A Charger that needs a charger? What is the world coming to?
Being a fan for many years of Dodge Chargers and Challengers, this new version was tough to wrap my brain around, and I am a fan of electric vehicles. So, after a lot of thought, I concluded that the all-electric Charger was never intended as a replacement for the gasoline versions. I can’t envision someone who currently owns a Charger or Challenger with a Hemi under the hood even considering this new Charger. What I can see is someone considering making the move to electric wanting something fun, that sounds and feels like a track racer, isn’t boring, doesn’t have a weirdo white interior and closed-off grill, but does want a great daily driver. They can find that with this vehicle.
What we know is the old Charger 4-door sedan is gone, but an all-new 4-door Charger is coming. V8 gasoline engines are gone (allegedly, I’m not so sure) but if you choose not to go electric, you’ll have a choice of two six cylinder Hurricane engines. One will put out 420-horses, the larger one will put out 550-horses. For comparison, the Charger Shakedown I reviewed one year ago this week had 485-horses. It appears from a styling standpoint it will look just like the Daytona electric I have right now. The rest is unknown and purely speculation at this time.
Exterior
This new EV is a visually beautiful car in the Diamond Black Crystal exterior color. This new version Charger is visibly larger than in previous years. Besides length, this one is 5” wider than the 2023, and even 2” wider than the widebody version. Also notable is that this 2024 is a sportback, a large hatchback if you will, which really opens up the cargo area and gives the Charger a much more modern look.
20” x 11” wheels in front, and 20”x 11.5” wheels in rear look fantastic, as do the massive Brembo brake calipers. The front end is sleek and modern, and completely open, allowing air to flow through it and over the bulging hood for aerodynamics. There is a nice-sized rear spoiler, and on both front fenders is a Scat Pack Stage 2 emblem. Stage 2 designates a higher level of performance, in this case an additional 80-horses.
I can’t say enough about how beautiful I think this Charger Daytona Scat Pack is. It’s a real head turner, and a modern take on a classic body style. This will make a stunning coupe with a gasoline engine as well, and you can bet it will be a big seller.
Interior
Moving to the inside, the interior is nicely done and quite spacious. I love the Leatherette & Suede seats which are wide and comfortable. They are bolstered, but not as much as I expected, and red stitching runs on the seat edges, the door panels, and across the dash. The front seats on both sides are power, with power lumbar supports, they are heated and cooled, and the driver has memory setting. This car has the most beautiful door panels I have ever seen, especially at night with the ambient lighting. There are electric buttons to pop the doors open.
The 16” color driver display is amazing and highly configurable. The graphics as you change drive modes are the best I’ve ever seen. It is like watching a television screen right in front of you. It takes a good while to scroll through all your options of things you can see on the display. As you look up, there is a good-sized head-up display that has sign recognition.
The 12.3” Chrysler Uconnect 5 system is terrific as always, easy to operate, and the navigation system works great. The 18-speaker Alpine audio system sounds terrific and has surround sound and a huge subwoofer. The big touchscreen operates the Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, vehicle settings, climate controls, the rearview camera, you’ll have a blast going through all the apps, especially the Performance Pages. It also has wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto, and you can use the voice commands.
The center console houses a cool pistol grip gear shifter, a big power button to start the Charger, two large cup holders, a wireless phone charger, two USB ports, and one USB-C port. This entire cockpit is laid out superbly and is extremely high tech. That includes the square heated steering wheel with a lot of controls, and it is power tilting and telescoping.
Access to the backseat is simple, and it will power slide out of the way to create a huge opening for back seat passengers. Make no mistake, this is a rarity, but two regular sized adults would be very comfortable back there due to the increased width and length of the Charger. They’ll be comfortable back there, too, the rear seat is heated with a fold down armrest and cup holders.
Open the big hatchback to see a huge 27 cubic-feet of cargo area that is covered if you wish it to be. You can drop the back seat to expand it to 37.5 cubic-feet, and there is more storage underneath where the tire repair kit is.
