Dodge introduces a new generation Charger

Dodge has introduced the eighth generation of its storied muscle car, the Charger, this time as an electric car. Previewed as the Charger Daytona SRT concept car last year, the concept was popular at auto shows around the country, although the Hemi faithful were appalled at the very thought of an electric Charger.

The new Charger will be the first production car with the larger STLA electric platform (also previewed on the recent Chrysler Halcyon concept car). It has 400V propulsion system, with a 100.5 kW battery pack that can deliver a peak discharge rate 550 kW for use in the maximum power the battery can output in a quarter mile. Four-wheel drive is standard with electric drive modules front and rear, which each produce 335 hp (250 kW) and 300 lb-ft. f torque.

There are several packages available, all focused on performance, as one might expect. The Charger Daytona R/T comes with a standard 456 hp plus a standard upgrade kit that adds forty hp for short distances (drag racing) to bring the total to 496 hp. The Daytona Scat Pack model has 590 hp plus a standard upgrade kit to add 80 hp (for 15 seconds) to bring the total to 670 hp.

There are multiple drive modes for each, allowing everything from eco-cruising to rain/snow traction, to racing modes of various sorts. Even the regenerative braking can be adjusted by paddle shifters. Brakes, incidentally, are 16 inch Brembo vented rotors. Twenty-inch wheels with Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires are standard.

Naturally, this is all about power and performance. Dodge claims to produce the most powerful muscle car in the world, with 0-60mph in 3.3 seconds and can do the quarter-mile in 11.5 seconds. No top speed was given at press time. Clearly this is aimed at the Ford Mustang’s performance variants, but also the Chevrolet Corvette, and lastly at the (probable) forthcoming Chevrolet E-Camaro.

As for the design, the exterior evokes the design of the 1968-1970 second generation Charger, the one most fondly remembered by enthusiasts, and for many hard-core fans, the only Charger worthy of the name. This was not only a very popular generation of Dodge’s muscle car, but also the one to become a movie and TV star, with prominent roles in the movie Bullitt, and the TV series The Dukes of Hazzard

The second generation of the Charger, designed by Richard Sias, under the leadership of the legendary Ellwood Engel employed Engel’s signature “fuselage styling”, which emphasized a purity of form, taut surfaces, and minimum of chrome and ornamentation. These design principles are carried over into this eighth generation which features an overall design as clean as the first.

States Ralph Gilles, chief design officer of Stellantis: “The ‘68 embodies so many fascinating details and amplifies the Dodge ethos perfectly. We still use it as a spiritual reference to this day as we design the next generation of performance cars.”

A striking departure from the earlier design is the R-Wing at the front, which allows air to pass through the front mask enhancing aerodynamic downforce.

Lighting for the new Charger includes a cross-car full-width LED light, along with headlamps with the Dodge logo laser-etched into the bezels. At the rear are full-width “ring of fire” LED lights, reminiscent of those of the first generation, augmented with a Fratzog logo at the center which will become the identity of all new Dodge brand next-generation vehicles.

At the roof, a reflective black is standard, but an all-glass option will be available to open the interior to a panoramic view.

At the interior Dodge, the driver faces a steering wheel that is heated top and bottom with flat top and bottom surfaces. The IP has a standard 10.25-inch instrument cluster screen with a larger 16-inch cluster screen available. An HUD is available to project information onto the windscreen. At the centre console, a 12.3-inch entertainment screen is angled toward the driver, and this floats above the start button and the “pistol grip” gear shifter.

Interior lighting includes a 64 color LED sighting system that allows for a unique lighting scheme for every driver. On certain models a nine-speaker 506-watt Alpine sound system is standard, but an 18-speaker 914 watt Alpine sound system is available.

In case the whole electric car thing is too much for you, Dodge does plan on offering traditional ICE engines as an option in 2025. These will include a three-litre Twin-Turbo High Output Hurricane at 550 hp, or a three-litre Twin Turbo Standard Output Hurricane engine at 420 hp.

These will be available next year, in both the two and four door variants

And finally, Dodge will install a Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust System to create a roaring hot-rod sound equivalent to that in the current generation Hellcat. Unbelievably loud (some 125db), it certainly announces your presence and is tuned to imitated the noise as one shifts through the gears in a Hellcat. But don’t worry, a stealth mode is available in case you need to sneak out of the neighborhood or past the local constable’s station.

We’re still wrapping our heads around this fake hot rod sound. Can’t speed be silent? According to Dodge, no. You must announce your “barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world” (Walt Whitman). It’s like adding a flue, puffs of artificial steam, and a “choo-choo” sound to a bullet train.

Dodge deserves a huge commendation for bringing the muscle car into a new electric era in a package that appeals to more traditional buyers. But pulling their punches with ICE variants and artificial exhaust sound is to say the very least, disappointing. Hopefully Dodge enthusiasts will grasp the potential of electric power without the need for the faux internal combustion soundtrack.

Otherwise, we will all be rolling coal well into the 2030s.