• The Charger Daytona’s Fratzonic system aims to replicate the sound of a V8.
  • Many muscle car enthusiasts feel turning the Charger into an EV was a mistake.
  • Try as it might, Dodge hasn’t made the EV sound as good as a traditional ICE.

One of the best things about owning a V8-powered muscle car is the usually intoxicating exhaust sound. The old Dodge Challenger had a particularly incredible roar on a cold start, and Dodge looks to have tried to replicate the experience with the new all-electric Charger Daytona. Has it done a good job? We’ll let you be the judge of that.

After perusing the net, we’ve found a few videos that nicely capture the “cold start” (more like power-up) of the Charger EV, which can be switched on remotely with the key fob. It uses the controversial Fratzonic ‘exhaust’ to try and replicate the sound of a V8 muscle car.

Watch: Dodge Charger Daytona EV Smokes 797HP Challenger Hellcat Redeye To 60 MPH

Hyundai arguably pioneered the use of fake ICE sounds in high-performance EVs with its widely-praised Ioniq 5 N. Dodge aimed to replicate this with the Fratzonic system, but it hasn’t received the same kind of praise Hyundai’s system has. This is probably because whereas the Ioniq 5 has no ICE predecessor, the Charger Daytona has to somehow fill in the shoes of one of the most beloved muscle cars, which, in recent years, has been sold with burbly V8 engines producing up to 1,025 hp.

Given Dodge’s history of building incredible muscle cars, releasing an EV was always going to cause controversy, and trying to make it sound like a V8 has naturally drawn comparisons with real eight-cylinder behemoths.

Obviously, the Charger Daytona’s “cold start” feature doesn’t sound as good as a V8, certainly not on video. Personally, I don’t think it sounds terrible, and it’s a little more interesting and engaging than having no sound at all. Dodge may not have failed to replicate the thrills of the old Challenger with its new-generation muscle car, but at least it tried to make something appealing for enthusiasts. After all, most EVs on the market feel like refrigerators on wheels and don’t even have the tiniest bit of emotion.

@appleautos This things actually super loud. #dodge #charger #hellcat #hellcatcharger #hellcatchallenger #hellcatredeye #demon #dodgedemon #challengerhellcat #chargerhellcat #supercharged #coldstart #loud #ev #newcar #carguy #cartok #carsoftiktok ♬ original sound – Apple Autos