It’s safe to say that the rollout of the new Dodge Charger hasn’t gone the smoothest. After all, building a brand off of V8 muscle and then replacing a modern icon with an EV-first model probably isn’t the best way to appeal to customers, especially when said EV launched to unflattering reviews. However, there’s now a solution: Dodge Charger coupes with the three-liter Hurricane inline-six are arriving at dealerships, and not only do they look like interesting cruisers, you can already scoop up a deal on one.
While the Charger Daytona is a large EV with disappointing range and limited permission for hooliganism, the Charger Six Pak is a more appealing beast. The 550-horsepower Scat Pack version starts at $56,990, and it’s a big, powerful coupe with a clever selectable all-wheel-drive system – rear-wheel drive for smoky drag strip burnouts, all-wheel drive for snowy conditions. Add in huge rear seat space, great cargo area access thanks to a liftback, tuners already unlocking more power from the Hurricane straight-six, and the result is a tempting proposition on paper. Sweetening the deal is the fact that you won’t have to pay full sticker for one, provided you’re willing to shop around.
See, Dodge hasn’t yet rolled out factory-backed incentives on the new straight-six Charger, but that hasn’t stopped some dealerships from throwing several grand on the hoods of in-stock examples. Generally, it’s not a great sign from a sales perspective to see dealer incentives so early in a car’s run, but for buyers, more money in their pockets is a good thing.
Take this brand-new Charger Scat Pack, for example. It’s up for sale at a dealer in Kentucky, optioned out with the Blacktop package and premium paint to $59,205. However, it’s already being advertised at $53,482, with the selling dealer slapping on a discount of $5,723. That’s not bad for a new family-sized car that can sprint from zero-to-60 mph in about four seconds.
Then again, maybe you’re not a greyscale person. This Charger Scat Pack is up for sale in Virginia with an advertised $4,038 dealer discount, but that’s before you read the fine print. This Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram dealer imposes an $899 processing fee, meaning the actual deal works out to $3,139 below MSRP. That’s still $54,546 for a car with a $57,685 window sticker though, and there’s more where that came from.
This bright red Charger Scat Pack is up for sale at a dealership in Ohio for $54,556, some $3,239 below its MSRP of $57,685. It’s a fairly basic spec with the only option being the $695 Redeye paint, but there’s a good chance the target customer for a car like this is less concerned about leather upholstery and more concerned with the amount of punch on tap.
In an age when dealers mark up everything from the new Honda Prelude to the highest-output Corvettes upon launch, seeing the exact opposite happen to the new combustion-powered Dodge Charger is somewhat refreshing. Would it be happening if the electric model didn’t cause a little reputation damage? Probably not, but in a weird way, that’s something to be thankful for.
Before you sign on the dotted line, however, here’s something to consider: Given that the Charger Scat Pack Six Pack only just launched, this is probably going to be the least-incentivized point in this model’s lifespan. As production ramps up and inventory builds, it wouldn’t be terribly surprising if the deals get better. Could we eventually see brand new examples of these 550-horsepower coupes selling for less than $50,000? It’s not out of the question.
Top graphic image: Autotrader seller
Are these hybrid or just ICE? If they are not hybrids… leave it to Dodge to steal defeat from the jaws of victory!
The ONE thing EVs can do is dust all the Hellcats and Demons in a drag race. But a properly tuned hybrid could bring the instant torque of an EV and add it to the top end grunt of an ICE. Dodge could make the most Dodge car ever that way!
i think its fugly. and the old V 8 Challenger was still great looking after all these years.
That blue one is a damned fine looking automobile. And I love that they are hatches. And I am a huge fan of I6s. But still not interested in actually buying one.
Now if they make a factory convertible with the I6 and a stick… One can dream.
I suspect the new V8 will draw people in in the next few years and hopefully the Hurricane will not get to many press heavy recall notices, so the concerns about longevity of the motor can be somewhat quelled by then. I would definitely take a 6 pack with awd for a daily over a RWD 5.7. Though a 6.4 with a manual trans would be tough to pass up, less so if it had AWD.
These toxic masculinity names can go to hell. Good riddance to the Harley Davidson of cars. Throttle House was not kind to this car in their latest review
I regret to inform you that Charger is actually a very good name for a car.
I mean, I understand that you are talking about the usual buyer of these vehicles, but the name of it is classic. I have no problem with using the classic name, but the car doesn’t evoke that classic vehicle and that’s why I don’t like it.
Are you referring to “Charger” or “Scat Pack”? I am pretty sure pooping is not regulated to the male species, so it must be Charger. Please enlighten me on this.
