Dodge Challenger vs Dodge Avenger

More commonly known for its minivans and performance cars, Dodge is not a name one would readily associate with the family sedan market. The American automaker seeks to change that with the midsize, five-passenger Avenger.

The name “Avenger” was originally used for a sleek Dodge coupe, sold from 1995 to 2000, but this Avenger arrives for the 2008 model year with muscle car-inspired styling and assures it will stand out in a crowded parking lot of cookie-cutter sedans. It is also one of the few midsize sedans for this model year to offer available all-wheel drive.

In celebration of their final year turning perfectly good 305/35ZR20 Pirelli P Zeros into black stripes and circles on pavement, the Hemi V8-powered 2023 Challengers come in several “Last Call” special-edition models. Based on the R/T Scat Pack, the Challenger Shakedown and Swinger versions are limited to 1,000 examples each. Dodge will build 3,000 SRT Demon 170 models for the North American market, each making 1,025 horsepower. The rarest “Last Call” 2023 Challenger is the Black Ghost, limited to 300 units.

Verdict: For better and for worse, the 2023 Dodge Challenger is a time capsule, sending drivers back to an era where horsepower was the ultimate goal and fuel economy was a merely trivial anecdote. As it enters its final year, the Challenger offers more power than ever before, giving a dose of muscle-car performance heavy enough to match its irresistibly cool looks.