What is a muscle car? Merriam-Webster defines it as “any of a group of American-made 2-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving,” but given that the industry’s preferred method of propulsion is changing, can the muscle car change with it? The 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona is determined to find out, because not only is it a big, quick American coupe, it’s also powered by batteries.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona. Previewed by a concept car that made the rounds in 2022 and teased rather liberally early this year, we’ve had plenty of time to prepare for Dodge to dish the details on its make-or-break next-generation Windsor-built family car, and the first two trim levels are finally here.
Back up a second, Windsor? The one across the border from Detroit? The minivan plant? Yes, but this isn’t the first time Windsor’s ever built Chargers. From 1975 to 1978, Dodge’s B-body coupe was bolted together in the Windsor Assembly Plant, making this 2024 car something of a homecoming.
The Charger, Recharged
Dodge has a rich history of trim names, and it’s chosen the Daytona banner to use for all electric Charger variants, with the R/T and Scat Pack trims being the first to arrive (so the full names are “Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack” and “Dodge Charger Daytona R/T”). Both of these initial models feature a 400-volt architecture, so the peak DC fast charging rate taps out at 183 kW. With 93.9 kWh of usable battery pack capacity (100.5 total), you’re going to be waiting just over 52 minutes to charge from 5 to 80 percent once you run down the estimated range of 317 miles on the R/T and 260 miles on the Scat Pack.
Speaking of batteries, we’re looking at a 104S2P pack, meaning two parallel sets of 104 cells arranged in series, that uses prismatic cells. Dodge claims a litany of benefits from going prismatic over cylindrical or pouch cells. As per the automaker:
The battery cell structure is prismatic, offering a more structurally stable cell with better thermal performance through a rigid casing, resulting in lower battery temperatures during high performance driving. The nickel cobalt aluminum chemistry of the battery cell provides more power per gram — the battery-electric version of high-octane fuel.
Nickel cobalt aluminum (NCA) cells are desirable for their power density, often at or above 200 watt-hours per kilogram. They might not be as resilient as lithium iron phosphate cells, but they pack one hell of a punch, which is why companies like Dodge and Tesla use them in EVs. By the way, Dodge claims that the pack in the Charger Daytona offers “a peak discharge rate of 550 kW — specifically designed to maximize acceleration by allowing the motor to utilize the most power the battery can output in the span of a quarter mile.” Nice.
While we’re on the subject of goings-on under the skin, it’s worth noting that the Charger Daytona is Dodge’s first application of the STLA Large platform. The automaker is throwing the buzzword “BEV-native” at this platform, but for the sake of clarity, STLA Large is a flexible architecture made to accept longitudinal combustion power and skateboard electric power.
This also means that the Charger no longer draws inspiration from Y2K Mercedes-Benzes for its suspension geometry, now riding on a multi-link setup in the front and an integral link setup out back, the latter of which is named so because it controls caster using a compact and clever vertical integral link on each corner, eliminating the need for a space-robbing trailing arm and offering superior kinematic control, so long as rear axle steering isn’t desired.
Fortunately, once a Charger Daytona is done juicing up, it should be hellaciously quick thanks to a 250 kW motor with an integrated inverter and 11:1 gearset on each axle. Yep, this thing’s all-wheel-drive, and the front motor can effectively free-wheel when desired to boost efficiency. The Scat Pack trim cranks out 630 horsepower, which temporarily climbs to 670 horsepower when the Power Shot button on the steering wheel is pressed (see above). Dodge says the Scat Pack’s good for zero-to-60 mph in 3.3 seconds and the quarter-mile in 11.5 seconds. That’s nigh-on Hellcat quick, although given how tricky it is to launch a Hellcat, expect the Charger Daytona Scat Pack to be far more consistent. Even the 456-horsepower R/T model is solidly quick, with a claimed zero-to-60 mph time of 4.7 seconds and claimed quarter-mile time of 13.1 seconds. Like the Scat Pack, it sees a jump in output by pressing the Power Shot button, briefly adding 40 horsepower for a total of 496.
