FIRST DRIVE: 2026 DODGE CHARGER R/T, CHARGER 4-DOOR SCAT PACK
We’ve all seen and heard the commentary about the electric 670-hp Dodge Charger Daytona. Fast? Yes. Monster power? Yes. Attractive? Yes. A genuine muscle car? Well…that’s where things get murky.
So I wasn’t expecting much with the next evolution of the nameplate — the gasoline powered 2026 Charger R/T and four-door Charger Scat Pack. But after several hours behind the wheel, it not only became clear that my expectations were way off, but I was surprised at how much I genuinely enjoyed driving this car. Suddenly I was 16 again.
These new gasoline-powered Chargers come in either two or four doors. All come with standard AWD, and all get a Torqueflite, eight speed automatic. They look identical to the BEV Daytona, definitely sitting a bit too high above the wheels, but carrying an unmistakable muscle car look, with a long hood, clean surfaces and menacing front end. Somehow, it avoids the trap of fake scoops or gimmicks to look cool (although there are a number of stripe packages). Every Charger, assembled in Windsor, Ont., is now a widebody, 2-inches fatter than the outgoing car. Up to 20 different wheels and nine different colours are available.
What powers the new Dodge Charger?
Much of the new Charger’s goodness, of course, comes from its 3.0-litre straight-six engine found under the bulged hood (branded with an oddly placed “six-pack” oval piece of plastic). Its 420-hp standard output Hurricane six is spectacularly smooth all the way to redline — a lot like BMW’s fabled straight-sixes — releasing a seductive snarl in the upper rpm ranges. With 468 lb-ft of torque, the R/T can hustle to 96.5 km/h in 4.6 seconds, running the ¼ mile in 12.9 seconds. The two turbos are quick to respond and, with standard AWD, grip is phenomenal, distributed cleanly to all four wheels depending on the mode.
Better, the “Scat Pack” option increases horsepower to 550 and torque to 531 lb-ft, shaving the 0-96 time to 3.9 seconds and the ¼ mile to 12.2. That’s as quick as many Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Aston Martins, faster even than a 2017 V10 Viper ACR. This, from a four-door sedan with a hatchback instead of a trunk. That hatch conceals itself nicely in the car’s design and is more functional, allowing greater cargo carrying, up to 1,076-litres with the rear seats down in the four-door, 127% more than the previous generation Charger.
Driving impressions
Driving away on five centimetres of fresh snow, the standard AWD quickly finds its grip. Several drive modes, activated via a button on the steering wheel, alter the AWD bias. Auto sets the split to a 40/60 bias to the rear wheels, Sport sends 70% to the rear, while RWD sends all the power to the rear for some spectacular burnouts. Wet/Snow mode closes the wet clutch transfer case for a 50/50 split. Traction and stability control can also be completely disabled and a custom mode adds extra refinement.
Through snowy and wet back roads of beautiful Vermont, and on a closed course at the Team O’Neil rally school in the New Hampshire mountains, both the R/T and Scat Pack four door Chargers demonstrated a degree of sophistication not normally found in a muscle car. Steering felt extraordinarily good, the brakes nice and firm, and every punch of the throttle delivered a reward that never felt overwhelming. Yes, there’s plenty of weight; the Charger scales in at 2,206 kgs (4,865 lbs), but when drifting wide, it will predictably swing back the other way without a lot of drama for well-controlled oversteer maneuvering. It’s easy to have fun.
Plenty of muscle cars overpower the talent behind the wheel. Not this one. The Charger has grown into one of the adults in the room, delivering strong, steady and consistent feedback, with an engine that pulls so effortlessly, it will be dangerously easy to rack up violations. Indeed, several times the speed we were travelling at far exceeded the feeling, only the head-up display in the front glass keeping us in check. There’s also a happy, Bavarian-like balance on twisty roads, almost like a GT car, despite the engine over the front wheels creating a 55/45 distribution biased to the front.
The Scat Pack, or HO version of the Hurricane, easily pulled away from the R/T under full acceleration at highway speeds. But the base R/T engine is plenty strong, and will be enough engine for all but the enthusiasts who want the most power possible. The exhaust note leaves a little to be desired, but the R/T will also run on regular fuel while the Scat Pack requires premium.
2026 Dodge Charger R/T, 4-door Scat Pack Canadian pricing
Pricing starts at $59,995 plus $2,295 and fees for the R/T 2-door. Adding 2-more doors costs $3,000, thus $62,995 for the four-door. Scat Pack cars start at $69,995 plus fees for the 2-door and $72,995 plus fees for the four-door. An R/T “Plus” and Scat Pack “Plus” package add many of the features people will want, but the R/T Plus adds $7,995 and Scat Pack Plus adds $7,499, putting the most expensive Charger at $82,785 before tax. That’s very much approaching older, used Porsche 911 money.
Interior features in the Charger
Inside, the floor feels a little higher than we’d expect, perhaps owing to the Daytona’s battery architecture, but the seating position is fine and the seats comfortable. Rear seat legroom is much improved, but visibility out the front, especially to the right front, is less than we’d like owing to a low rearview mirror and high dash. Visibility through the back window could be tweaked, too, but the side mirrors are a decent size.
A steering wheel with a flat top and bottom is different, but it didn’t detract from the drive experience. A retro pistol grip shifter is super simple. Optional paddle shifters behind the wheel, borrowed from the Jeep Cherokee, are definitely too small. They also conflict with buttons for radio volume and station presets — they need to be longer, skinnier, and set aft of the wheel.
Instrumentation, either from the standard 10.5-inch cluster or the 16-inch display, is colourful with good graphics and adjustable information levels. The interior door cards are most impressive with unique lighting (up to 64 colours) over a contoured surface on some models. The 12.3-inch standard radio display — thankfully separate from the main cluster — has a deep well of information and settings, everything from “attitude adjustment” for lighting to performance pages.
Final thoughts
It’s a fitting and exciting cabin for a muscle car. Some, of course, will still argue that a true muscle car, regardless of the interior, requires a V8 engine under the hood. The 2026 Charger R/T, with either the 420 hp twin-turbo straight six or 550-hp Scat Pack, proves it doesn’t.
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2026-03-09T14:13:24Z