“ These toxic masculinity names can go to hell. Good riddance to the Harley Davidson of cars”
There are always the trucks, where the branding is indistinguishable between them and gay sex accessories. POWERSTROKE. DURAMAX. RAM
I also wonder what percentage of the non-car enthusiast population even knows this exists? Dodge went so hard at the marketing for the EV version and that became a notorious flop, but I haven’t seen one advertisement for this yet. I’m betting a lot of people just see one sitting at the dealer and automatically assume it’s the EV.
hard to say. I know I see way more stuff on it than say accords or the Hornet, but I have a feeling the digital snoopers direct some ads to me and others to….well….others
last time I checked, the charger people were looking for V8, not electric nor V6. At 60k, might as well get a corvette
Well it’s an Inline 6, not a V but yeah. Pretty sure they didn’t build this thing to fit a V-Anything between the shock towers, which is absurd give how wiiiiide the thing is.
If they don’t find a way to put a V8 in this thing they might as well cut their losses now. The only way Dodge is gonna sell anything to the crowd they’ve been marketing to is with a V8.
2027….if they want to do it right though, they will offer an EREV the 6’s and even the all electric versions and let the sales dictate the future.
was designed to support EVs, hybrids, and traditional internal-combustion models. They already are making Drag Pak version with 354 Hemi’s under that hood.
Happy to be wrong! Seems like a package to justify the development cost of the Hurricane rather than the right engine for the car that the people actually want then.
I have a very hard time trusting the Hurricane engine. IMO, it’s making WAY too much power per liter for reliability, and then you remember which company is making the engine. I get the feeling that Chrysler is just good enough at engineering to make a basic pushrod V8 be at least mildly reliable. I do not get the feeling that Chrysler can make a clean-sheet, high-strung, high-tech I6 be even remotely reliable. I guess we’ll see, though!
Yeah, this is my feeling about it, too. I’d prefer a less powerful, but also less complex and naturally aspirated engine over the Hurricane. Or, at least would have slightly more confidence in Stellantis’ ability to build it properly
It’s been in production for five years now and it’s proven to be pretty dang reliable. It’s the one shining star (along with the Ram 1500 in general) out of Stellantis right now.
Common Problems & Concerns:
Thermostat Failures: A significant issue, particularly the oil thermostat, failing in the closed position, leading to overheating, especially between 10,000-30,000 miles.
Catalytic Converter Issues: Melting catalytic converters, likely from turbo heat, are reported, with replacement being a challenging, costly job.
Check Engine Lights: Common, sometimes within the first few thousand miles, often linked to misfires, with software updates being attempted fixes.
Oil Leaks & Serviceability: Reports of oil leaks and difficulty accessing components (like thermostats and turbo areas) for repairs, leading to extensive dealer time.
Complex Design: The twin-turbo setup, electronic wastegates, and complex fuel systems add potential failure points compared to older, simpler engines.
No Dipstick: Lack of a physical dipstick for oil checks is a point of contention for some owners.
The complex design and costly repairs noted from a simple google search definitely feed into the concerns for a high strung turbo six. but just like the grand national and Nissan turbo sixes, I see the potential.
What justifies “common”.
A Master Ram/Jeep technician I know, anecdotally stands by the claim that they are fine.
You google anything and you’ll fine “common” failures for everything.
JDE seems like the type who would think that a Ford 300 I6 has too many potential dilemmas.
this is just was Google AI pulls up, which is where a lot of shoppers start when researching a new vehicle. I don’t know the algorithm, just pointing it out.
Google’s AI can’t even correctly answer the question “How many states have the letter “R” in their names.”
C’mon now – anyone can do that search (and like mentioned, don’t trust AI). Real world experience, please
My only real world experience with trucks running this motor is the Overheating thing. Cracked thermostat housing or something to that effect. but these engines are still pretty new in the Ram Trucks and I know nobody who bought a Jeep with one in it.
in addition, I am not really sure what was changed or adjusted int he challenger to make it fit. So I would treat this as the first year for the motor for me. Which means extra caution. but that’s just me.
Hopefully they turn out to be fine! Five years isn’t long enough to give me long-term confidence yet, but it’s a good sign
Well, if the bar is GM’s ability to make a pushrod V8 then they might not be that bad. I still wouldn’t be caught dead driving one though…
They have lost all cred with the 6.2 failures sealing the deal. the issues with AFM/DFM were already very bad, but this latest volley of engine building fiasco’s has eliminated all confidense in them for me.
I actually have 3 GM products with V8’s and I was pretty impressed there for a while.
As Doughnaut said, it’s been made for a while now, and there really isn’t any figurative or literal smoke. It’s not like Stellantis NA engines are known for their reliability either. The 4.7 in my truck is known for all sorts of problems. I would trust the Hurricane over that block
Fair statement, at least for now.
