2024 Dodge Charger Daytona

When most people think of the Dodge Charger these days, they tend to think of the 4-door sedan that’s been terrorizing the streets in various states of V6 and V8 tune since 2006. But it actually started out as a coupe 40-years before that, and now Dodge is setting things right with an all-new Dodge Charger. Oh, and in case you haven’t heard, it’s an EV.

That’s right, the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona is battery-powered, and comes with standard all-wheel-drive thanks to motors on both axles.

There will be 2 Charger Daytonas available at launch, a 496-horsepower R/T and a 670-horsepower Scat Pack.

Both work with a 100.5-kWh battery, providing 308-miles of range in the R/T and 241 in the Scat Pack.

It certainly looks like a muscle car, or at least a modern take on what most people remember as muscle cars from the 1960s.

Dodge’s priorities in designing the Charger Daytona were to create a muscle car first, and an EV second.

So, in addition to the widebody exterior, things inside have much more in common with a 1960s Charger than any EV you’ve driven lately. That includes a substantial feeling shifter that gives a reassuring clunk when you put it in gear, and a whole host of virtual engine and exhaust sounds that are constant from start-up through accelerating and decelerating. There are unique exhaust sounds for different drive modes, and you can turn them off completely if you want.

Now, I’m old enough to remember the last Charger reboot in 2006 and there’s an equal amount of excitement around this one, but there’s also a lot more skepticism. Our early drive time came in the Phoenix area and included track time at what is now known as Radford Racing School.

In addition to some laps around the road course, we made multiple passes down the drag strip where we ran consistent 11.5s in the ¼. And yes, you can eliminate the front motor from the process if you choose, with both Drift and Donut drive modes.

“Obviously you’re dealing with a lot of weight here, but in typical Dodge muscle car fashion, there’s always more than enough power available at any point in time to overwhelm that weight. The car has a very solid feel to it, that’s for sure. The sounds, you know they can be a little gimmicky, but at the same time, they’re well done, and they really give you that feedback from the vehicle that you’re missing in a lot of EVs.”

This is just the start of the Charger reboot, as joining these all-electric Daytona coupes will be a 4-door sedan; and even ICE powertrains will work their way back into the mix next year.

Charger Daytona coupes can be ordered now, with deliveries starting soon in the coming weeks; R/Ts start at $60,000, with Scat Packs coming in around $74,000.

We’ll have a lot more on the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona soon…right here on MotorWeek.