I’m just going to come right out and say it: the 2020 Dodge Challenger interior is a lot nicer than most people think it is.
Despite the Challenger being such a large car, the interior feels compact and “sports car” like. The front seats are very supportive and extremely comfortable. And dare I say it, build quality is quite good for being a mass produced American car.
That being said, there’s a lot of about the interior of the 2020 Challenger that I don’t like. The following is a detailed breakdown of all the things that stood out to me (both good and bad) during my afternoon with this car:
All the things that I like about the 2020 Dodge Challenger interior (pros)
The truth is that I could probably write an entire article about all the things that are good about this interior. But for the sake of simplicity, I’ll keep this short and sweet.
1. It looks and feels like a sports car interior
Some may see this as a bad thing, but I personally like the fact that the interior of the 2020 Challenger is compact and sporty. The Challenger is large (dare I say fat) compared to sports cars such as the Miata or the BRZ. But you wouldn’t know it by sitting in the drivers seat.
Even though it’s sportier than the interior of the 2023 Charger R/T (the four-door version of the Challenger), I wouldn’t go as far as to say that it feels as sporty as the interior of a Corvette – or even a Mustang. My Dodge Challenger vs Ford Mustang comparison will give you a pretty good idea of how I compare it to the competition.
2. The front seats are extremely comfortable
One of the best things about the interior of the Challenger has always been the front seats. Compared to the seats found in the Mustang and the Camaro, the seats in the Challenger seats are deep in bolstered. I’ve always found that they held me in all the right places. As a matter of fact, amazing seats were one of the first things that I talked about in my 2018 Dodge Challenger R/T review.
I personally like the look of a deeply bolstered seat, and you’re just not going to get that kind of bolstering in any modern Camaro or Mustang.
3. Outward disability is better than you might expect
One of the main criticisms of the Challenger (that I hear from many people) is how small the windows are. The belt line of this car is very high, resulting in windows that are very narrow. Remember how much I complained about small windows in my 2015 Camaro SS review? The same thing applies here.
Not only that, the A and C pillars of the challenger are extremely thick. Before I ever sat in one of these things, I naturally assumed that it would be impossible to see out of. I was wrong.
Somehow, the designers have figured out a way to position the driver seat in a way that allows for maximum outward disability. I don’t fully understand how they did it, but they definitely succeeded.
4. Materials and textures aren’t all that bad
American car manufactures get a lot of criticism for their overuse of cheap plastics in the interiors of their cars, and the Challenger is no exception. There is a lot of plastic in the interior of the 2020 Challenger.
However, I personally don’t have an issue with it. It’s not the cheap stuff that’s was used in cars during the 1990s and early 2000s, and most of it feels nice and fairly high-quality. That being said, it’s kind of sad that doesn’t have materials as nice as the ones found in the 2021 Kia Forte interior.
5. It’s not overloaded with unnecessary tech
One of my favorite things about the inside of the 2020 Challenger is the fact that it’s very…uh…analog. There’s still lots of clicky buttons and knobs everywhere, and I like that I don’t have to poke at a touchscreen to do everything.
Yes, there is a nicely featured and responsive infotainment screen in the center of the dash, but I appreciate all of the knobs and buttons elsewhere on the dashboard and center console.
6. Even the lowest trim levels are nice
Did you read my 2023 Challenger SXT review? If so, it was probably hard not to notice how nice the interior was in that thing. As a reminder, the SXT is the base model spec – but you’d never even know just by looking at the pics.
All the things that I don’t like about this interior (cons)
Warning: Challenger fanboys (and fangirls) may not like what I’m about to write. I am going to say some really critical stuff, so proceed at your own risk. For everyone else, this might be an eye-opener, since this is a fairly old interior design – and there are some parts of it that aren’t aging all that well.
1. It’s getting a bit dated
I know. I just spent the first half of this article telling you how much I appreciated the old-school knobs and buttons all over the interior of the 2020 Challenger. However, I am getting old and crusty myself, and I realize that not everyone appreciates that sort of thing anymore.
If you’re looking for a car with all of the latest tech gadgets and high-resolution infotainment screens, the 2020 Challenger probably isn’t for you.
I mentioned this in my overview of Dodge Challenger pros and cons as well, so hopefully you’ll know what you’re getting into before buying one of these cars.
2. It’s a small interior for a car of its size
Again, I know. I already told you that I like how compact and sporty the interior of this car is, but I can see how this might be a turn off for some buyers. Some people just like bigger cars. They like the feeling of stretching out (and having lots of room to spare) in a large interior. Despite how big the 2020 Challenger looks on the outside, its interior is shockingly small.
Just like the Mustang and the Camaro, the back seats are pretty much useless. The front seats are very deep and highly-bolstered, meaning that once you’re seated, it’s difficult to wiggle around and stretch out. I personally like this, but I think it’s something to be aware of if you like bigger cars.
3. It creaks and rattles like an old truck
The 2020 Challenger that I drove was just under a year and a half old with about 25,000 miles on it. That’s still very much qualifies as being a new(ish) car, but the creeks and rattles coming from all parts of the interior (mostly the dashboard) made it seem like it was far more mature than it was.
I spent an entire afternoon with this particular car, and by hour number 2 the rattles coming from the paddle shifter (and the passenger side of the dashboard) were driving me insane.
4. The doors need to be fully opened for easy (and graceful) entry and exit
One of the biggest criticisms I have of the interior for the 2020 Challenger is in relation to how easy it is to get in and out of. The doors on the Challenger are massive. If you find yourself in a parking lot – or any other situation where it’s difficult to open the doors fully – you are going to have a difficult time getting in and out. And you’re going to look like a complete idiot trying to do it.
The main problem is that the seats are so far forward. If you can’t open the door at least halfway, you’re going to have to suck in your gut is deeply as you can to wedge yourself into the door jam to be able to get your legs in or out. It’s awkward.
5. The infotainment screen is already starting to feel dated
The Challenger that I drove was practically brand new. However, I couldn’t help but to feel that the infotainment screen on the center of the dash hit its peak about 5 years ago. It’s relatively small by modern standards, and the user interface looks like it was designed 10 years ago.
That’s not to say that it’s bad. I actually thought it looked and felt pretty slick, but I’m just worried that this is one of the elements which is going to make the 2020 Challenger feel out of date (and out of style) very quickly compared to other cars built in the same model year.
