Dodge Charger Daytona v Tesla Model S – Which Is The King Of The American Electric Muscle Cars?

Dodge Charger Daytona and Tesla Model S
Credit: Dodge/Tesla

The Dodge Charger Daytona will soon be unleashed onto America’s streets … and drag strips.

Deliveries of the all-electric muscle car are scheduled to begin before the end of 2024.

The Charger Daytona is launching in two trims: a 496 hp R/T and a 670 hp Scat Pack.

The latter will be matching up closely against an interesting competitor.

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The Tesla Model S Long Range is also rated at 670 hp and its starting price of $76,380 is just a tick more than the Charger Daytona Scat Pack’s $75,185. It’s not designed with classic muscle car styling, but it’s what’s under the skin that matters, right? So how about performance?

Dodge says the Charger Daytona Scat Pack can accelerate to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds and cover a quarter-mile in 11.5 seconds, which is quicker than the original Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, but comes up short against the Model S.

The Tesla’s official 0-60 mph time is 3.1 seconds and, while Tesla doesn’t quote a quarter-mile time, owners have been spotted clocking sub-11-second runs at race tracks, so we’ll just call it 11 seconds for now.

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Much of that advantage can be chalked up to the fact that the Model S weighs around 4,500 pounds and the Charger Daytona Scat Pack 5,800 pounds. Both have all-wheel drive traction, but there’s only so much it can do.

The Charger Daytona Scat Pack does have a slightly higher top speed of 134 mph compared to 130 mph for the Model S, but both are artificially restricted. What’s not are their driving ranges.

The Charger Daytona Scat Pack that is initially available has an estimated range of 241 miles per charge, while the Model S is rated at 402 miles with its standard 19-inch wheels and 380 with the optional 21-inch wheels. The Dodge does blow the Tesla away in one department however: Noise.

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Its so-called Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust electronically generates a simulated engine sound that’s projected out of pipes under the rear bumper at up to 126 db. The Tesla does have external speakers and a “boombox” feature, but it only works when the vehicle is parked.

As far as styling is concerned, the Charger Daytona’s look is a modernized version of 1960s muscle cars, while the Model S that’s been on sale since 2012 with only a few visual updates is starting to look a little old.

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Of course, none of this matters for a muscle car if you can’t turn tires into smoke and the Charger Daytona has drive modes that essentially turn it into a rear-wheel drive car to do donuts, while the more luxury-oriented Model S refuses to act like a hooligan. What fun is that?