2026 Dodge Charger gains twin-turbo petrol power

Dodge has finally followed up its battery-powered 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona with a long-awaited petrol-powered version of its two-door muscle car.

The big news is that the 2026 Dodge Charger Sixpack trades the old car’s Hemi V8 and manual transmission for a more advanced twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre Hurricane inline six-cylinder engine and an eight-speed automatic.

On sale in the US now, the base Charger R/T comes with a 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline-six that pushes out 313kW and 635Nm of torque and is priced from $US49,995 ($A77,000) – $US9600 ($A14,700) less than the entry EV version.

No claims have been released for the base version that tops out at 270km/h, but standard all-wheel drive (AWD) should see it launch from 0-100km/h in less than 5.0 seconds.

If that doesn’t sound quick enough, US buyers are offered the Charger Scat Pack that dials things up to a more muscular 410kW and 720Nm for a 0-60mph (0-97km/h) dash of just 3.9 seconds and a 285km/h top speed.

Priced at $US54,995 ($A84,000), the new flagship version of the petrol-powered Charger tips the scales at hefty 2185kg, although that figure is an astonishing 431kg lighter than the battery-powered version.

New tech for the Charger AWD includes a rear-wheel drive mode of the all-wheel drive, a line-lock feature for burnouts, a new more sophisticated launch control, dual-mode performance exhaust and five driving modes, including a traction-boosting Wet/Snow mode.

Differing from the Daytona EV, the petrol-fed Charger comes with a more conventional front end, losing the trick grille spoiler and scalloped bonnet. There’s also a new thin front strip air intake, a vented bonnet with a power bulge, dual rear tailpipes and a bumper embossed with CHARGER lettering.

Other changes to the Scat Pack version includes 20-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, an active sports exhaust and adaptive cruise control.

Set to introduce the Sixpack option to both the two-door coupe and the four-door Charger, until next year just the flagship Charger Scat Pack will be available with a more affordable R/T scheduled to land in the first half of 2026.

It’s thought with the return of the 5.7-litre HEMI V8 and supercharged 6.2-litre Hellcat V8 under the bonnet of the RAM 1500, it’s feasible a bent-eight version of the Charger could also be introduced later.

Sadly, neither Dodge nor Stellantis have confirmed right-hand production of either the Dodge Charger Daytona EV or the new Charger Sixpack which means both are likely to remain off-limits to Australians.

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