Dodge unveiled its powerful next-generation car this week, confirming what enthusiasts have known (and largely feared) for years. Like so many brands, Dodge is moving forward with an electric product plan, starting with its 2024 Charger Daytona R/T. The raw numbers, which we know so far, are impressive: 496 horsepower from the R/T, 670 horsepower from the Scat Pack, with a 0-60 time of 3. 3 seconds, and a quarter-mile time of 11. 5 seconds for the Scat Pack.
Both models are supplied with the popular all-wheel drive and a variety of complex features, such as motive force settings in Donut mode and Drift mode, a 40-hp “Power Shot” boost that lasts for 15 seconds, and a data logger synchronized with video and audio. Recordings. Speaking of audio, those powerful electric cars emit “fratzon chamber exhaust” noises, making them sound like an internal combustion vehicle. A head-up display, a 16-inch virtual gauge cluster and complex motive power assist features, never noticed in any previous Charger – check out the high-tech nature of Dodge’s newest muscle cars.
So we know that new cars are fast. And personally, I think they look good. We also know that they have a range of 260 miles (Charger Daytona Scat Pack) or 317 miles (Charger Daytona R/T) provided via a 100. 5kW battery that charges from 20 to 80% in 27 minutes, assuming the driver can access some other type of fast charger. But this kind of diversity, given battery life, comes to two unavoidable realities: charge and weight. Dodge hasn’t released those numbers, but it has. It is expected to be high. I’m guessing more than £5,000 and at least a starting value of $60,000.
These numbers don’t suggest that the new Dodge Chargers aren’t fast. And that’s not to say those cars won’t find customers willing to pay their high price. But in a world of high interest rates, stubborn inflation, stagnant EV sales and developing considerations among middle-class consumers, I wonder how big the new Charger’s customer base can be. The nature of its transmission and its top loading will probably be a bridge too far for most existing Dodge enthusiasts to cross. The comments on the video of the presentation of the new Charger through Dodge are not encouraging. . .
If the story of Dodge’s long functionality ended with those electric models, I’d be incredibly worried. But the company is smart enough not to put all its eggs in the EV basket. The twin-turbo “Hurricane” inline six-cylinder engine already shown in several Jeep and Ram models will return to the 2025 Charger, without a Fratzonic chamber exhaust system. The Hurricane is a very rugged engine, providing 550 horsepower with a 3. 0-liter engine and much higher fuel output than the outgoing Hemi V8.
The Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack with 20-inch wheels
We’ll see where the 2025 internal combustion Charger lands in terms of cargo and weight. And we’ll move on to see if a non-V8 Charger, with an exhaust sound not powered through an amplifier, still resonates with Dodge’s classic customer base. But like many Dodge fans, I’m looking forward to the return of a V8. Perhaps in a long-term, limited-edition Challenger, presented in such low volumes, this can’t possibly hurt Dodge’s EPA compliance efforts. We all know that a free-market Dodge wouldn’t go that way. And we all know that the same goes for most of the classic car brands that are launching electric cars today.
Dodge Charger SIXPACK H. O. with 3. 0-liter Twin Turbo Hurricane engine
We’ve noticed a lot of “pivots” recently, whether it’s GM and Mercedes-Benz abandoning their all-in-one EV plans, or Ford saying it will make V8 engines for as long as customers want, all based on the market’s reaction to EVs. Engineers at Stellantis (Dodge’s parent company) used internal combustion transmissions when designing the new Charger’s platform. Did you know that the unrealistic race for electric cars would be short-lived?Does the customer still have a say in what automakers build?I have a feeling we’re going to figure that out sooner rather than later, and the last few months have been encouraging.