Electric Dodge Charger Daytona Revealed With 2 Or 4 Doors And A Straight-6 Gas Engine Option

When Dodge said it was replacing its V8 muscle cars with electric models, it wasn’t kidding.

But the ICE age isn’t over yet.

Dodge has revealed the production version of the electric 2024 Charger Daytona that it first previewed with a two-door concept two years ago, plus a few surprises.

It turns out that the Charger Daytona will also be offered in a four-door model next year and both styles will be available with either electric power or a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-straight-six internal combustion engine.

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The two-door and four-door have the same wheelbase and are both enormous for muscle cars. They’re longer and wider than a Dodge Durango SUV, which opens up plenty of space between the wheels for the electric drivetrain.

All-wheel-drive is standard and provided by Electric Drive Modules at each end, which incorporate the inverter, motor and gearbox. The battery pack between them has a capacity of 100.5 kilowatt-hours.

Full specs for the four-door haven’t been released, but the two-door tips the scales at 5,838 pounds. That’s about 1,500 pounds more than the old Challenger V8.

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The styling stays very close to the concept’s and carries over its “hidden hatch” liftback design, which provides for a large cargo area whether the rear seats are up or down.

In front, a low hood is concealed by what Dodge calls the R-Wing, which stretches from fender to fender, creating the effect of the classic Mopar muscle car blunt front end styling without sacrificing aerodynamic efficiency.

A very small “frunk” front storage compartment can be found under the hood.

The electric Charger Daytona will be offered in three basic trims with increasing power brackets : R/T, Scat Pack and Banshee, the last of which will launch late next year.

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Along with their base outputs, there will be two stage kits available for each of them that increases their power in 40 hp increments through software updates contained in “crystals” that plug into the dashboard.

However, the first two trims that will be in showrooms when deliveries begin this summer will be an R/T with a Stage 1 upgrade and a Scat Pack with a Stage 2 upgrade. The R/T Stage 1 will be rated at 456 hp, but 496 hp will be available in 15-second bursts through a Power Shot mode. The Scat Pack is rated at 630 hp and 670 hp with the Power Shot.

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Dodge says the R/T will accelerate to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds and across a quarter-mile in 13.1 seconds, while the Scat Pack’s times are 3.3 seconds and 11.5 seconds, which makes it as quick as the 797 hp Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye, thanks in large part to the added traction of the all-wheel-drive system.

The R/T is expected to have a driving range of 317 miles per charge, the Scat Pack 260 miles and their batteries can be refilled to 80% in roughly a half-hour at the most powerful 350 kilowatt public fast charging stations.

The Charger Daytona rides on a fully independent suspension system and you can get the Scat Pack with a Track Pack that adds computer-controlled adaptive shocks.

A host of drive modes includes Auto, Eco, Sport, Wet/Snow, Track and Drag. There’s also a Race Prep setting that optimizes the battery temperature for drag racing, Line Lock for doing tire-warming burnouts and Launch Control to help get the power down.

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Drift Mode sends more torque to the rear and changes the stability control to allow for more slip and tire spin, while Donut Mode sends all of the power to the rear and turns off the traction control.

There’s plenty of tech in the cabin, as well. The Charger Daytona features two tablet-style digital displays for the gauge cluster and infotainment system, and a head-up display is available. Performance Pages relay track day data that can be synchronized with recorded video.

The entire experience will be enhanced by the Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust, which combines speakers that play through sound tubes mounted below the rear bumper with “force generators” that create a “vibroacoustic” effect.

The Banshee will up the ante by switching from a 400-volt to an 800-volt architecture that provides more power and performance, but Dodge is keeping the numbers secret for now. It will also add an “eRupt” that uses a two-speed gearbox that can simulate shifting through several gears to give the passengers a hard jolt, just for fun.

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Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis says the eRupt and a lot of the decisions made in the Charger Daytona’s design — including the use of a platform that can accommodate either an electric or ICE drivetrain — makes it less efficient, but that muscle car buyers are more interested in fun than fuel economy, regardless of the fuel.

As for the gas-powered Chargers, they’ll lose the Daytona name along with the R-wing and the frunk to make room for the inline-six. It is the same “Hurricane” engine that’s currently available in the Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer and coming to the 2025 Ram 1500 pickup.

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Dodge is calling it the SIXPACK for the Chargers as a tip of the hat to the old six-barrel carburetor V8s. It will come in 420 hp standard output (S.O.) and 550 hp high output (H.O.) versions to start when the option arrives next year.

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The big mystery that still remains is how much all of this is going to cost. Dodge hasn’t announced pricing for any of the models yet, but Kuniskis has previously suggested it shouldn’t be too much of a … shock.

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