2020 Dodge Charger

GT is the volume retail trim for 2020 and carries the 300-hp tune of the 3.6L Pentastar V6, same engine family across the non-V8 lineup.

Peak torque for the 3.6L Pentastar V6 as fitted to the GT (volume trim).

Independent instrumented-test estimate for the V6 GT RWD; AWD variant is marginally quicker per Dodge's own claim.

The naturally aspirated Pentastar V6 delivers smooth, lag-free power with no turbo or hybrid-transition behavior to manage, but output and response are adequate rather than exciting for a muscle-car nameplate — reviewers treat the V6 as the unremarkable entry point beneath the V8 models that define the Charger's character.

The 8-speed automatic (ZF-derived) used across the 2020 Charger lineup is well regarded for crisp, well-timed shifts with no notable hunting, with paddle shifters on GT and above.

AWD is new-for-2020 on the GT (joining SXT) but is a basic traction-oriented system with no low-range, torque-vectoring or terrain modes, and remains unavailable on the R/T, Scat Pack and Hellcat V8 trims that make up most of the model's identity — so availability is real but narrow rather than broad.

Four distinct engine families span the 2020 range — 3.6L V6 (292-300 hp), 5.7L V8 (370 hp), 6.4L V8 (485 hp) and supercharged 6.2L V8 (707 hp) — an unusually wide spread for the segment, though entirely gasoline with no hybrid or electrified option.

EPA combined rating for the 3.6L V6 RWD GT, the volume retail configuration.

EPA city rating for the volume GT RWD V6 configuration.

EPA highway rating for the volume GT RWD V6 configuration.

Computed from the EPA combined MPG and the GT's 18.5-gallon fuel tank capacity; official fueleconomy.gov range figures for this configuration corroborate a low-400s combined range.

EPA annual fuel cost estimate for the volume GT RWD configuration at 15,000 mi/yr.

The V6 that powers the volume SXT/GT trims runs on regular 87-octane unleaded with no premium recommendation; only the halo Hellcat (and to a lesser degree the HEMI V8s) call for higher octane, but those are not the scored configuration.

The 2011+ LD-platform Charger carried a 5-star NHTSA overall rating through 2020, unchanged for this carry-over model year.

Four of five crashworthiness tests are Good, but a Marginal small-overlap-front result and Poor headlights across every configuration disqualified the 2020 Charger from any Top Safety Pick award.

The volume SXT trim ships with only a rearview camera and rear park sensors standard; every meaningful driver-assist feature (AEB, ACC, BSM, RCTA, LKA) is locked behind the optional Technology Group plus a second package.

IIHS rated the optional vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system Superior, but the Charger offers no pedestrian AEB at all, which caps the overall grade.

Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert are alert-only features bundled into the optional Technology Group rather than standard equipment, with no active braking intervention documented.

Lane departure warning and a basic lane-keep assist are optional via the Technology Group; the system is corrective-alert only with no lane-centering function, and reviewers already flag vague base steering feel.

Adaptive cruise control is optional and reviewers call it competent with a conservative following gap, but it lacks full-speed-range stop-and-go operation or an integrated highway-assist/centering feature.

No hands-free highway driving system was offered on the 2020 Dodge Charger or anywhere in FCA's lineup at this time.

Every headlight configuration IIHS tested on the Charger — HID and halogen projector, with and without high-beam assist — rated Poor.

The Charger's thick pillars, sloping fastback roofline and small rear window create significant blind spots, and camera/sensor compensation (blind-spot monitor, rear camera aside) is optional rather than standard on most trims.

IIHS rated LATCH ease-of-use Marginal overall — all three rear positions have complete hardware, but lower anchors sit too deep and are awkward to maneuver into in some positions.

The 2020 Charger is a 5-passenger four-door sedan across all trims (SXT through SRT Hellcat), unlike the 2-door/token-rear-seat coupes it is compared against in the Muscle Car segment.

Standard front headroom for the SXT/GT/R-T sedan body; unchanged from the LD platform's 2015 refresh carried into 2020.