Options
Options on the Daytona Scat Pack include the $3,200 Stage 2 package that gets you up to the 670-horses. This one has the $4,995 Plus Group which is LED headlamps, wiper deicers, the cargo area frunk under the hood, the high-back power front seats that are heated and cooled, a power hatch, keyless remote start, and a few other miscellaneous items.
$2,495 gets you the Sun & Sound Package with is the Alpine Sound system, and a fixed glass panel roof. This could be an issue in the hot climate areas because there is no sliding cover to block the sun, but the glass is deeply tinted.
Another $3,495 gets you the Track Package, which is terrific. You get the Widebody Competition Suspension, adaptive dampers, Brembo high-performance brakes in red, the aluminum wheels, and memory seats in front.
Finally, another $1,000 gets you the Drive Experience Recorder, which is awesome on a track. It records lap times with front-facing video, and at the end of each racetrack lap, the infotainment screen flashes green if you got faster and red if you got slower. This lets you know if you got better or worse each lap without having to look at numbers side-by-side, and once you are done with your run, you can look at all of your lap times and videos on the large center screen.
Performance
The two-motor Charger Daytona Scat Pack delivers up to 670 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque. Stellantis says up to 670-horses comes from the fact that normal output is 630, but with the Power Shot button on the steering wheel, you get a 40-horse boost for 10–15 seconds. Even the 630-horse figure is impressive, but hit that button and all hell breaks loose. After using the button there is a cool down period, and you’ll need it. So will the car.
Fratzonic Exhaust
One of the most controversial features of the electric Charger is the Fratzonic exhaust system, which is my favorite feature of this car. This is not an exhaust system, it is an exhaust sound system, and it is exceptional. I realize I have made fun of EV sounds in the past, but this is the real deal. It sounds every bit as good as the terrific sound of a Hellcat, but it is volume controllable, or you can turn it completely off. It is a marvel of sorts.
So, how does it work? The Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust technology uses a series of chambers strategically placed underneath the electric Charger Daytona. These chambers, along with woofers and mid-range speakers, generate the exhaust sounds, which are then channeled through dual pipes like those found in gasoline engine vehicles. The system utilizes both digital sounds and filtering, with the emphasis on fine-tuning the sound instead of relying solely on fake digital sounds. As you would expect, it gets louder and softer depending on your use of the accelerator.
Dodge did not stop there, however. To make the muscle car experience even better, they incorporated what they call “force generators” into the chassis. These devices transmit vibrations throughout the car, intensifying with increased or decreased use of the accelerator. The resulting feedback is felt through the steering wheel and seats. Additionally, these force generators have the capability to generate their own sounds, adding another layer to the experience. So not only do you hear the amazing sound, you feel it as well. I kid you not, it is a technological amazement to me how they did this system so well. Make fun of it if you wish, some did on my facebook page, but those people admittedly have not experienced it like I have.
You can listen to the exhaust sound here, but I will tell you, this does not do it justice:
PowerShot
Next on the “makes me want one” list is the PowerShot button on the square steering wheel. This unleashes every single one of the 670-horses and will give you 15 seconds of heart-pounding thrills while you hang on for dear life and at the same time trying to watch for our friends in blue, you know, the ones that wear badges. The PowerShot button is a rush and very tempting, but it will suck the battery life quickly. Everything fun has a price after all.
Safety
Any car this quick needs a lot of safety features and the Charger has you covered with Automated Emergency Braking, Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop-and-Go, Blind-Spot Monitoring, Driver-Attention Monitor and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, Traffic-Sign Recognition. You also get Active Lane Management, and Pedestrian/Cyclist emergency braking. Of course, I already mentioned the massive Brembo brakes.
What You'll Pay
Pricewise, my very loaded review car with options has an MSRP of $82,175. Currently Dodge is offering a $4000 rebate, and as of this writing, the $7500 federal rebate is still in effect, so it is not a stretch to get this hot rod under $70,000.