However, don’t confuse quick with fast. The Charger Daytona Scat Pack tops out at 134 mph, three miles per hour slower than the Charger Daytona R/T and, um, 41 mph slower than the old 6.4-liter V8-powered Scat Pack. You win some, you lose some. Granted, this isn’t the Charger Daytona’s final form, so a faster SRT variant isn’t out of the question.
Of course, just because the Charger Daytona is an EV doesn’t mean it’s silent. The Scat Pack trim comes with what Dodge calls a “Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust,” which contains a couple of passive radiators to let everyone around you know that you’re driving a muscle car. A passive radiator is essentially a speaker cone without the bits that make it go in and out using electrical signals, and passive radiators are frequently used to give Bluetooth speakers some extra kick. In this case, Dodge is using them to wake the dead. The only way the Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust could get more aggressive is if it played “Knuck if You Buck” out the back at 110 decibels.
Three Or Five Doors
One thing that’s strange about the new Dodge Charger Daytona, at least to me, is that it somehow looks less fresh than the model it replaces. There’s a certain recession-era feel to the heaviness of the surfacing, and it’s not just because we haven’t seen many new cars with enough styling for ten in the past few years. Maybe the wheels just don’t make a huge impact, maybe the trailing edge of the door is too far forward, maybe the daytime running light just doesn’t look great split across three elements. Maybe the vents in the rear bumper are poorly resolved, creating an unnecessary ridge where they meet the bodysides, and while the giant slab of dark plastic used as a valence evens out the slope of the hood when viewed in profile, the reflections it catches make you wish the new Charger was a whole lot lower than it is. Then again, maybe some of it is the trickster qualities of silver, or the focal length of the lens used to shoot these photos. I will have to reserve full judgement until I see it in person.
Fortunately, there is a way to make the Charger look a little more interesting. If rear seat access is a priority for you, a Charger with two doors on each side goes into production early next year, and given what we know about trunk access, that means America’s about to gain a full-sized five-door liftback.
Maybe it’s the revised greenhouse slimming out the C-pillar, maybe it’s the fact that the doors are now located properly, but there’s something nice about the five-door model, and it’s not just the wider virtual camera angle used in the CGI renderings manipulating the model to look longer. To me, there’s an incremental improvement here, but it’s not night-and-day.
While we don’t have full specifications for all variants of the new Charger Daytona, we do have dimensions of the three-door model, and they’re audacious. Measuring 206.6 inches stem-to-stern in R/T trim and 79.8 inches wide, the new Charger is an enormous machine that’s even larger than its predecessor, a full-size sedan. For the record, that’s only 1.6 inches shorter than a brand new Mercedes-Benz S-Class, and half an inch longer than a Lexus LS. Oh, and then there’s the width, which makes the Charger Daytona just one tenth of an inch narrower than a Ford F-150 and 1.1 inches wider than a Lamborghini Countach LP5000S QV. We’re talking outrageous dimensions here. In person, this car should have capital-P Presence.
More Damper, More Rubber, More Management Of More Curb Weight
So, big car, excellent power, quick acceleration times. What else are we working with here? Well, Dodge seems to have done some work with the intention of making the new Charger handle, and some of that work seems to incorporate the ‘Murica F-yeah more-is-better philosophy to a tee. Old habits die hard, right?
Tick the box for the Track Pack on the Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack (so the full name will be: “Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack With Track Package”), and you’ll get dual-valve adaptive dampers, 410 mm brake discs with fixed calipers on all four corners, and sticky track day-oriented Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3 tires measuring 305/35ZR20 up front and 325/35ZR20 out back. Why might it need such enormous tires? Well, a curb weight of 5,838 pounds in electric Charger Daytona Scat Pack trim might have something to do with it.
Speaking of handling-related stuff, the rear drive unit in every Charger Daytona features a proper limited-slip differential for enhanced traction and shenanigans, some of which fall under what Dodge calls Race Options. The Charger Daytona will include a special Donut Mode, which the brand says “Enables the vehicle to spin only the rear wheels and to rotate around either of the front wheels without intervention from the traction control system.”