Mid-pack front legroom for the segment's larger four-door body.

Genuine rear headroom from the sedan roofline, well above what true 2-door coupes in this comparison set offer.

Real four-door sedan rear legroom — a major differentiator from the 2-door sports coupes/GTs it is benchmarked against, most of which have token or no rear seats.

A conventional, usable trunk typical of a full-size sedan body, mid-pack for the coupe/muscle-car normalization band.

Conventional console bin, door pockets and a standard 60/40 folding rear seat with trunk pass-through; nothing innovative like a giga-console or in-floor trunk.

Cloth front buckets on SXT are supportive and comfortable for daily and highway use; reviewers note a 'genuinely premium' cabin feel even on base trims, though top-tier bolstering/heating are extra-cost.

The SXT's standard suspension tune is composed and comfortable without being floaty — reviewers specifically call out that sporty handling didn't come at the cost of ride comfort.

Multiple reviews single out the Charger's quiet cabin at highway speed for the segment, aided by the car's size and mass.

Remote start is standard on SXT, but heated/ventilated front seats, heated rear seats and a heated steering wheel are all optional upgrades rather than standard equipment on the volume trim.

Entry SXT RWD trim MSRP plus Dodge's standard 2020 destination charge.

GT is the volume retail trim — sport-styled V6 at an accessible price point above base SXT, the configuration most cross-shopped against Mustang/Camaro V6 and large sedans.

Edmunds True Cost to Own breaks out maintenance and repairs separately for the V6 trims; the combined figure sits at the expensive end of the full-size/coupe band, and V8 trims (Scat Pack) run notably higher on maintenance alone.

Multiple residual-value trackers cluster around three-fifths of MSRP retained at 5 years, a strong figure for a full-size car — the V8/SRT halo trims support resale better than the V6 volume trims.

Standard FCA/Dodge basic limited (bumper-to-bumper) warranty for the 2020 model year, matching the segment floor.

Standard FCA/Dodge powertrain limited warranty for 2020, at the segment floor and well short of Hyundai/Kia/Mitsubishi's longer powertrain terms.

No multi-year complimentary scheduled-maintenance plan (unlike some rivals' 1-2 free services are dealer-dependent, not a factory program for 2020), but FCA's 5-year/60,000-mile roadside assistance program (towing, flat-tire, jump-start, fuel delivery) is a genuinely longer-than-average included benefit layered on top of the standard 3/36 basic coverage.

$33,390 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (62% retained, or about $20,702) leaves about $12,688 in depreciation. Add the projected $7,913 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $20,601 in total.

J.D. Power gave the 2020 Charger a strong 86/100 overall rating with an 89/100 predicted-reliability component (Great tier), driven by owner praise for powertrain strength and interior storage; Consumer Reports had not published a detailed reliability verdict for this model year, so the score leans on the J.D. Power figure.

Dodge tied Kia for #1 in the 2020 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (136 PP100), the first domestic brand ever to top that study, and Consumer Reports ranked Dodge 8th of 33 brands for 2020 — its first-ever appearance in CR's reliability top 10 and the only American brand to make it, a sharp improvement from Dodge's historically weaker standing.

Three NHTSA recalls touch the 2020 Charger: a serious side-curtain airbag inflator rupture defect (2018-2021 Charger/300), a windshield-bonding defect that could let the windshield detach in a crash (2020-2021 Charger/Challenger/300), and a minor backup-camera display bug on Pursuit-package cars; two of the three are safety-system defects rather than nuisance issues, which keeps this out of the top band despite no single campaign being mass-scale.

The volume-trim SXT's 3.6L Pentastar V6 is a mature, well-proven family (in production since 2011) with a strong high-mileage reputation — typical service life of 220,000-260,000 miles and documented examples exceeding 600,000 miles with original internals — and the ZF 8-speed automatic it pairs with has no systemic failure pattern; the Hemi V8 used in higher trims is also well-regarded when maintained.

