Comparing the Dodge Charger against the Toyota GR Supra is like comparing beet juice to prime rib. Both are good for you, but for two completely different reasons. With them both carrying the same consensus giving us that giggly toddler feel whenever we get behind the wheel, the question then is, what would we rather have, the weekend princess or the weekly warrior?

We must accept the fact that muscle cars are dying, but ask any fashion icon, just because it sizzles out, doesn’t mean it won’t come back around. It is also no secret that this generation Charger is about as old as Grandfather Time, spend five minutes behind the wheel, and you’ll know why. But once you push the start button, nothing else matters. The naturally aspirated 392 Hemi comes to life producing an eye-watering 485-horsepower, 475 lb-ft of torque and a sound that makes you feel like a teenager going through puberty again. That, and it goes from 0-60 in just over 4-seconds.

The example in this comparison is the Scat Pack Widebody, starting at $54,835. It’s the highest model one can go before jumping into the nearly $80,000 SRT Hellcat and its High-Output 6.2-liter supercharged V-8. Equipped with over $11,000 in optional extras and the destination charge, our example Scat Pack came in at $64,635.

The GR Supra on the other hand is much newer, compared to the Charger. It’s athletic, it’s agile, it changes direction without twisting its ankle and of course, it’s much lighter on the scales. The Supra is the 6-pack abs our Charger wishes it could get back. Which is what we would expect from a geeked out laptop engineered machine.

This GR Supra uses a twin-turbocharged inline-six-cylinder engine that produces 382 horsepower and 368 lb-ft of torque. Over 100-hp/torques less than the Charger, but because its weights 1400lbs less than, it too can get from 0-60 in about 4-seconds.

Featured in this comparison, our GR Supra is the 3.0 Premium starting at $56,150, but because our example featured the newly added six-speed manual transmission, it carried an additional $1200 premium. With the addition of the special Stratosphere blue paint and delivery fee, our GR Supra came in at $58,865.

We’ve already established that these two bring out our inner toddler, but speed and exhaust gurgles are only 25% of the equation.

On paper, the Charger is technically slower than the GR Supra by roughly three tenths of a second, but on the surface, the Charger feels quicker with the use of its eight-speed automatic transmission. Plus, it is quite theatrical attempting to put its traction down to the rear tires as it starts to slide in one direction causing us to grasp the steering wheel harder than a roller coaster safety bar. And when it comes to mildly frosty winter mornings with just a hint of dew on the asphalt, you’ll look like the drift king in front of bunch of school kids when making a left turn from a stop sign – gosh I hope they didn’t post that to TikTok.

When it comes to handling, the Charger is a heavy vehicle weighing 5450lbs. And with 475 lb-ft of torque driving those rear tires, it is not one we dare to take on a mountain road for fear of losing control. The steering doesn’t provide much confidence either when the road gets bendy and the transmission is a little less eager to respond when using the paddle shifters.

Inside, the Charger is obviously much more comfortable than the Supra – it is wider and features bigger bolstering seats that bring comfort to anyone of plus figure size. Even with the suspension and tires providing the most obnoxious ride quality that makes you more aware of every crack in the asphalt, it is more the place I’d rather be. But because of the Charger’s age, the interior carries a dated presence. The 8.4-inch Uconnect system is still one of the better infotainment systems on the market; however, I am even pretty sure my Razor flip phone from 2005 had a better-quality camera than the backup camera on the Charger.

The GR Supra on the other hand is a true form sports car – it’s designed and engineered to go above and beyond the Charger limitations. The Supra wants you to drive it hard and encourages rascally behavior. The six-speed manual transmission is the transmission the Supra enthusiasts have been begging for. It’s fantastically engineered with engaging, short throws and an engrossing clutch that makes you feel like you’re actually driving the car. It feels very mechanical, like you’re connected to every bit of the road and the steering plays a huge part in that with incredible responsiveness and feedback.

Inside, the Supra is far more modern than the Charger. The fit and finish is more on par with today’s design standards and the technology is far more in tune. The 8.8-inch touch screen infotainment display is crisp and quick to respond to our inputs, and the backup camera is clearer than some iPhone cameras. The Supra also features wireless Apple CarPlay & Android connectivity, where the Charger required a cord to operate its system.

Because the Supra is a sports car, it is much smaller on the inside, it features only two seats over the Chargers ability to carry 5, but the seats are more contouring to the body, hugging you through every aggressive turn. Although with a sports car also comes it uncomfortable reminder of every bump and crack in the road, much like the Charger, the Supra too feels like you’re driving over a teenager’s face.

Since our Supra was equipped with a manual transmission, it cannot come equipped with any of the dynamic safety features like radar guided cruise control. Granted neither did our Charger, but at least it’s an available $1895 optional extra.

So you would think the clear winner here is the GR Supra – it drives better than the Charger, its better equipped than the Charger, it is cheaper than the Charger and at 22.6-mpg’s, it is even more fuel efficient than the Charger’s 14.0-mpg. The problem is, we’re stumped at which one we’d choose…

The reality is, the Supra is a weekend princess, to enjoy it, it needs to be driven the way it was engineered to be driven. Using it as a daily comes with its own unique struggles with like the tight clutch in traffic jams, the hard suspension, cramp cabin, and lack of daily essentials like a center console and an exterior button to even open the trunk. After a year or so, it would be a car we’d come to despise than enjoy. And that would be a crying shame and wouldn’t be fair to a car that is so incredibly fun to drive.  

We found ourselves driving the Charger Scat Pack more than the Supra because the Charger was a more enjoyable daily performance car. No, it is not a weekend mountain road jolly rancher, but it comes with its own fair share of entertainment. The downside is that its not exactly forgiving on fuel, the summer tires constantly reminds us to call the city to repair the cracks in the roadways, and after nearly a decade on its current generation, it is getting rather, mature. But it is the one we preferred the most.