There’s also a drift mode built into the Race Options on the Charger Daytona, and it seems a bit like what McLaren’s doing with Variable Drift Control. According to Dodge:
The driver can select three levels of slip angle, and torque is rear-axle biased, using the front axle to help maintain slip angle. Front dampers become full soft and rear dampers go full stiff to enable an oversteer condition, and the traction control system allows for different wheel speed differentials without setting fault codes.
There are a few things to unpack here, so let’s do that now. Firstly, it sounds like drift mode might not let drivers turn the front motor off completely and go rear-wheel-drive. Granted, 335 horsepower in a 5,838-pound car would work out to 17.4 pounds per horsepower, but you don’t need big power to throw down. Just ask drift-king Keiichi Tsuchiya. Maybe Dodge can push a software update should owners desire, but either way, color us intrigued. Secondly, stiffer rear dampers and softer front dampers should decrease mechanical grip in the rear and increase it in the front, making it easier to initiate a drift. That’s proper race car science and a great unorthodox use of adaptive dampers.
Add in line lock for smoky burnouts, launch control, and special Race Prep battery pre-conditioning, and the Dodge Charger Daytona has a whole lot of toys in its arsenal. As with any functions that may draw attention from local law enforcement, use them responsibly.
The Inside Story
If the outside of the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona is throwing it back to 1968, the cabin is right on time. From the complex, flowing door cards to the proliferation of interactive technology, there’s no mistaking this cockpit for anything but a product of the 2020s. Up to 16 inches of digital instrument cluster behind a squircle steering wheel should offer plenty of information, while a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen on a driver-centric tilt feels like it’s here to remind BMW what it should be doing. It’s nice to see Dodge maintaining physical volume and tuning knobs, although not everything in the cabin is physical. The controls for the heated seats? Capacitive touch. The method of killing traction control? An actual button within easy reach of the shifter. Yep, Dodge knows its target market.
Speaking of fan service, it’s hard to not feel something looking at Dodge’s electronic reinterpretation of the classic pistol-grip shifter. Sure, a shifter in a typical electric vehicle doesn’t have a manumatic function, but does art need an excuse for existing? The heart wants what the heart wants.
Speaking of interior parts to get your pulse racing, check out those high-back seats with harness pass-throughs that look properly special. On the outgoing Charger, you effectively got wingback chairs in performance trims, and while those were plush and well-bolstered, they sure robbed a lot of interior room. These new front seats, in contrast, look to be a better blend of function and form.
Dodge is even offering the new Charger Daytona an integrated 1080p dashcam, an interesting piece of data acquisition gear more focused on track days than capturing incriminating footage of substandard motorists. Admittedly, I don’t expect many people to go hot lapping in a car that’s 206.6 inches long and weighs nearly three tons, but for those who will, we salute you. There’s a higher chance of people dropping the rear seats, opening the hatch, and using 103 cubic feet of cargo space as they see fit, and we salute those people too.
Early Perks
Remember way back in the propulsion system section of this article when we mentioned that the 2024 Charger Daytona Scat Pack will offer 630 horsepower, and the R/T will offer 456 horsepower? That’s only for the 2024 model year because Dodge is throwing in Direct Connection tunes for free, a Stage 1 on the R/T and a Stage 2 on the Scat Pack. Come the 2025 model year, unlocking horsepower will become a pay-to-play game, with your local Dodge parts counter handling the reflash. From Dodge:
The 400V propulsion system packs six performance levels into one powertrain. The 2024 Charger Daytona R/T arrives with a standard Direct Connection Stage 1 upgrade kit that adds 40 horsepower to reach a total of 496 horsepower, while the Daytona Scat Pack is delivered with a Stage 2 kit that offers an increase of additional 80 horsepower, taking total output to 670 horsepower. Future Daytona models will require purchase of Direct Connection Stage kits to upgrade from base models to Stage 1 and Stage 2 performance.
