When you tell me the road ahead packs 318 corners into just 11 miles, I know I’m heading somewhere special. But when my navigation reroutes me onto an even more circuitous route to reach the Tail of the Dragon, it feels less like an inconvenience and more like an opportunity.
You see, while most folks attending the launch of the new, gas-swilling Dodge Charger Scat Pack Sixpack enjoyed a direct path to the Tail of the Dragon, I found myself on an unplanned adventure along the Cherohala Skyway—a gorgeous ribbon of pavement when the weather allows it. It did not on my day.
With temperatures dropping to near freezing, blind corners shifting with the changing light, and an inch of slushy snow mixed with piles of wet leaves, my drive in the Charger Sixpack was far more... engaging than Dodge ever intended. It was less drifting for the fun of it and more unintentional oversteer, demanding quick hands to keep the car away from potential doom.
In this case, though, the detour gave me a perfect chance to test the Wet/Snow drive mode. This new Charger may pack 550 horsepower under its hood, but it also comes standard with all-wheel drive. All-season tires be damned—somewhere 5,000 feet above sea level between North Carolina and Tennessee, my Bludicrous Blue Charger and I found ourselves genuinely bonding.
| Quick Specs | 2026 Dodge Charger Scat Pack Sixpack |
| Engine | Twin-Turbocharged 3.0-Liter Inline-Six |
| Output | 550 Horsepower / 531 Pound-Feet |
| 0-60 | 3.9 Seconds |
| Quarter-Mile | 12.2 Seconds |
| Base Price | $56,990 |
Dodge loves gas engines. The lineup returns to familiar form as the automaker continues to roll out more fuel-fed options. This 2026 Charger Scat Pack Sixpack delivers forward motivation courtesy of a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six cylinder engine. The mill is the Hurricane in its most powerful form, too.
There’s the aforementioned 550 hp and 531 pound-feet of torque, the powertrain metering out oomph through an eight-speed automatic gearbox. This engine won’t provide aural entertainment; it sounds like there’s a race somewhere off in the distance between a Ford Raptor and an old muscle car. Yet, your inner ear tells you something is happening—just nothing noteworthy enough to quicken your pulse or put a smile on your face.
Power-wise, however, it’s a terrific engine. Quick off the line, the new Charger races to 60 miles per hour in 3.9 seconds. Per Dodge, you can fly down the quarter-mile in just 12.2 seconds, and if you keep the throttle pegged, eventually you’ll see 177 mph on the digital gauge cluster display.
Yes, AWD is standard, but this car also comes with a front-axle disconnect system that sends 100% of the power out back. Simply tick Sport Mode and press the button for RWD to unlock donuts, drifts, burnouts, and brake stands at your beck and call. In fact, Line Lock is a standard feature on the Sixpack model. Budget for more tires.
Pros: AWD When You Need It, RWD When You Want It, Plenty of Power But Light Enough On The Nose
A quick glance will tell you when you’re looking at either the electric Charger Daytona or this gas-powered Charger Scat pack. Up front, the hood sits taller, and the EV’s cool R-Wing feature is gone. Here, the airflow is about getting cooling air where it needs to be, as well as ensuring the twin 54-millimeter Garrett turbos are well fed. Dodge slightly changes the front fascia to reflect the revised aero paths.
Slide around to the back and, well, if you can’t tell from this angle, I suggest you schedule an eye appointment. There’s a set of exhaust pipes jutting from the rear, and they sit under embossed Charger lettering. On the electric version, the wording there says Daytona.
Open up the door on either the two or four-door version, and you’re greeted with essentially the same cabin experience. It has the same amount of room inside, and that’s to say it’s more than ample. Back seat passengers will be happy riding in either version of the car.
Dodge was happy to tout its new hi-back optional front seats, which look cool. The fabric is nice to the touch, but I found myself sitting more on top of the seat instead of feeling fully seated in it. As my day behind the wheel dragged on, up and over the Skyway, things began to get more comfortable. But it took me a while to get there.
Cons: Lame Engine Note, Too Light Steering In Normal Mode, Needs A Better Seat
Regardless, the cabin space is a driver-centric atmosphere thanks to the layout of the two screens and the design of the center console. A 10.3-inch driver display is standard, but the wider 16.0-inch screen arrives on the Plus package model. Both versions feature a 12.3-inch display in the center, and Uconnect 5 handles infotainment duty.
In the way back, you’ll find plenty of cargo space. The Dodge Charger is secretly a very large hot hatch in disguise. That whole back opens up, you can fold down the seats, and now you have the opportunity to pick up groceries for yourself and all your neighbors.
Meanwhile, I finally had the opportunity to pick up my pace. Visions of slush-covered Cherohala corners were soon a distant memory. The Tail of the Dragon lay ahead, and this road isn’t my first choice for a vehicle the size of a Charger. Remember the prior widebody Challenger? This new Charger is 2.0 inches wider and a bit longer. In fact, the wheelbase of the Charger is a few inches longer than the wheelbase of a Durango.
I kicked Wet/Snow mode to the curb and engaged Sport mode. In normal driving, the AWD system delivers a 50/50 front-rear power split. Jump over to Sport and you’re now at a happier 40/60 split. Throttle tip-in gets a tad too aggressive, but the added steering heft is greatly appreciated. I actually wasn’t enjoying the weight of the steering tuning in normal mode. The tiller feels quite disconnected and too light. Sport rectifies that rather nicely.
Corner after corner, the Charger surprised me. This big-body coupe is eager to turn in and will happily rotate if you want or stay composed if you prefer not to end up in a Touge Police TikTok video. Speed sheds quickly enough courtesy of the six-piston Brembo brakes up front. There were definitely moments during some of the downhill corners where I could feel the weight of the car fighting against my braking, but never as seriously as I would in a performance electric vehicle in the same situation.
Surprising composure was the order of the day, both during my cold-weather excursion and while hustling over those 318 corners and 11 miles of the Dragon. There are no active dampers at play, either. This car just has a really well-tuned suspension system. You’ll find a multi-link setup up front and an independent four-link out back. The ride is comfortable when you want it to be, and entertaining when you need it to be.
Eventually, as the day dragged on, I pointed the nose of the Charger toward an empty lot. Dodge set up a space for us to really explore the rear-wheel-drive aspects of this Charger. And here is where you remember what this car is about.
Although it’s become a smarter Charger with its modern cabin creature comforts and fancy AWD system, the car remains ready for hooligan good times at a moment’s notice. Controlled drifts are a few button presses away, assuming you can control it. Because you’re on your own. This isn’t a car with a drift mode and a score sheet built in. You have the opportunity to show the world what you can do… or explain to your insurance company what you thought you could do.
Dodge will sell you a 2026 Charger Scat Pack Sixpack for $56,990 to start. If you prefer four doors to two, just add $2,000 to the starting price. You could also wait for the upcoming Charger R/T if you want to save a little coin. That one employs the standard-output 420-hp version engine and starts at $51,990.
The Charger is a healthy amount of car for under $60,000. There’s no question that Dodge will be cooking up a V8 version to follow, but this 550-hp Sixpack delivers a thrill some may feel the electric version lacks. I actually like the Daytona, I just think the marketing behind it doesn’t deliver on what the car actually is: A Grand Tourer electric vehicle.
This gas Charger, however, falls more in line with what’s familiar to Dodge’s customers. So the opportunity presented here is to win back some tire-smoke-loving fans with what’s essentially a four-season muscle car. We’ll see if they need the proper noise, though, too.
Competitors
2026 Dodge Charger Scat Pack Sixpack
