Yahoo Autos 2024 Dodge Charger revealed: 2-door EV this year, 4-door and inline-6 next year
After more than a year, we finally get to see the production 2024 Dodge Charger, and it looks pretty much like the concept. It's got bigger door mirrors and door handles, plus more finished, functional lighting, but yeah, the concept made it to production pretty much unchanged, from the aerodynamic take on the '60s Chargers' nose to the rear liftback. Even the interior retains the same dual-screen array, pistol-grip shifter and wraparound ambient lighting. The most notable change to the interior being that the miniature forest of plastic strands has been compressed into single molded panels. But with the way the light reflects off the texture, you get a similar, and still attractive effect.
Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis told the press that this was part of the plan, to more or less show the production car and the EV plans early to let the fans sit with it and get used to the idea. Then, hopefully, when the car was ready, so would the customers. Maybe there's something to that, but we think just having a cool-looking vehicle speaks for itself, no matter the time between reveal and launch.
Something Dodge didn't share at the concept's reveal in 2022 was the four-door variant. And design-wise, it's simply a longer version of the coupe with an extra pair of doors. Plus, it's still got the rear hatch. The extra length (which Dodge hasn't specified, yet) will make the four-door Charger the most spacious and practical for both people and cargo, with maximum cargo space reaching 38.5 cubic feet (though that's only 1.1 cubic feet more than the coupe).
Also worth mentioning is that there's a distinct difference in the upcoming gas-powered Charger Sixpack's styling. Whereas the EVs have the "R-Wing" nose that passes air through the rectangular grille through a vent in the hood, the Sixpack has a conventional hood and grille. We're curious what the difference in aerodynamic drag will be between the two.
We may as well cover the powertrains, now, too, since we've brought up the Sixpack. For the first year, the Charger will only be available as an EV, and these will all be called Charger Daytona. Two Daytona trims will be on offer first, the R/T and the Scat Pack, each with basically the same battery and motor units. They each get a pair of identical electric motors with single-speed gearboxes, each with a maximum output of 335 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque. Depending on the trim, the combined output is different, though. The R/T will have a maximum output of 456 horsepower and 404 pound-feet of torque, while the Scat Pack maxes out at 590 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque.
Note, these numbers will be with the 15-second Power Shot enabled, which adds 40 horsepower to the usual amount. There's a 30-second cooldown time between Power Shot uses, but there's no limit to the number of uses otherwise.
For the first year of production, Dodge will be including Direct Connection Stage Kit upgrades, gratis. So the first-year R/T will have the 40-horsepower Stage 1 upgrade, bringing it up to 496 horsepower, and the Scat Pack will have the 80-horsepower Stage 2 upgrade, bringing it up to 670 horsepower. And possibly the most important part of the equation are the acceleration times. Dodge claims a 0-60 time for the R/T of 4.7 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 13.1 seconds. The Scat Pack will get to 60 in 3.3 seconds on the way to an 11.5-second quarter-mile time. Top speed is relatively low, though, at 137 mph for the R/T and 134 for the Scat Pack.