It turns out early adoption has some benefits. Mind you, Dodge makes Direct Connection upgrades sound more complicated than they are. Each trim gets its own Stage 1 and Stage 2 packages, which really gives each owner two choices besides staying stock.
Will It Work?
I’d seem like a sellout if I didn’t address the Hellephant in the room — the Dodge Charger Daytona EV is fighting an uphill battle. Just last year, Dodge had an entire lineup of endearing chest-thumping testosterone-laden burnout machines with a combined IQ of about seven. A Hellcat isn’t clever, which is exactly why it’s loved. Big dirty supercharged V8 up front, fully-lit Pirellis out back, “Free Bird” turned up to eleven in the middle — job done. It’s visceral, it’s provocative, it’s a twelve-year-old’s idea of how to make a fast car, and it rules. It wasn’t just Greta Van Fleet to the 1968 Charger’s Led Zeppelin, it was also Lil Durk, Germ, Young Thug, and Sexxy Red — a loud, braggadocious soundtrack for a new generation.
The new electric Dodge Charger Daytona has two potential paths — either win over diehards, or forge a new path. The old Charger eventually did both, but the political polarization of EVs has many muscle car devotees on the other side of the fence. At the same time, a litany of manufacturers are doing seriously interesting stuff with electric vehicles, to the point where a Kia EV6 GT put through Car And Driver testing posted performance numbers on-par with the Charger Daytona Scat Pack. When everything is savagely fast in a straight line and a litany of electric vehicles offer similar power curves, why go for a muscle car over a Nürburgring-tuned crossover, or a compact sports sedan, or something that looks almost French?
I like the concept of the Dodge Charger Daytona EV. We’re overdue for another three-door liftback, and the thought of a big, comfy, fast family car that isn’t a crossover makes me smile. Whether or not it’s a muscle car is a judgement we’ll have to reserve for when we drive it. If it sparks a fire in the hearts of those who drive it, I have a feeling it could steal some sales from rather unexpected places. Whatever happens, the story really gets going in a few months, as the Charger Daytona EV will enter production mid-year.
(Photo credits: Dodge)
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I like the styling. Am I to understand that it’s going to be offered first as a 2 door and then the 4 door? Also, did I see some where in the article that the platform is made to accept longitudinal engine configurations? Like maybe a Hurricane? Also these preliminary horsepower numbers are just that. The old Challencharger didn’t start with a Hellcat Red Dead Redemption Demon either. They built up to that. I won’t be surprised is this thing is sporting four figure power numbers soon enough.
Yes, the Hurricane is going to be one of the flavors.
Other media outlets such as Hagerty have reported that the turbo inline six will be available in this, but like the four-door it’s coming later – specifically, in 2025 you will be able to buy turbo inline six versions.
In which case, I wonder if the reason it’s so friggin’ long is to meet emissions requirements with the inline six?
Hey, a twin turbo inline 6 coupe doesn’t sound so bad to me. Reminds me of, umm, a Supra. That engine has already been tested pulling around a Ram 1500 with gusto.
Dodge also sells a 1,000 hp crate engine version of the Hurricane straight six, so yeah, I think the future of Dodge ICE horsepower insanity is pretty secure.
I really like the form factor. It’s nice to see a family car option that isn’t a crossover these days. The 5-door version strikes me as a larger EV version of the stinger.
However the powertrain specs seem a little behind the curve, especially charging. 5 to 80% in 52 minutes?? An ionic 5, which came out a few years ago, quotes 10-80% in 18 mins for 260 miles of range in the AWD variant. I wouldn’t expect this “muscle” EV to match that necessarily, but that gap is pretty substantial and will likely grow wider when the refreshed 5 comes here.
This would be high on my list if I was shopping for a car next year, but with that charging speed it’d be tough to ever take on a road trip.
OK now this but with a Grand Caravan body.
Its full name will be Dodge Grand Caravan Long Wheel Base Limited with Costco Package.
…SXT.
These will come with a connector called the Charger charger. If you are not at home you can charge your Charger in the public charging stations and charge it to your charge card
Well, I’m pretty charged up to charge a charge on my charge card to charge my Charger with the included Charger charger.
