Photo: Dodge
This will probably be one of my least popular opinions on autoevolution because a lot of folks are already thinking that Stellantis is going the wrong way – and in many ways.
For starters, let's recap some of the main details pertaining to Dodge's March 5, 2024, launch of the eighth-generation Charger. Setting itself apart from either the original muscle car or the modern rebirth, even though the four-door sedan body style made a surprise return, this is the first Stellantis installment on the new STLA Large platform, which favors all-electric options first and ICE-powered traditionalists second.
Interestingly, from the get-go, Dodge wants to offer something for everyone – two all-electric powertrains with up to 496 horsepower and up to 670 hp, respectively, and two body styles, including the novel four-door sedan format and the return to form for the two-door fastback coupe style, plus a couple of ICE-powered models starting early next year. However, the negative reviews are already pouring in.
Some people don't like the design – they believe the sedan was actually drawn first, and then Stellantis' corner office head honchos decided to pull the plug on the Challenger and wanted a two-door Charger to supplant the retirement. Others believe that new EVs are coming out in a saturated market that already has Tesla acting like the automotive world's counterpart of Apple. At the same time, there's no Android to counter the iPhone. A few also note that Dodge somehow made the Charger Daytona a lot heavier than it should have been, and as a consequence, handling and efficiency will have a lot to suffer.
Others, and this time rightly so, note that 3.3 seconds to 60 mph in an electric car is below Tesla's expectations, as even the Cybertruck Cyberbeast can do better. In comparison, a quarter-mile dragstrip time of 11.5 seconds is slower than a Kia EV6 GT's performance, while the latter has 576 hp instead of 670 hp like a Daytona Scat Pack. Additionally, many more detractors have strong negative feelings toward the missing Hemi V8 from under the hood of the new iteration.
I know that I might get some flak for saying so, but almost everything is simply due to folks not accepting the wind of change. Mind you, this new era for Dodge doesn't necessarily have to be good – it can also be really, really bad. For example, they could botch the STLA Large platform much in the same way GM has a disastrous start with the BEV3 architecture and the Ultium technologies. As such, they could one day discover they need to start selling the ICE-powered SIXPACKs first, and only afterward can they start the Daytona deliveries.
However, that doesn't mean they shouldn't try to innovate in the EV field – up until now, most zero-emission vehicles are sedans, crossovers, and trucks. Nothing too fancy or too sporty if you don't count the Plaids and Air Sapphire. Even Tesla has had loads of trouble putting the fabled Roadster 2.0 in production. At the same time, hyper-EVs like Rimac's Nevera are more exotic than Pagani, Bugatti, or Koenigsegg put together. As such, it's daring of Dodge to try and enter the EV field with something that wants to be an American muscle car – although it doesn't necessarily fit any of the criteria that state a muscle car needs to be affordable, feature a V8 and RWD, and be made locally in the US.
In fact, the Dodge Charger Daytonas don't fit any of the prerequisites – they're made in Canada, don't have a V8 under the hood, and are AWD. Additionally, a lot of folks will lament the fact that a Hemi V8 isn't under the hood of the ICE-powered variants. Indeed, the 3.0-liter displacement might be tiny for Americans – but the Bavarians over at BMW have done straight-six turbo engines for quite a while, and fans know they are highly successful both on the track and at the local quarter-mile dragstrip. My potentially unpopular opinion is that V8s aren't necessarily needed to drop a surprise on everyone at the racetrack – but they do serve to make a loud statement everywhere else.
Still, the times are constantly changing, and we should also allow the presumption of innocence here. Maybe Stellantis took the right call at the perfect moment in time and introduced the muscle car that could soon go head-to-head with Tesla or continue posing a threat to more traditional rivals like the Ford Mustang and BMW M4. In the end, only time will tell if this early adoption case will be successful or not. In the meantime, let us remember that aside from Daytona R/T and Scat Pack, there's also a time and place for the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT to arrive and challenge(r) the Plaids and Sapphires of the EV world. Additionally, the 2025 Dodge Charger SIXPACK H.O. is already more powerful than a 2024 Ford Mustang GT or Dark Horse, even though a 3.0-liter straight-six opposes a mighty 5.0-liter V8. However, the secret is simple – it's turbocharging versus naturally aspirated. Hopefully, we will see a Shelby response of some sort from the Blue Oval company as soon as possible.
