A couple of days ago, Throttle House said you should never race a naturally aspirated V8 sedan against a German turbo six-cylinder. They were talking about a Lexus and BMW, but we want to know if this also applies to the Mercedes-AMG C43 and the Dodge Charger 392 Scat Pack.
To say that I love both these cars would be an understatement. Sports sedans are naturally cool, but the two obviously go about their business differently. It’s obvious why the Charger is awesome, so I’ll start praising the C43 AMG first.
Technically, this isn’t a real AMG. The engine isn’t some hand-built V6. It’s also got AWD, unlike the C63, and the chassis isn’t set up quite the same. It’s also obsolete since Mercedes switched from that V6 to an inline-6 and has also discontinued the W205 sedan (this generation).
However, the C43 is still… awesome. Its V6 sounds way better than it should, plus the launch on this makes you wonder why people buy the Audi S4 or even the C63. Well, V8s are nice too, like the one in the Charger.
Nothing sounds quite like that HEMI 6.4-liter, the largest engine that you can get in any cheap car. There’s a strong community built around customizing the 392, and we know the Charger is decent at drag racing. However, the setup of Canadian YouTuber Sam CarLegion is far from a perfect Texas strip, and that could impact the outcome as well.
But before we talk about that, let’s look at the specs, which are quite interesting. The 6.4-liter HEMI produces 485 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of torque. The C43’s V6 is less than half the size, a 3.0-liter. Due to twin-turbocharging, it’s still delivering 385 hp and 384 lb-ft. The car is also lighter, AWD and potentially underrated.
As expected, the AMG gets a better launch and rockets ahead. But the Scat Pack fights back with its extra power and secures a close 1/4-mile victory. As expected, the roll race produces a favorable result for the Dodge. So don’t go challenging a Charger or charging a Challenger just because of your AMG badge.