If it can use the Tesla network, you can supercharge your Charger.
I’m disappointed by your bemoaning the styling. To me, the choice is either, clean, simple, and retro styling, or styling overload, where every fender, vent, and grill is oversized, and adorned with black plastic. (i.e. Subaru WRX, BMW, Toyota) I know which styling direction I prefer.
I love it. Hope they don’t price it in the stratosphere. I probably won’t buy one.
I’m going to be very curious what fights Dodge wants to pick with right-to-repair and what the language in the contracts for new owners is. If I’m reading this right, the R/T and the Scatpack have the same motors, just with the extra horsepower locked behind a paywall? If that’s true, someone get geohot on the phone now to jailbreak these EVs.
This probably says more about me than I’d like, especially since I’ll gladly admit suspensions are not my forte, but this paragraph reads like the script to the Turbo Encabulator video.
Marketing-wise they tickled every Boomer-trope imaginable but I kinda feel like that’s a lost cause. If I’m buying my last expensive car to live out my 60s fantasies it’s going to be a Hellcat, not an obese golf cart. Then again, maybe I’ll be tempted by the upcoming New Balance Limited Edition.
So there is no cheap model anymore? Or is there a V6 model coming at some point?
The old Challenger started at $33k. The Charger $35k. They weren’t blowing the doors off anyone, but they were good looking and inexpensive for a car in 2023.
A Challenger R/T could be had for the mid-40’s. Which was a solid value as well. (There is a R/T manual listed near me for $35k right now…new).
There is no way these EVs aren’t $55k or so to start. I guess Dodge thinks their customers are going to pony up more money for an EV? Bold strategy Cotton.
The rumor mill suggests there’s an ICE powered variant in the pipeline.
I like it. Is it heavier and somehow longer and wider than a Kia EV9? Yes.
But it’s not an SUV. If I can get a big 3/5 door that can fit a ton of stuff inside and get reasonable range and have good performance then I’m in.
The final piece of the pie is what the price is going to be….
But I like the idea of a big EV that isn’t an SUV and doesn’t cost as much as a Lucid.
With completely new cars looking warmed-over like this the American car industry is doomed.
I mean Stellantis is Dutch so…
I’d love to haul ass in one of these, but it seems doomed to fail. It’s baffling how US carmakers are taking their past victories and jamming batteries in them and expecting to keep making money. The F150 Lightning didn’t exactly work out for Ford. We’ll see if the Charger does any better.
Dodge saw Harley’s business model and thought, “yea, that’s working well”
The humps in front of the front wheels look like total ass. There’s nothing coherent about them. The 5 door suits this shape a bit better though, and it kind of looks better.
Do I see paddle shifters???
Probably for regen control?
how do those door handles work? was there some kind of federal mandate that EVs must have electronic door releases?
No mandate other than boards of directors mandating every cost save possible and getting rid of the mechanical handle is a cost save.
How is adding 4 electric servos and a handful of chips to a car a “cost save”?
Because those are cheaper, contain less parts, and are easier to manufacture than a mechanical actuated door handle.
*ponders this while reminiscing about a Nakamichi RX-505
Oh for sure. It feels counter intuitive, and I’m willing to be wrong, but I have a hard time believing this choice costs MORE.
It is kind of wild if we think back to all the mechanical things in life that were SO complicated and just worked for decades. I give props to the older generation for making all these electro-mechanical things fairly reliable and then producing them at scale for an affordable price. If we think about how we consume music now, pretty much the only moving part is the speaker.
Yeah, open up a VHS player and look at all the mechanical parts that have to all work, in tandem, every time, and then compare that to a DVD player. Then compare that DVD player to, say, streaming your AV experience.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks about this! 🙂
Why is this thing the size and mass of a small moon?
The lardboys at the local Cracker Barrel won’t be able to afford this – and the range is too short for them.
Only so many rural fitness instructors/real estate agents will be able to afford this – and they don’t need such a huge car!
Who was Stellantis designing this for??
