips, the 2021 Dodge Charger is the car for you.