The wait is finally over, and we don’t just mean the couple of years we’ve been twiddling our thumbs since Dodge unveiled the Charger Daytona SRT concept. The 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona production car is the first truly all-new, clean-sheet Charger since the current model debuted 19 years ago, and boy does it feel new.
A fresh platform, EV power for the first time in the Charger’s six-decade-long history, a total lack of V8 options, standard all-wheel drive, and the return of a two-door coupe body are major talking points guaranteed to raise eyebrows. But there’s some continuity, too.
A four-door sedan body and two combustion engines making 420 hp (426 PS) and 550 hp (558 PS) join the lineup next year and there’ll be police packages, too, meaning Dodge has got, or will have, most bases covered. And this lot is just for starters. Expect a ton more configurations including some crazy high-performance stuff (hopefully of the ICE as well as EV variety) in the coming years.
Charger and Charger Daytona
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The 2024 Charger effectively replaces both the old Charger and Challenger, meaning it’s two cars in one. So far we’ve only seen leaked and teaser images of the two-door Charger Daytona coupe that goes into production at the Windsor, Ontario, plant this summer, but today Dodge released images of the four-door sedan Charger that will start leaving the same line in early 2025.
Dimensions
Both two- and four-door body styles ride on the same 121-inch (3,074 mm) wheelbase, which is only 0.8 inches (20 mm) longer than the old Charger’s, but the overall length has ballooned by over 8 inches (203 mm) to 206.6 inches (5,248 mm). The 2024 car is also nearly 5 inches (127 mm) wider than the old Charger and Challenger. It’s a huge car, longer and wider than Europe’s standard-wheelbase Mercedes S-Class. No wonder it weighs a terrifying 5,838 lbs (2,648 kg) in EV guise (ICE weights are still TBC).
And that’s despite it having two huge holes in the hood. We’re talking about the Charger Daytona here, the electric version being the only one to get the word ‘Daytona’ embossed into the rear bumper, as well as the R-Wing, the pass-through hood spoiler that riffs on the towering rear wing on the 1969 Charger Daytona. ICE cars are badged simply Dodge Charger and get a plainer domed hood and a small additional horizontal intake below the main grille (see pics below), though from some angles the difference isn’t that obvious.
Up to 670 hp of electric power
The Charger switches to Stellantis’s new STLA Large platform for 2024, and it’s that move that makes an EV powertrain possible. Dodge will unleash more models and power options down the line, including an 800-volt Tesla Plaid chaser with a two-speed transmission called the Banshee, and ultimately there’ll be six 400-volt configurations, all with the same bi-motor setup, single-speed transmission, and 100 kWh battery, but offering different power levels. For now, there are just two 400-volt cars, the R/T and the Scat Pack, both equipped with Direct Connection eStage power upgrades that will be optional on future models.
The R/T makes 496 hp (503 PS / 370 kW) and 404 lb-ft (548 Nm) thanks to a standard Stage 1 kit worth 40 hp (40 PS), and enough to get it to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 4.7 seconds and through the quarter in 13.1 seconds. Step up to the Scat Pack and its Stage 2 upgrade (worth 80 hp / 81 PS), and you unlock 670 hp (680 PS / 500 kW) and 627 lb-ft (850 Nm), dropping the 60 mph sprint to 3.3 seconds and the quarter-mile time to 11.5 seconds. Those power figures, incidentally, are only achieved when the driver presses the Power Shot button at the base of the steering wheel to add a 40 hp (40 PS) boost for 15 seconds at a time.
Curiously, the Scat Pack (seen above) tops out at 134 mph (216 km/h) while the R/T is only slightly faster, at 137 mph (221 km/h). But while that difference might be academic to most buyers, the range discrepancy won’t be. The R/T can cover a claimed 317 miles (510 km) on a charge but the Scat Pack is all out of amps at 260 miles (418 km). Both take the same time to charge: 5-80 percent in 411 minutes on a Level 2 charger and 32.5 minutes when hooked up to a 350 kW supply. Dodge wouldn’t confirm whether the Charger would have access to Tesla’s Supercharger network at launch, or when it would be switching from CCS to NACS charging ports to eliminate the need for an adaptor at Tesla sites.