Ride and Drive
It drives great in normal drive mode, it’s quiet, it just feels good, like a family car. Then you unleash the beast and you’ve got a racecar on your hands that is super-quick, sounds amazing, handles like a high-end sports car, and it actually has a useable back seat and a wonderful cockpit. It is both a great weekend sports car, and a terrific daily driver. The best part is it is all in your control depending on your drive mode selection.
MPGe, Charging and Range
Fuel economy ratings are not great for an electric, but this is not a Chevy Bolt, so keep things in perspective. It is rated at 82 MPGe city, 73 MPGe highway, and 78 MPGe combined. Charging times are a little on the slow side also: Level 1 charging is the first option using a standard 120-volt household outlet, which will literally take several days. Level 2 charging, like I have at home, is significantly faster. I went from 25% to 100% charge in just over six hours, which is great for overnight charging. Finally, there's DC Fast Charging, the quickest way to get back on the road. These chargers use high-voltage DC power to deliver a rapid charge, around 27 minutes from 20% to 80%. You have your choice of charger credits to use, or Dodge will give you a home charger.
Charger Daytona comes with a 400V, 100.5 kWh battery pack that claims a range of 240-miles, but as with all electrics, weather and how you drive it will dictate whether your range is more or less than that.
Verdict
Note to the Dodge purists: Let me be clear, this car is not for you, it was never intended for you, and I’d recommend you not even drive it. But don’t knock it either. It’s too fine a car to try to draw comparisons between this and the gas engine Chargers of the past, or the future. I challenge you to just look at the specs of this EV and tell me it doesn’t make you smile. Numbers don’t lie.
In quotes about the Charger electric, Dodge CEO Matt McAlear sums thing up every nicely:
“If we sent you an invitation that said, ‘We want you to come drive the all-new, top-secret replacement for the Challenger. It’s standard all-wheel drive, 670 horsepower, zero to 60 in 3.3 seconds, quarter-mile in 11.5 seconds. It has state-of-the-art technology, a driver-focused cockpit, just as loud from a decibel level as the outgoing Hellcat, 132% more cargo capacity, and more rear legroom than the outgoing four-door Charger…’ Everyone would say, ‘Sign me up, let’s go.' You might not even ask what’s under the hood, you’d just assume this is an awesome car. It looks like a 1968, the most iconic muscle car in history.”
“The other thing I tell people is we’re not coming to market with an EV, we’re coming with a muscle car that just happens to be an EV. Because you walk around any auto show or any EV show, they’re all two-box, white vegan leather, flat floor, three big, large screens, big open consoles—they all look exactly the same. That’s what everyone thinks of as an EV, right?
The gentleman is correct. There are few, if any, sexy electric vehicles. The interiors all have the same futuristic vibe. Dodge dared to be different, to give electric car buyers something exciting, and beautiful, and a joy to drive, and a car that is not boring. All they’ve gotten for it is a ration of crap from much of the automotive press who will not allow themselves to see this car for what it is.
I will close by saying something I don’t think I’ve ever said before in a review, and you can put this headline in 2” letters:
I AM SERIOUSLY THINKING OF LEASING ONE OF THESE MYSELF.
- What I Liked Most: Every. Single. Thing.
- What I would change: If pressed, I would like more range, but would not give up the power to get it.
- MSRP: Base price: $64,995. As equipped $82,175 including destination, but before discounts and rebates.
- Fuel Economy: 82 MPGe city, 73 MPGe highway, and 78 MPGe combined. Charging port, right side rear.
- Odometer reading when tested: 1,100 miles.
- Weight: 5,760 pounds.
- Spare tire: Inflator & repair kit.
- Length-Width-Height: 207” long/80” wide (most allowable by law)/59” high.
- Fuel Tank Capacity: N/A.
- Towing Capacity: Not recommended by factory.
- Official Color: Diamond Black Crystal.
- 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona in a few words: If you want electric and you want exciting, it just doesn’t get better than this!
- Warranty: 3-year/36,000 mile bumper-to-bumper, with roadside assistance, 8-year/100,000 mile warranty on the battery pack and the electric powertrain.
- Final Assembly Location: Brampton, Ontario, Canada.
- Manufacturer's website: www.Dodge.com
