2024 Dodge Charger comes gas or EV, with up to 670 horses (2024)

• 2024 Dodge Charger to come in two- or four-door variants, no more Challenger
  
• EV or ‘Hurricane’ straight-six powertrains available, with AWD standard on both
• All-electric Charger Daytona top trim offers up to 670 horsepower

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After months of teasers, a bevy of rumours, and a thinly veiled concept car which has been making the rounds for what seemed like ages, Dodge has finally dropped all the details on its replacement for the venerable Charger and Challenger. Here’s a Cole’s Notes version for anyone with the attention span of a gnat: both the two- and four-door variants will be called the “Charger”; there will be devastatingly powerful electric versions under a “Daytona” trim; gasoline-fuelled lunacy will be available thanks to a straight-six Hurricane engine next year; and all-wheel-drive is standard across the board.

Gearheads of this stripe aren’t always known for embracing wholesale change to their beloved cars, so let’s dive into this new model Johnny Cash style: one piece at a time.

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2024 Dodge Charger Powertrains

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Starting with, of course, what drives this thing. Much noise (literally and figuratively) will be made about the all-electric Charger Daytona, a whip expected to reach highway speeds in just 3.3 seconds on its way to an 11.5-second quarter-mile time. Those figures are for the Daytona Scat Pack, a car which will peak at 670 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque. The R/T trim is listed at 496 horses and 404 lb-ft of twist, and hits those acceleration times at 4.7 and 13.1 seconds, respectively. To save you doing the math, we’ll tell you each trim bends the weigh scale at 5,838 pounds.

Twin permanent-magnet electric motors front and rear provide all-wheel-drive. The front unit can employ a front-wheel disconnect, improving range and efficiency, while the rear melon includes a mechanical limited-slip differential to increase traction and performance. Different drive programs include Donut Mode and Drift Mode on the Scat Pack, plus the return of launch control and line-lock. Yee to the haw. A PowerShot feature, first seen on the Hornet, is standard on the Daytona Scat Pack and R/T, and delivers an incremental 40 horsepower for 15 seconds, a sum included in the power figures quoted above.

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Under its floor is a 100.5-kWh battery with 93.9-kWh of usable energy. This is good for 416 kilometres (258 miles) of range in the Scat Pack; and 507 clicks (315 miles) in the R/T, according to EPA estimates. We assume those numbers are not representative of a day at the drag strip, with run after run at wide-open throttle. The car should charge from near-dead to 80 per cent in about half an hour, if drinking from a 350-kW fast-charger.

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Okay, now that you’ve taken your smelling salts and have dealt with the spectre of an all-electric Dodge muscle car, know the 2025 calendar year will bring trims powered by good ol’ gasoline, too. One will find a straight-six 3.0L twin-turbo Hurricane engine in those applications, good for either 420 or 550 horsepower, depending on trim. This is not unexpected, given the almighty Hemi departed the Ram truck line earlier this year. Gas-powered Chargers will be referred to as the Sixpack, a good callout to an era when that term was used for engines which had a trio of two-barrel carburetors.

Head honcho Tim Kuniskis notes the twin-turbo straight six produces better horsepower and torque numbers than analogous versions of the outgoing 5.7 and 6.4L Hemi V8 engines. While he’s noting that, Driving will note the word ‘Hemi’ appears but once in the official bumf for this car. Meanwhile, underneath the car there’s a multi-link suspension up front and a fully independent rear. It’s a new dawn, Mopar maniacs.

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Did they really put an exhaust on an EV?

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Yes. The patent-pending Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust system appears on Charger Daytona models, using two passive radiators to a create a unique exhaust profile. Dodge promises Hellcat levels of sound intensity, delivering a racket “worthy of the Brotherhood of Muscle.” Noise is apparently tied to higher performance, but a stealth mode also available.

Distinct vehicle sounds assist in providing driver feedback, which will be helpful at the track and at elevated speeds. This extra in-car feel is starting to invade numerous EVs, injecting a dose of liveliness to what can otherwise be a fast but sanitized experience. Car companies are warming to the concept that speed is not just outright acceleration, but also the associated auditory and seat-of-the-pants sensations.

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2024 Dodge Charger Styling

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There’s no doubting the paternity of this thing, with wide haunches and a loop of LED taillights which used to be called a “racetrack” but are now apparently referred to as a “ring of fire.” Common for all Charger models is that distinctive white LED cross-car full-width front lighting, plus illuminated new Dodge logos front and rear. That symbol, plucked from the pages of history, is referred to as a “Fratzog,” if you’re curious. Dodge marketers continue to have fun with paint names such as After Dark, Bludicrous, Redeye, and Peel Out.

The Dodge patent-pending front R-Wing is exclusive to Charger Daytona models, and makes the leap from concept car to production. It enables air to flow through a front pass-through area, enhancing downforce while creating a unique visual profile. Be sure to browse the photos in these galleries, since some angles provide a great view of this aero trickery.

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Both the two-door and four-door models share a common wheelbase, checking in at 121 inches (3073 mm) on a total length of 206.6 inches (5247 mm). That’s about eight inches longer than today’s Charger or Challenger. Width is up roughly four inches, to a truck-like 79.8 inches (2027 mm).

From these jaundiced eyes, there’s plenty to like here — especially from the sedan’s rear three-quarter view. Dodge dispensed with the typical flush-but-frustrating door handles found on most EVs for a set of pockets which likely have electric buttons somewhere in the cove. Someone from the company can correct me on this, but it does look as if parts like the charging flap and front/rear side marker lights could share catalog numbers with the existing Charger and Challenger. Hey, if that’s what it takes to bring this thing to market, that’s okay; these types of cars are bright spots in a sea of milquetoast crossovers.

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2024 Dodge Charger Interior

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Inside the new Charger, a tablet-style infotainment system is present and was expected, though its integration is light-years better than what the crowd at Ford managed with miserable effort in the current Mustang. Instead of standing like an errant roadside billboard, the 12.3-inch display sits lower than the instrument cluster, itself a huge screen which can span up to 16 inches in Scat Pack spec. As is typical Dodge swagger, “Attitude Adjustment” is the official name for this car’s customizable interior lighting system, and the so-called “pistol-grip” gear selector is a modernized throwback.

The optional full-length glass roof (a gloss black painted roof comes standard) should open the cabin, especially since the large rear hatch on this two-door provides an expansive glass canopy. Speaking of, measures were given today for the coupe, where front seat space seems similar to today’s Challenger, but legroom in the back seat finally appears to be usable. In the two-door, there’s about 22.7 cubic feet (643 litres) of cargo space; or 37.4 cubes (1059 L) with the rear seat folded, plus a measure of utility in the EV’s frunk. Four-door interior dimensions will appear sometime down the road.

When can I have one?

After you’ve convinced the bank and paid off yer speeding tickets, of course. Two-door coupe versions of the all-electric Charger Daytona Scat Pack and R/T will begin production in the middle part of this calendar year. Assembly of four-door Daytona models, plus two- and four-door gas-powered variants, is scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2025. In a fit of Canadian pride, we’re glad to report the new Charger will be built at the Windsor Assembly Plant.