Geez, I was wondering when someone was going to talk about this comparo. I read it last night, and I have to say that MT's conclusion--giving the upper hand to the Charger--was a little surprising.
Their reasons for granting the Charger the win seem contradictory. They say the GTO is the more fun and the Charger more refined, and yet they claim the Charger is more visceral (I think that's the word they used--not sure). And yet again, a magazine had to harp on the GTO's smooth looks, instead seeming to prefer the sort of nonsensical forward-slanting front end (which also "graces" the Mustang) that thumbs its nose at aerodynamics.
Somewhere near the end of the piece, the writer says something about how the two cars aren't really in the same class. Well . . . DUH! Aside from big V8 power and rear drive, they don't have much in common and serve different missions.
First, did anybody count the number of doors on both cars? Second, did anybody seriously take note of the difference in curb weight? The Charger weighs 500 pounds more than the Goat! Yeah, I realize that in the real world, on the street, Charger and GTO owners likely will regard one another with competitive fire, but I think the Mustang is a more natural sparring partner.
I think what seemed weirdest in the article was MT's reference to the GTO as "showing its age." In what respect, exactly, is the Charger more modern? It has more amenities, sure, but it also has a higher sticker to cover those amenities. When you toss out the Charger's extra electronic doo-dads and side-curtain airbags, though, and just talk about each car's underpinnings and motors, where is the GTO inferior?
Almost seemed like the outcome of that joust was a foregone conclusion, if you ask me. Dodge rolls out a new car, so MT squares it off against an existing car. New car wins!