Woodward Avenue had seen plenty of drama before, but the night Dodge let the 2026 Charger R/T and Scat Pack off the leash, the asphalt practically leaned in to listen. Tire smoke rolled through the crowd like gossip, and the new SIXPACK engine barked over the noise. Dodge had picked Roadkill Nights for the comeback because, honestly, a gas-powered American muscle car should not tiptoe into the room. It should kick the door open, leave a little rubber behind, and dare anyone to call it nostalgia.
The electric Charger Daytona had spent the previous year hogging headlines, and some fans wondered whether the gas Charger had been left in the garage. It had not. The Last Call editions were a send-off for the Hellcat and the old Hemi V8s, not a funeral for combustion itself. Dodge had always planned to keep a gas-burning muscle car in the lineup, and the 2026 Charger R/T and Scat Pack are that promise kept. The old low growl is gone, replaced by a twin-turbo six that has its own sharp accent. No kidding, it takes a minute to get used to. Then the boost arrives, and the argument ends.
A Name That Now Covers Both Doors
For decades, Dodge used Charger for the four-door and Challenger for the two-door. The new SIXPACK cars collapse that split: both body styles wear Charger badges. The move gives the name a wider stride. The Charger can be the family hauler with a wild streak or the coupe that looks ready to jump a creek.
The first Charger appeared at a 1964 car show as a long, square-nosed sports coupe. It went on sale in fall 1965 as a 1966 model, based on the Coronet but with a two-door body and a fastback roof. The 1968 to 1970 shape became the icon, the one burned into memory by General Lee in The Dukes of Hazzard. That history gives the new car a heavy name to carry, and the modern Charger wears it like a leather jacket that has been broken in by someone else.
The SIXPACK Takes Over
Under the hood, the Hurricane inline-six has been rebranded for muscle-car duty as the SIXPACK. It is a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged engine tied to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Dodge offers it in two tunes, and both make more power than the Hemi V8s they replace.
| Model | Engine | Power | Torque | 0-60 mph | Quarter mile | Top speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charger R/T | 3.0L twin-turbo I6 SIXPACK SO | 420 hp | 468 lb-ft | — | — | 168 mph |
| Charger Scat Pack | 3.0L twin-turbo I6 SIXPACK HO | 550 hp | 531 lb-ft | 3.9 sec | 12.2 sec | 177 mph |
The R/T uses the standard-output SIXPACK, sending 420 horsepower and 468 lb-ft of torque through the drivetrain. The Scat Pack gets the high-output version, with 550 horsepower and 531 lb-ft. Both come with standard all-wheel drive, but there is a rear-wheel-drive mode for drivers who want the old-fashioned muscle-car feeling. The R/T can reach 168 mph. The Scat Pack hits 60 mph in 3.9 seconds, runs the quarter mile in 12.2 seconds, and tops out at 177 mph, which turns it into a serious drag-strip contender.
Old Hemi vs New Six
The previous Charger R/T used a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 rated at 370 horsepower and 395 lb-ft of torque. The new standard-output SIXPACK beats it with 420 horsepower and 468 lb-ft. The old Charger Scat Pack carried a 6.4-liter Hemi V8 with 485 horsepower and 475 lb-ft, and the new high-output six outguns it with 550 horsepower and 531 lb-ft.
The turbocharged setup delivers immediate low-end pull and strong mid-range thrust, while the Hemi needed revs before it woke up. The new engine also brings lower emissions, better fuel economy, less weight, sharper handling, and a better foundation for all-wheel drive. In short, the Hemi V8 had become too old, too heavy, and too inefficient for the next chapter. The SIXPACK does not just replace it on paper; it changes the personality of the car.
Real Noise and Track Tricks
The SIXPACK Charger does not bake in fake sounds. It uses a dual-mode active exhaust with fully valve-controlled tuning. Sport and Custom modes let the engine clear its throat loud and proud, while Eco and Snow modes tone it down. That is the whole point of a muscle car: the car should make you feel something before you even touch the throttle. The electric Daytona may have its synthetic soundtrack, but the gas Charger makes its own music.
Dodge also gives the car the tools for track-day mischief. Launch Control, Line Lock, and Race Options are there for drivers who want to use every bit of the powertrain. Standard all-wheel drive makes the Charger a useful daily driver, while the rear-wheel-drive mode opens the door to smoky burnouts and drifting. The car can wear two faces: calm commuter and tire-shredding troublemaker.
Order Books and the Road Ahead
Dodge opened order books for the more powerful Charger Scat Pack on August 13, 2025, with those cars arriving later that year. The 420-hp Charger R/T was slated to reach buyers sometime in 2026. Now, in 2026, the tamer Charger is the one finally meeting the customers who wanted the look, the tech, and the all-wheel-drive security without the Scat Pack's full fury. The cabin carries a 10.3-inch or 16.0-inch digital gauge display and a 12.3-inch infotainment screen, so the modern muscle car can handle daily life when the road turns boring.
The Charger has not simply returned. It has changed its tune, grown a second pair of doors, and learned to breathe through two turbos. The V8 choir may have left the stage, but the SIXPACK has a voice of its own. On Woodward Avenue, with the smoke still hanging in the air, that voice sounded like a beginning.