Reviewers consistently criticized the 2020 Charger's cabin for hard, cheap-feeling plastics and dated styling relative to its price point, with Edmunds specifically calling out the fit-and-finish letdown; the supportive, well-bolstered front and rear seats are the one bright spot but don't offset the lower-rent surfaces.

Edmunds' test car showed solid assembly with no rattles or squeaks, but other outlets and owner reviews describe the fit and finish as inconsistent ("sketchy") — a mixed picture that lands in the competitive-with-scattered-complaints band rather than top-tier.

Dodge/Chrysler dealers are present nationwide through the Stellantis network, giving broad geographic coverage, but service-satisfaction standing has lagged the top full-line brands in recent years, placing this in the adequate-but-unremarkable band.

The Charger shares its LX/LD platform and many mechanical parts with the long-running Challenger and 300, giving it one of the largest aftermarket parts ecosystems in its class (Summit Racing, Holley, PartsGeek and others all stock extensive catalogs) alongside normal-priced Mopar OEM parts, with aftermarket alternatives typically running 30-50% below OEM pricing.

The volume SXT trim's standard Uconnect 4 screen is the smallest in the normalization band; the 8.4-in Uconnect 4C/NAV unit is an available upgrade, not standard.

Uconnect 4 is consistently praised by reviewers as one of the fastest, most intuitive systems in the industry, with logical menus and real physical controls alongside the touchscreen.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard across trims, but only in wired form — no trim offers wireless projection for the 2020 model year.

Uconnect's voice command and the optional Uconnect 4C NAV mapping are functional but unremarkable; most owners default to phone-projected navigation instead.

A 6-speaker Alpine system is standard with a 276-watt amp, stepping up to a 9-speaker Alpine Audio Group with subwoofer and 506-watt amp on higher trims — solid but not segment-leading.

The SXT uses analog gauges flanking a small reconfigurable Driver Information Display rather than a full digital cluster; a larger configurable cluster was not offered on the Charger in 2020.

Uconnect in 2020 supported map/software patches via USB or dealer update rather than broad whole-vehicle OTA feature updates, which Stellantis rolled out more fully in later model years.

The Dodge/Uconnect app provides remote start, lock/unlock and vehicle finder via SiriusXM Guardian, a solid feature set but gated behind a subscription after the included trial.

USB-A ports and a 12V outlet are standard; wireless phone charging is available only on upper trims, and USB-C was not yet offered.

Proximity keyless entry and remote start are standard equipment on every 2020 Charger trim including the base SXT, a strong result for the class.

A rearview backup camera is standard; front/rear parking sensors are available on upper trims, but no 360-degree surround-view system was offered on the 2020 Charger.

No head-up display was offered on any 2020 Charger trim; the feature didn't arrive on the nameplate until the later Charger Daytona.

Unlike the 2-door coupes it's benchmarked against, the Charger has four real doors and 40.1 in of rear legroom, making car-seat installation and everyday kid-loading genuinely easier — still a low sedan step-in height versus an SUV.

The base SXT's standard safety kit is limited to a rearview camera; forward-collision warning, blind-spot monitoring and adaptive cruise are bundled into optional packages rather than standard on the family-affordable trim.

A large, quiet, composed-riding sedan with real rear-seat space and a 16.5 cu ft trunk handles a family road trip reasonably well, though rear climate vents and entertainment features are limited on the volume trim.

The 3.6L V6/8-speed automatic is smooth and easygoing in traffic, but the car's size and RWD mass make it less effortless than a smaller commuter sedan.

EPA-rated around 19/30 mpg city/highway for the V6 RWD SXT runs on regular fuel but trails smaller, more efficient commuter sedans.

At nearly 198 inches long with a 37.7 ft curb-to-curb turning diameter and only a rear camera (no front sensors or 360-view on the volume trim), the Charger is noticeably harder to park and maneuver in tight urban settings than smaller rivals.

The Charger has no published towing capacity and no cargo bed — it is not a work vehicle in any meaningful sense.