These on paper, absent MSRP, have some redeeming qualities. Newer platform, improved interiors and that Hurricane 6. I drove one of these as I’m in metro Detroit and well that’s a bonus being in this car focused city. Anyhow, my 15 minute drive on a medium speed road and briefly highway it drove almost more touring car like than muscle car. Interior was nice, not too loud, punchy straight 6. I know blah blah hemi, but that Hurricane 6 is punchy and smooth so I’d take that vs the ancient hemi, absent Hellcat motor.
But… and yeah but…
It is heavy and you feel it in a turn, not bad or ruins handling but having a Camaro 6G Zl1 with a manual this felt like ohhhh, a daily driver. Echos of my 2017 Lincoln MKZ Reserve package 3.0L V6 AWD with the touring package, felt to me like that. Not bad, but not pure muscle. Oh yeah and this wasn’t a small thing for me (pun intended). Oh god that width, this is as seriously wide vehicle, 79.8” without mirrors. Nearly the same width as my old GMC Sierra AT4X which was 81.2” without mirrors. Also 206“ long as well, almost as long as my Ridgeline. This is getting silly frankly… Now take $10,000 off that MSRP and this on some snows for the winter, as a daily, hmmm. That hatch was pretty cavernous…
Congratulations to Dodge for making a better S5 than Audi.
O_o … Are you saying larger and heavier make a car better? S5 Coupes weighed 1000lbs less than this and arguably had a better option of powertrains.
Audi nixed the coupe for this gen, so this is only about the latest S5 (which got 400lbs heavier). But now that I think about it, the Dodge is probably in A7 territory size-wise.
Redacted.
Throttle House just released a review. Watch that and decide if $3,000 is enough.
And 4,800lbs. What is this, a BMW?
In Belize this past May, I bobbed around in the ocean at a bar where the staff blasted a decidedly local mixtape featuring a Jamaican woman bluntly yelling “FAT” over and over again.
The Charger reminds me of this.
I saw that review and immediately thought of it when I saw this review.
A V-8 Mustang starts at $47k. Yeah, the Charger is bigger and has a usable back seat, but nobody is buying either of them to haul 3 passengers.
I can’t see even the remotest reason to pick this over a Mustang.
That was my thinking – that the original idea here was to cut into Ford’s 100% share of the domestic sporty coupe market since the Camaro’s demise; I don’t see how this does that.
It doesn’t matter if it’s ‘family sized’ without rear doors.
They can add an extra row of rear seats and it’s still useless without access.
Everybody remotely paying attention knows that Chrysler prices their cars like furniture – have a wildly inflated MSRP and then have a perpetual “sale”.
There’s a strong element of own-goal with the new Charger. We may know that Stellantis and the dealerships will cut the price to make sales, but people who don’t are going to take one look at that absurd MSRP and not even give the Charger a second thought.
I have never understood this strategy.
Especially after the pandemic, where a lot of car shoppers began to expect to pay close to or even above MSRP. The whole “we’re going to artificially make the customer feel like they got a good deal” bullshit doesn’t work if the customer never shows up because they think the car is 10k out of their budget.
Back before I stopped taking Stellantis (too many unpleasant side effects), I priced out a new truck in their online tool. When I saw the MSRP I directed a few four letter words at them and jumped over to the Ford and GM sites.
I mean these are overpriced at MSRP, as is tradition for Stellantis. As a result I can’t really think of a Stellantis product over the last several years that you’d have to pay full MSRP for outside of the final editions of the last gen Charger/Challenger/300C and I guess maybe the TRX. Hell I’ve browsed Durango Hellcat listings for shits and giggles and those even have money on the hoods.
The market corrects this very quickly and the fact that it’s already happening for these is a bad sign in my humble opinion. I get that the BEV was an unmitigated disaster and the MUH V8 crowd won’t be coaxed into one of these but I genuinely don’t think they’re bad products on paper.
They’re good looking, they have plenty of space, they have plenty of power, the interiors are downright nice by Big 2.5 standards, etc, they’re just 10% too expensive at MSRP. There are also what…4 or 5 sporty coupes like this left for $60,000 or less? This, the Mustang, the Z, the Toyobarus, and maybe the 2/4 series but they’re obviously luxury products.
You’d think that someone would find these intriguing, and maybe they will…but I agree with Taargus Taargus, the fact that they didn’t launch with a sedan seems like an unforced error to me. That’s what’s going to be the volume seller if there even is one. As I’ve said here a few times, I’m intrigued by the possibility of Sixpack Charger as a dad car, but I have a lot of reservations.
The first is obvious and its reliability. But these are also just inexcusably porky. I get that they had to make a platform that could handle both ICE and batteries but Jesus Christ, 5000 pounds? That’s about the same as the current 4Runner for fuck’s sake….and while I don’t usually care much about YouTuber car takes the fact that the Throttle House guys just drove one of these and absolutely hated it worries me because they know their shit.
