2013 Dodge Challenger vs. Its Competition

Martin Padgett Editorial Director

The past several years, there's been a new bout of muscle-car wars, with both Chevy and Ford upping the ante but providing a different driving experience, in each case, to match their retro styling and vivid paint schemes.

The Chevrolet Camaro is a surprisingly sophisticated drive, although its cabin is tight and particularly lacking in headroom; it's a thrilling straight-line performer, and the 580-hp ZL1 coupe and convertible promise Corvette performance in the Camaro's more distinctive retro body.

The Mustang, with its live rear axle, is the scrappy underdog, yet in Shelby and Boss 302 form it's shockingly quick while offering a more user-friendly interior and nearly as many tech features as the Challenger.

The Hyundai Genesis Coupe isn't quite part of the pony-car crowd, but with an affordable price and rear-wheel drive, you can make an easy case for why it belongs here; for 2013, Hyundai gave both the base turbo-four version and the V-6 version of this coupe more power, and with more sophisticated tuning it's more fun than ever.

But if you want something that's sharper and better-enjoyed on the track, you should maybe instead consider the small, relatively light (and yes, more jarring) Nissan 370Z.