Looking to get the perfect six-pack without endless days spent crunching and pumping iron at the gym? Easy, get yourself a new Dodge Charger.
That’s because this too-cool, retro-style Charger comes with a six-pack under the hood. It’s in the form of the new twin-turbo 3.0-liter straight-six that Dodge enthusiastically brands the SIXPACK.
Take your pick from a 420-horsepower SIXPACK that energizes the Charger R/T model, or a fire-breathing 550-horse version in the rip-roaring Charger Scat Pack.
Looking for the ultimate in Charger muscle? There’s an all-electric Charger Daytona packing a mighty 670 horseys and capable of thrusting this muscle EV from zero to 60 mph in a mere 3.3 seconds. Crazy, right?
Dodge is going all out with its new-from-the-ground-up Charger line-up, trusting there are enough enthusiasts out there craving high-performance sedans in preference to tall-riding SUVs.
And to make the decision even easier, this new retro-styled Charger is being offered in both four-door sedan and two-door coupe body styles. Think of the two-door as the spiritual successor to the dearly-departed Challenger coupe.
I’ve just spent a fun-filled, testosterone-charged week with a 2026 Charger R/T four-door, base price $53,990 or, as with our options-loaded tester, $65,365.
I love how the Dodge design team must have had a blast looking back at Chargers of old, and incorporating so many of the muscle car cues from those fire-breathing ‘60s and ‘70s tire-smokers.
Every time I gazed at our Redeye-red tester I kept seeing curves and angles from that 1970 Alpine white Charger R/T driven by the rebellious Kowalski in that 1971 cult classic ‘Vanishing Point’.
Or maybe that stealthy-black Charger 440 Magnum R/T, hot on the heels of Steve McQueen through the streets of San Francisco in the 1968 movie ‘Bullitt’.
And like those classic Chargers, this latest one feels just as big and dominating out on the road. Nose to tail, this thing stretches over 206 inches and measures over 84 inches wide. There are RAM pick-ups smaller.
It’s not just the exterior that shouts 1970. Inside there’s a multitude of cool retro cues, like the funky pistol-grip shifter, the low and flat dash, and big, comfy bucket seats up front. Even the square steering wheel looks retro.
Thankfully the tech is bang up to date. Instruments are displayed on an ultra-wide 16.0-inch screen, with a 12.3-inch screen above the center console for infotainment.
Naturally, with such a whopper of a car, interior space is cavernous. Legroom in the back is up there with a stretched Town Car.
Out on the road, even with 420 horseys instead of the Scat Pack’s 550, the R/T feels riotously rapid. Pedal to the metal and 60 comes up from standstill in 4.6 seconds accompanied by a lovely, throaty growl.
And the eight-speed automatic shifts with immediacy of flicking a light switch, responding to calls for kick-down with right-now urgency. Pity that the too-small steering wheel paddle shift levers look and feel like they were designed by Fisher-Price.
Steer it into a tight curve and the 20-inch rubberware at each corner grip like Velcro on velvet, with nicely-hefty steering to telegraph everything that’s happening with the front wheels. It feels agile and athletic.
Did I mention that all-wheel drive is standard with all Charger models? Plus, you can select rear-wheel-drive mode that disconnects the front axle to give the feel, response and drifting of a rear-driver. So cool.
And that’s what this new Charger is, so cool. It’s guaranteed to a smile on your face every time you fire it up. And remember you get a six-pack standard with every model.