Also, I don’t want to have a bunch of idiot teenagers in clapped out secondhand pony cars and WRXs trying to race me at traffic lights and I feel like that’s inevitable with a Charger. Anyway, it’ll be interesting to see how these sell, and like I said…put me down as intrigued, but where the hell is the Mustang sedan that’s pretty much been confirmed?
The weight is a little shocking. 4,800lbs for the base gas model doesn’t even make sense to me. How did they make it even heavier after chucking the 5.7L or larger V8 and replacing it with a 3.0L turbo I6?
Yeah, my 2010 Challenger at right around 4,000 lbs is a lightweight by comparison.
I’d be tempted if they could get this thing under 4,500 lbs and with a manual transmission.
I was wondering about manual availability, thank you. That would seem to really limit the market for this, as I can’t imagine a lot of people are looking at a 2 door for an everyday commuter.
Mandatory AWD might explain some of it, not all, but every little bit of incremental bloat adds up
Put out the sedan in the mid 40s and I bet you can get a shocking number of parents to move on from crossover-life.
Speaking of which, Christ Stellantis, how long is it going to take you to start cranking out the sedan??? What the hell else are you up to?
Shouting HEMI
Dodge/RAM in 2000: WE GOT BIG HONKIN V8S FUCK YOU
Dodge/RAM in 2010: WE GOT BIG HONKIN V8S FUCK YOU
Dodge/RAM in 2020: WE GOT BIG HONKIN V8s FUCK YOU
Dodge/RAM for a couple years: hey maybe give some of our other stuff a try?
Dodge/RAM in 2026: WE GOT THE SAME BIG HONKIN V8s AGAIN FUCK YOU
If only they self-promoted the Hurricane like they did the hemi
There’s a Dart in my apartment parking that always gets my attention. I have a soft spot for them, and always what if?
The Dart and 200 were like 3/4s of the way to being perfectly decent sedans too. If they’d been kept alive a little longer I bet they’d have been competitive, but nooooooo gotta force everyone into $60,000 trucks….
A friend of a friend had one when they were new and I rode in it a few times. The cognitive dissonance of a car that looked modern and attractive yet had the build quality and performance of a ’90s Hyundai product was strong. He didn’t keep it very long.
Recently got to ride in a colleague’s Chrysler 200, and it made me realize that there simply isn’t any equivalent today. An AWD V6 midsize sedan that has really good styling would make such a great daily.
Esp since even if the sedan segment is low profit/high competition currently, there’s still utility in producing one if you’re the only domestic (ish) doing it.
I will probably get a WCW Monday Nitro smack down for this but… The three vehicles I’ve driven with a Hurricane – Jeep Wagoneer, Ram 1500 and now Charger 2 door 6 pack, I’ve been impressed with the Hurricane 6 in low and high output version. Punchy, lots of torque, smooth and not even bad on gas paired with the 8HP. Yea the hemi sounds better and the bar bragging rights it somehow “wins” but it’s an old engine at its core. Although the Hellcat motor is alluring, for LOLs at least…
Oh I love inline 6s and think the Hurricane is neato. I also don’t want to deal with V8 gas mileage or the guilt I know I’d feel for driving something so wasteful and high emissions. I’m at least going to test drive a Charger Six Pack at some point.
Having a BMW, I’m partial to I-6s. With a decent exhaust, they sound sweet and when wound out, a snarl that sounds aggressive. A big ol’e honking V8 blatting away isn’t that compelling to me.
They do tend to do that.
I’ve been seeing completely undisguised prototypes running around in Michigan for at least the last year. They’re so common I thought the thing was already on sale.
It may be a great car. It’s not a great Charger.
If there’s ever good use for Hornet, it’s this, not that misbegotten crossover.
I literally forgot the Hornet crossover existed until I read this comment
That’s because they don’t really exist.
I haven’t seen one at either of the local dealers lots in many months. And no, they’re not hiding them, checking their inventory, they genuinely have zero. I get the impression they cancelled the thing and are too embarrassed to tell anyone.
Why not a charger?
Coronet or Polara seems more appropriate for this car. It’s expensive and has a liftback. Those two were range toppers with wagon variants that could be had with some powerful engines that weren’t the headlining V8’s in the contemporary Charger.
It’s almost like nobody wants enormous unaffordable 2 door Dodges.
Yeah, release the 4door, call it the Charger Crew Cab and maybe…Although at $55k I think most of America seems to want to just buy the Ram 1500 Crew Cab instead. Or the Silverado 1500 Crew Cab. Or the F150 Crew Cab. Or think about it real hard and spend under $35k for a Camry Hybrid with AWD that in three years will be worth more on the market than the Charger Crew Cab…
But here’s a serious Q:
Has anyone on staff actually driven one?
We’ve seen lots of articles about pricing, features, regurgitating PR, etc.
But I can’t find evidence that anyone on staff has actually driven one. Commenters, yes. Writers, no.
Perhaps a driving review would be in order?