Almost two years ago, Dodge pulled the covers off its Charger Daytona prototype––an all-electric take on its infamous muscle car lineup. A year later, it announced the “last call” for the HEMI V8 versions of the Charger and Challenger. After that, the brand went radio silent on its plans for the future, and we had just about written off hearing anything new about the next-generation Charger this year. We were worried that Dodge was going to be limited to the aging Durango and underwhelming Hornet for a year or more while the engineers worked to get the Charger Daytona out the door. Then, with no warning, Dodge announced that not only would its new car be on sale later this year but that it would be available in unanticipated four-door and gas-powered versions.
Electric Muscle…or Gas if That’s What You’re Looking For
When Dodge unveiled the Charger Daytona prototype and announced that its current muscle cars would be discontinued, it was heavily implied that the brand was going all-electric. And that’s the case for the 2024 model year of the new Charger. However, Dodge was secretly working on fitting its new twin-turbocharged Hurricane inline-six engine into the new platform and will be bringing gas back for the 2025 model year. The HEMI V8 is gone for good, but the new Hurricane produces more power than the old 5.7L or 6.4L V8 options, and the electric powertrain in the 2024 model will out-accelerate even a Hellcat.
The 2024 Charger Daytona is an all-electric muscle car that comes standard with a large 105 kWh battery pack and electric all-wheel drive. The base R/T version produces an impressive 496 hp and 404 lb-ft of torque, while the available Scat Pack tears up the street with 670 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque. That’s almost 40% more horsepower than the old 392 Scat Pack, and the dual-motor all-wheel drive system with a mechanical limited-slip differential really lets the car put every pony to the ground. Dodge claims it will do 0-60 mph in just 3.3 seconds and run the quarter-mile in 11.5 seconds, making it as fast as the outgoing Charger Hellcat Redeye.
The gasoline-powered models will become available next year and will be sold under the Charger Sixpack name. There will be a High Output version with 550 hp and a Standard Output version with 420 hp. Currently, Dodge says that the High Output engine will be available with the two-door body style, while the Low Output engine will be a four-door, but it seems likely that both engines will be available with both body styles in the future. Like the electric version, the gasoline engines will come with standard all-wheel drive, providing superior acceleration.
Bigger and Bolder
The Charger and Challenger have long stood out as supersized muscle cars, dwarfing competitors like the Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro. For the new generation, Dodge has doubled down on that reputation, extending the length of the Charger by three-quarters of a foot. Roughly the size (and weight) of the full-size Mercedes EQS Sedan, the new Charger offers tons of room inside. Both the two-door and four-door versions have seating for five, and the liftback design provides 38.5 cu.ft. of cargo space with the rear seats folded down. With the rear seats in place, the Charger Daytona has the same amount of cargo space as the Hornet R/T.
As expected of a modern electric vehicle, the 2024 Charger Daytona also has some seriously upgraded tech features compared to the rather dated previous generation. A new 12.3-inch center touchscreen with the Uconnect 5 system is standard, while the driver gets either a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster in the R/T trim or a 16-inch cluster in the Scat Pack. There is even a head-up display with augmented reality to help keep your eyes on the road and a digital key that lets you use your smartphone in place of a keyfob. While the powertrain may overshadow these features, they make living with a car like this a lot more pleasant.
A New Chapter for Dodge
With the release of the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona and the upcoming 2025 Dodge Charger Sixpack, the brand has dramatically reimagined its lineup. While there will be plenty of Dodge fans who will never drive anything that doesn’t have a HEMI, it is difficult to say that the new cars aren’t better than what they’re replacing by any objective metric. The raw speed and power enabled by the electric Charger Daytona will put nearly any gas-powered vehicle to shame, while the Hurricane engine offers plenty of performance (and likely a significantly lower price tag) for anyone not yet ready to go electric. And we haven’t even talked about the rumored Charger Daytona SRT Banshee that is reputed to deliver four-digit horsepower…