Interestingly, from the get-go, Dodge wants to offer something for everyone – two all-electric powertrains with up to 496 horsepower and up to 670 hp, respectively, and two body styles, including the novel four-door sedan format and the return to form for the two-door fastback coupe style, plus a couple of ICE-powered models starting early next year. However, the negative reviews are already pouring in.
Some people don't like the design – they believe the sedan was actually drawn first, and then Stellantis' corner office head honchos decided to pull the plug on the Challenger and wanted a two-door Charger to supplant the retirement. Others believe that new EVs are coming out in a saturated market that already has Tesla acting like the automotive world's counterpart of Apple. At the same time, there's no Android to counter the iPhone. A few also note that Dodge somehow made the Charger Daytona a lot heavier than it should have been, and as a consequence, handling and efficiency will have a lot to suffer.
Others, and this time rightly so, note that 3.3 seconds to 60 mph in an electric car is below Tesla's expectations, as even the Cybertruck Cyberbeast can do better. In comparison, a quarter-mile dragstrip time of 11.5 seconds is slower than a Kia EV6 GT's performance, while the latter has 576 hp instead of 670 hp like a Daytona Scat Pack. Additionally, many more detractors have strong negative feelings toward the missing Hemi V8 from under the hood of the new iteration.
I know that I might get some flak for saying so, but almost everything is simply due to folks not accepting the wind of change. Mind you, this new era for Dodge doesn't necessarily have to be good – it can also be really, really bad. For example, they could botch the STLA Large platform much in the same way GM has a disastrous start with the BEV3 architecture and the Ultium technologies. As such, they could one day discover they need to start selling the ICE-powered SIXPACKs first, and only afterward can they start the Daytona deliveries.
However, that doesn't mean they shouldn't try to innovate in the EV field – up until now, most zero-emission vehicles are sedans, crossovers, and trucks. Nothing too fancy or too sporty if you don't count the Plaids and Air Sapphire. Even Tesla has had loads of trouble putting the fabled Roadster 2.0 in production. At the same time, hyper-EVs like Rimac's Nevera are more exotic than Pagani, Bugatti, or Koenigsegg put together. As such, it's daring of Dodge to try and enter the EV field with something that wants to be an American muscle car – although it doesn't necessarily fit any of the criteria that state a muscle car needs to be affordable, feature a V8 and RWD, and be made locally in the US.
In fact, the Dodge Charger Daytonas don't fit any of the prerequisites – they're made in Canada, don't have a V8 under the hood, and are AWD. Additionally, a lot of folks will lament the fact that a Hemi V8 isn't under the hood of the ICE-powered variants. Indeed, the 3.0-liter displacement might be tiny for Americans – but the Bavarians over at BMW have done straight-six turbo engines for quite a while, and fans know they are highly successful both on the track and at the local quarter-mile dragstrip. My potentially unpopular opinion is that V8s aren't necessarily needed to drop a surprise on everyone at the racetrack – but they do serve to make a loud statement everywhere else.
Still, the times are constantly changing, and we should also allow the presumption of innocence here. Maybe Stellantis took the right call at the perfect moment in time and introduced the muscle car that could soon go head-to-head with Tesla or continue posing a threat to more traditional rivals like the Ford Mustang and BMW M4. In the end, only time will tell if this early adoption case will be successful or not. In the meantime, let us remember that aside from Daytona R/T and Scat Pack, there's also a time and place for the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT to arrive and challenge(r) the Plaids and Sapphires of the EV world. Additionally, the 2025 Dodge Charger SIXPACK H.O. is already more powerful than a 2024 Ford Mustang GT or Dark Horse, even though a 3.0-liter straight-six opposes a mighty 5.0-liter V8. However, the secret is simple – it's turbocharging versus naturally aspirated. Hopefully, we will see a Shelby response of some sort from the Blue Oval company as soon as possible.
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