At this point I just assume Chargers are for purveyors of luxurious consumables.
[Kenobi]That’s no moon…[/Kenobi]
LOL! 325mm tires in the rear and 305s in the front?! How much is a new set of tires going to be? $2000?
The fronts are $575/tire on tire rack right now. The OEM rear size currently doesn’t exist in Goodyear form on tire rack and there is only one tire in that size, a Pirelli at $688 per tire. So let’s just use 4 of the fronts. That’s $2300 in tires alone. This is insanity.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Goodyear&tireModel=Eagle+F1+Supercar+3&sidewall=Blackwall&partnum=035YR0F1S3&tab=Sizes
A 2022 Scat Pack uses 245/45-20 and those tires can be had for about $150-$200 a piece. Again, insanity.
I don’t know the exact relevance here, but I’ve heard that EVs’ different torque curves are driving more development in tire types. Like, they eat regular tires more quickly than an equivalent ICE car would.
So it might be unfair to assume they could use the same tires as existing ICE models.
I can confirm that our Model Y eats tires like there’s no tomorrow. Then again, a portion of this may be related to me driving it like it’s half the size and the low center of gravity let’s the big dog eat on turns.
Can confirm that my Niro EV ate its first set of tires by 24k miles despite me being sane, rational, and boring.
It’s not just from torque. The higher weight also factors in.
But jeebus, $2300 for a set of tires is nuts. I splurged a little on my second set, getting some mid-high range Nokians, and that was $640 for the set before mount/balance/tax.
Looks pretty good! I love a fast sedan, so thanks to Dodge for continuing to make them! Still, I’m nervous. In the wrong bro’s hands, this 6000lb monster sounds freaking dangerous.
So are they pre-banned from Cars and Coffee?
I expected to hate this car, but I don’t. It looks like it would be fun to drive and reasonably comfortable. I also like that it focuses more on performance than distracting its occupants with tech features. I also like that it is not a crossover or SUV.
These are obviously not going to win over fans of the current Charger/Challenger; anyone who expects this vehicle to convert ICE fans to electricity is delusional. However, I could see it being popular among those who have some interest in EVs but don’t like the current offerings that appear tech focused and intentionally different from ICE cars. It also seems a little antisocial, and I like that.
I am assuming these will depreciate like a rock so I would never buy one new, but one of these that is 5 years old and $20,000 could be a nice car for the money. I actually could see myself buying one of these at some point.
A liftback? 3 and 5 doors? Ok, now I really want one of these.
From my experience working on programs for 400v and 800v architectures, and one project where we had to essentially convert an existing 400v design to 800v…
400v in 2024+ is a bit of a misstep, they should have gone 700v+ for some future-proofing on charge rates, motor efficiencies, thinner gauge HV cabling, etc..
Not that 400v will be bad, just seems a little odd.
The charging rate is better than a lot of BEV but not great for today unless the charging curve is fantastic. I am still interested in it.
Ok, I just watched the video and the Banshee will be 800v for higher output when it comes out.
I can’t wait for people to start putting crate V8 engines in these
400V architecture, really heavy, and a range of 317 or 260 miles…
This is an awesome 2019 debut. This could be a good 2021 release. Now, though? They could get away with the 400V if it were efficient enough to have a longer range with that battery. They could have that range with faster charging and/or the efficiency to do it with a smaller battery. But the combination is going to be a hard sell for the people considering EVs (and an even harder sell to get people from gasser to EV) unless they price it a lot more competitively than I would expect. There’s too many 800V EVs on the market now and vehicles making similar range with smaller batteries. If I can charge 5-80 in half the time with something competitive, this is a hard sell.
But it’s cool. And I do think that there’s a lot of room for a good EV sedan out there. And if they come in cheap enough, I’m interested.
Every Dodge dealer has just listed their entire 2025 inventory of these on BAT.
They’re all the color of a baby’s diaper filling after a meal of strained peas which makes them a special edition.
Seriously, buy them now. Value can only go up. These are collector’s items because we claim to be able to dictate future nostalgia.