I’m about to drive one of the most controversial cars of the 2020s that isn’t a Cybertruck. That’s right, I’m getting behind the wheel of the all-new and all-electric Dodge Charger Daytona, Fratzonic “exhaust” and all. Before I take this massively powerful out on the roads of Phoenix and on the track, I want to know what you want to know about it.
I mean, this car is incredibly important, not just to Dodge, but to Stellantis as a whole. It’s an automaker that badly needs a win, so it’s pinning a lot of its hopes on the reimaged muscle car. Sure, it doesn’t have the V8 roar of old Dodge Challengers and Chargers, but what it loses in loud noises it makes up for with… loud noises and a ton of speed. Right now, this car is an extremely unknown quantity. We’re among the first people to drive it, and before you ask, no. I’m not driving the internal-combustion-powered Daytona Six Pack. It’s all EV for me. That’s more interesting than a turbocharged inline-six, anyway.
While we don’t know the on road and on track driving characteristics of the new two- and four-door Charger Daytona, there are still some boilerplate numbers we can get out of the way. It runs on Stellantis’ modular STLA platform, and at launch, it’s going to be offered with two trim levels: Charger Daytona R/T and Charger Daytona Scat Pack – not dissimilar to the naming scheme of the older Dodge siblings. Both cars come with a 100.5-kWh battery pack running on a 400 Volt architecture and have a single motor on each axle. Dodge says the motors can generate up to 335 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque each, and the rear motor comes with a mechanical limited-slip differential.
The R/T is the less powerful of the two, but it’s no slouch. Dodge says its motors put out a combined 456 horsepower (that number jumps to 496 when you hit the PowerShot) and 404 lb-ft of torque. Those numbers are enough to get this massive car from 0-60 in just 4.7 seconds. Keep your foot in it, and you’ll pass the quarter-mile in 12.6 seconds and hit a top speed of 135 mph. It’ll also get an EPA-estimated 308 miles of range.
The Scat Pack is where the real performance is. It ups power to 630 horsepower (670 with PowerShot engaged) and 627 lb-ft of torque. That’ll rocket the car from 0-60 in just 3.3 seconds. It’ll hit a quarter mile in a quick 11.5 seconds and go on to an identical top speed of 135 mph.
We also know that this is going to be one big vehicle. Stellantis says both cars weigh just about 5,700 pounds – which is about 1,600 pounds heavier than the old Charger V6 AWD and over 1,200 pounds more than a Charger Hellcat. Cars are heavy now. That’s just the way it is. It’s got the physical size to match its weight with a 121-inch wheelbase, 206.6-inch overall length and a 79.8-inch width without mirrors.
The car is also going to come with Dodge’s Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust system, which will apparently deliver “Hellcat levels of sound intensity,” according to Dodge. I don’t know how true that is just yet, but I’m eager to find out.
Anyway, I think that’s enough out of me for now, as I’m just too excited to keep tying. Why don’t you head on down below to let me know what burning questions you have about the Dodge Charger Daytona R/T and Scat Pack. I’ll do my best to answer all of them. Also, I don’t care if you don’t think Dodge should be making it or not. I think it’s a cool idea, and what I say goes.
