New electric cars on sale exclusively in the US wouldn’t typically be PH’s bag, but then the new Dodge Charger Daytona isn’t the average EV. Just look at how many of the Hellcat-engined generation are on sale having been brought over; there was a lot of love for the old V8s. Might the same happen with the new car?
Prices have now been confirmed for the Charger Daytona, the new range kicking off at $59,595 in the States, excluding destination but including a free home charger for both models or six hundred bucks of charge credit. That buys an R/T with something called the Direct Connection Stage 1 upgrade, which is being included on all first-year builds and boosts power from 456hp to 496 (torque remains unchanged at 404lb ft). Standard equipment includes 18-inch wheels and sports suspension, with options available such as Sun & Sound (a big glass roof and 18-speaker Alpine stereo, for $2,495) and the $1,095 Blacktop pack, which brings bigger wheels and darkened badges.
Probably of most interest will be in the Daytona Scat Pack, with 670hp, 627lb ft and the ability to hit 60mph in 3.3 seconds. It will cost $73,190, or £57,700 at the current exchange rate, with Dodge expecting an 11.5-second quarter-mile time from it. The Scat Pack has a host of drive modes not there on the R/T to help lay down that sort of time, including Line Lock, Launch Control and a Race Prep setting, which can adjust the battery temp to best suit what’s coming. A drag race is much shorter than laps, so it can be primed with a warm battery, but starting a track day with a warm battery can place stress on the powertrain. So Race Prep can, in that latter case, ‘achieve a colder start temperature, allowing more time for the battery to heat up and allowing for more track time.’ There’s a head-up display for the Scat Pack as well, plus some options not offered on the R/T, including a Carbon and Suede package and Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3s for the 20-inch wheels.
Dodge’s CEO Matt McAlear said: “The future of the Dodge brand launches with a two-model 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona two-door lineup that looks, drives, sounds and feels like a Dodge, outperforming the legendary models they replace and delivering the experience the Dodge Brotherhood of Muscle expects. And we are just getting started. Four-door Charger Daytona models, along with the 550-horsepower Dodge Charger Six Pack H.O. and the 420-horsepower Dodge Charger Six Pack S.O. fueled by the 3.0L Twin Turbo Hurricane engine, are coming soon. The next generation of Dodge muscle cars has arrived, and they are flat out the best muscle cars ever made.” So you could say they’re quite confident about this new generation. Production will begin imminently in Ontario, ahead of first deliveries in Q4, with the ICE models set to follow this time next year. By which time, perhaps, there might be a Charger EV imported into the UK…
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