Battery And Charging
Hemi-style soundtrack
Both Daytonas get Dodge’s Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust system sound generator that makes the EVs as loud as an old Charger Hellcat unless you activate its stealth mode. The sound changes depending on the driving mode you’ve selected and how hard you’re pushing the car, but Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis claims the beat, cadence, and tempo match a traditional Hemi V8’s. We’ll have to take his word for it because the team is still fine-tuning the sound so Dodge didn’t offer any audio clips at the launch.
Bigger wheels, bigger screens for Scat Pack
R/T lettering and the distinctive Scat Pack racing bee logo (now minus its exhaust pipes) on the front fenders help distinguish the base EV from the temporary flagship, but they’re not the only identifiers. R/Ts roll on 18-inch Tech Silver wheels as standard, while Scat Packs get 20-inch Satin Carbon (that’s the name, not the material) rims.
There are also differences between models in the interior, which stays close to the design promised by the SRT concept and features two screens, wireless phone charging, optional ambient lighting, and a new take on the classic pistol grip shifter. Both trims get a 12.3-inch center touchscreen powered by Uconnect 5, but that’s paired with a 10.25-inch digital gauge cluster on the R/T and a 16-inch version on the Scat Pack. Cloth and vinyl seats are standard – the rears folding down to reveal 38.5 cu-ft (1,090 liters) of cargo room on top of the 1.5 cu-ft (42.5 liters) space in the frunk – but black or red Nappa leather chairs are optional, as are sports seats with fixed headrests.
The V8 is dead but combustion power lives on
The great news for traditional muscle fans is that Dodge hasn’t abandoned them altogether, even if it has abandoned V8 power. Dealers will offer a pair of gasoline-fulled Chargers from early 2025, both powered by the Stellantis Hurricane inline six already seen in various Jeep and Ram trucks and SUVs. They’re sure to be less expensive than the EVs, and though it’s a shame they’re not V8s, they do at least promise V8-grade performance.
Base ICE machines are badged Charger Sixpack S.O. and get a 420 hp (426 PS) version of the 3.0-liter twin-turbo six which Dodge says outperforms the 5.7-liter Hemi V8, which made 375 hp (380 PS). The 550 hp (558 PS) Charger Sixpack H.O. replaces the old 6.4 Hemi and makes a healthy 65 hp (66 PS) more. Dodge hasn’t released performance figures for the gas cars yet, but neither is going to beat the top EV’s 3.3-second zero to 60 mph time.
Performance
Drag, Drift, and Donut modes
R/T drivers can cycle through Auto, Eco, Sport, Wet/Snow, and Track driving modes by pressing a button on the steering wheel, and can also try out the launch control and line lock features familiar from gas-fuelled Dodge muscle cars. But only Scat Pack customers get access to the Daytona’s best party tricks.
Donut Mode – can you imagine any other car company being so brazen? – lets Scat Pack owners make use of the rear limited slip differential and spin just the back wheels to make their Charger rotate without the ESP getting nervous. And Drift Mode gives sideways noobs a choice of three slip angles, which the car will maintain using the front axle’s help, having first got things slipping by softening off the front dampers and stiffening the rears.
Track Package
Another Scat Pack exclusive is the optional Track Package. Tick that box and your car arrives with huge 16-inch Brembo discs and six-piston (four-piston at the rear) calipers, 305- and 335-section front and rear Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3 tires with wider rear wheels, adaptive dampers, and a Drive Experience Recorder that includes a dashcam, in-camera microphone and data logger. Expect YouTube crash videos to be elevated to a whole new level in the second half of 2024. But the Track Package isn’t the only bundle available: Plus Group, Blacktop, Carbon & Suede, and Sun & Sound packages are all on standby ready to inflate your invoice, as are gadgets like a surround-view camera and head-up display.
What’s the future for the Challenger badge?
When Dodge killed off the old Charger last year, it killed off the Challenger too and has made no mention of the coupe badge’s future. But it did acknowledge that Challenger was one of many heritage names available, so it’s possible the badge might reappear along with others, such as Super Bee, during the new model’s lifetime.
How much and when?
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Dodge isn’t talking prices at this stage, but we estimate that the entry-level electric R/T will cost at least $50k and the Scat Pack closer to $60k when they hit the street this fall. The ICE cars that join the lineup in early 2025 will be less expensive, but how much less expensive we don’t yet know. What do you think of the 2024 Charger? Did Dodge do the badge justice? Scroll through the huge 80-slide gallery below then leave a comment and let us know if you think Dodge nailed this one.
