As far as luggage space is concerned, it's less a space problem than it is getting to it. The deck opening in the Marlin is very small to fit inside the trim strips. We were just barely able to load our 5th wheel through it and getting at the space is also tricky. Charger has a bigger deck lid, but a combination hody stiffener-sill intrudes into the opening.
Best & Worst Features
The best feature of the Charger is that it offers stages of performance geared to attract the largest possible number of buyers. The bottom of the range has been chosen so as not to detract from the performance image by providing an engine no smaller than the majority are 1ikely to want or he happy with, while putting engines at the top of the range as hot as any offered. Marlin has gone the other way and stuck with smaller, more economical engines. For the buyer who must be practical they have given him something more exciting than the 2-door sedan he is used to.
Other appealing features were the Marlin's reclining seats, well worth the extra $44.65 to anyone who travels long distances on a forced-march schedule, and Charger's fold-down rear seats which augment the luggage compartment for those who hate to travel light. Both cars have excellent instrument lighting with shrouding that eliminates all straight-ahead glare.
Both suffer another fastback curse; restricted rear visibility. Rear windows are large, but the sloped angle limits the view to a slim slot. The Charger. with a wider window, has a slight edge, but neither is as good as the Mustang.
Even with their biggest engine options, neither has the pretensions of sports car performance that the Sting Ray or Shelly cars (or even the hot Mustangs, Camaros and Firebirds) can claim. Both hedge short of being luxury cars. But even being betwixt and between, each seeks a special part of the market, though not the same one.