The LX/LD platform and Pentastar V6 are mechanically proven (including in Charger Pursuit police fleet duty), but the consumer SXT's cloth/trim choices and sedan layout aren't built around hard work use.

No onboard power outlets for tools, no tie-downs, no bed, and no upfit ecosystem — a sedan trunk offers essentially nothing for jobsite use.

A quiet, composed highway cruiser with a large fuel tank gives decent range between stops, though adaptive cruise and other fatigue-reducing ADAS are optional rather than standard on the volume trim.

The volume SXT is RWD with standard sedan ground clearance; AWD is available only as an upgrade, and there is no off-pavement capability or camping-oriented feature set.

A 60/40-split folding rear seat and trunk pass-through handle normal luggage and moderately bulky gear reasonably, but there's no roof-rail option or SUV-style flat-fold versatility.

The SXT V6 is commendably responsive for a large sedan with RWD balance, but reviewers note noticeable weight and body roll in corners compared to true sports coupes.

Reviewers specifically flag vague steering feel as a weak point, with the suspension also showing some sensitivity to midcorner bumps.

The SXT's standard brake package provides adequate, unremarkable stopping power typical of the base V6 trim; no instrumented braking data specific to the 2020 SXT was found.

The 3.6L Pentastar V6 paired with the ZF-derived 8-speed automatic shifts smoothly with well-calibrated throttle response, a strength repeatedly noted in reviews.

The V6 is fairly hushed under normal driving, consistent with the quiet-cabin praise the Charger receives generally; it lacks the characterful exhaust note of the V8 trims.

A large full-size sedan footprint gives a wider turning circle than compact sports coupes in the comparison set.

A low, sporty seating position with good sightlines and well-placed controls; power-adjustable seat standard, though the large doors and sills require more effort to enter/exit than a crossover.

The base V6 SXT carries the Charger's RWD muscle-car character but without the V8 trims' power and soundtrack, leaving it pleasant rather than genuinely thrilling.

Base SXT includes an 8.4-inch Uconnect touchscreen, keyless entry, and a genuinely usable back seat/trunk — generous versus two-door muscle-car rivals, but cloth seats, halogen-adjacent lighting and no driver-assist suite as standard leave it mid-pack against large sedans at the price.

370 hp for ~$37.9k (R/T) and 485 hp for ~$40k (Scat Pack) undercut every V8 sports sedan on the market on a dollars-per-horsepower basis, and the Hellcat Widebody's 707 hp is a well-documented bargain against six-figure supercars with comparable output.

Seven distinct trims spanning $29,895 SXT RWD to the ~$70k Hellcat Widebody, with RWD/AWD choice on SXT and a widebody option newly added at two power levels for 2020 — a wide, well-spaced range from commuter to halo performance.

77,426 units sold in the US in 2020 despite the pandemic-driven industry-wide sales collapse — the Charger remained a steady, strong seller in its full-size RWD sedan niche where it faces essentially no direct rival (Chevy SS discontinued in 2017).

Dodge/SRT carries a strong, loyal enthusiast following built on the Hellcat/Scat Pack performance halo and Mopar community culture — an aspirational image within its muscle-car niche even as the broader Dodge brand trails premium nameplates on general perception.

Dodge ran an aggressive 'Power Dollars' cash-allowance program scaled to horsepower ($2,920–$7,170 across the 2020 Charger lineup) on top of standard dealer discounts, further supplemented by COVID-era 0% APR for up to 72 months — meaningful, broadly available incentives without desperation pricing.

2020 is a late-cycle year on the LD platform that launched for 2011 and last saw a major styling/interior refresh for 2015 — five years without a redesign and four more years remaining before the 2024 eighth-generation replacement, with only incremental additions (Widebody option) for the year.

Reviewers consistently praise the powertrain range and back-seat/trunk practicality (Car and Driver, Edmunds) but dock it for vague steering feel and a suspension sensitive to midcorner bumps versus sportier rivals; it is a frequently recommended value pick but not a 10Best/NACTOY winner or comparison-test segment leader for 2020.