Dodge replaced the Scat Pack's HEMI V8 with a 550-horsepower twin-turbo straight-six. After a week behind the wheel, I don't think performance is the problem. The bigger question is whether this very different Charger can deliver the experience longtime Charger buyers expect.
The first thing I need to say about the 2026 Dodge Charger Scat Pack Plus is this:
The six-cylinder engine is not slow.
Not even close.
Dodge's 3.0-liter twin-turbo SIXPACK High Output straight-six produces 550 horsepower and 531 pound-feet of torque. Dodge says it can reach 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and cover the quarter mile in 12.2 seconds.
After spending a week with it, acceleration was one of the things I questioned the least.
It's strong.
The eight-speed automatic is smooth.
The standard All Wheel Drive gets the power to the pavement without unnecessary drama, and the Charger handles considerably better than I expected, considering how large this car has become.
So I came away from this review asking a different question.
Did Dodge build a better performance car, or did Dodge build a better Charger? Those are not necessarily the same thing.
Test Vehicle Specifications
| Item | Test vehicle |
| Vehicle | 2026 Dodge Charger Scat Pack Plus 4 Door |
| Engine | 3.0-liter twin-turbo SIXPACK High Output straight-six |
| Horsepower | Horsepower 550 hp |
| Torque | 531 lb ft |
| Transmission | Transmission: 8-speed automatic |
| Drivetrain | Drivetrain Standard AWD with selectable RWD |
| Dodge claimed 0 to 60 | 3.9 seconds |
| Dodge claimed quarter-mile | 12.2 seconds |
| EPA fuel economy | 16 city / 23 highway / 19 combined mpg |
| Exterior | Exterior After Dark |
| Notable equipment | Blacktop Package, Carbon and Suede Package, 20-inch wheels, full glass roof, head-up display, surround view camera, and 18-speaker Alpine audio |
| Base MSRP | $56,995 |
| Destination | $1,995 |
| As tested MSRP | $72,455 |
As-tested pricing is taken directly from the window sticker of the AutoNsider press vehicle.
The SIXPACK Has More Than Enough Power
Let's deal with the controversy first.
Yes, this Scat Pack has six cylinders instead of eight.
Daryl Killian
Yes, I miss the HEMI.
But anyone dismissing this Charger simply because it has an inline six should drive one before judging it.
The 3.0-liter twin-turbo SIXPACK High Output straight six produces 550 horsepower and 531 pound-feet of torque.
Daryl Killian
More important to the average buyer, it feels powerful from behind the wheel.
Plenty of acceleration is available for merging, passing, or simply enjoying the car. Once the power comes in, this is a genuinely fast Charger.
Dodge claims 3.9 seconds to 60 mph and a 12.2-second quarter mile.
Performance is not where Dodge has a problem.
AWD When You Need It, RWD When You Want It
This may be one of my favorite parts of the new Charger.
All Wheel Drive is standard, which gives you considerably more confidence when putting 550 horsepower to the ground. But Dodge did not make the Charger permanently AWD.
The driver can disconnect the front axle and send power to the rear wheels for a more traditional Rear Wheel Drive performance experience.
That matters.
You get the traction and everyday usability of AWD, while still giving the car some of the traditional rear-drive character associated with American performance cars. I think that was a smart decision.
It also makes this Charger a much more usable year-round daily driver than some of the high-horsepower Chargers of the past.
It Handles Smaller Than It Is
The new Charger is big.
Really big.
Daryl Killian
It measures approximately 206.6 inches long and 79.8 inches wide.
Yet one of the biggest surprises from my week with it was how well the car hides that size once it starts moving.
Daryl Killian
The steering is responsive, the car feels planted, and the chassis is far more composed than I expected.
I would not call it small or light because it isn't.
But it doesn't drive like a car that is nearly 17 feet long.
Around town, however, you are reminded of the dimensions. Parking spaces suddenly seem smaller, and I found myself appreciating the camera system much more than I normally would.
The HEMI Question Is About More Than Horsepower
This is where specifications stop telling the entire story.
The previous Charger Scat Pack's naturally aspirated 6.4-liter HEMI produced 485 horsepower.
This SIXPACK produces 550 horsepower.
On paper, Dodge has given buyers more horsepower.
But people did not love HEMI Chargers only because of a number on a specification sheet.
They loved the sound. They loved the rumble. They loved the way the engine felt when it started. They loved the personality.
That's the part the SIXPACK cannot completely reproduce.
The new car is faster, smoother, and arguably more sophisticated in several ways. But sophistication isn't necessarily what every traditional Charger buyer wanted.
That leaves Dodge with an unusual challenge.
They built an objectively powerful engine.
Now they have to convince people emotionally attached to the V8 to care.
A Modern Interior That Still Feels Like a Performance Car
Inside, Dodge struck a pretty good balance.
There is plenty of technology, but I never felt like I was driving a computer with a steering wheel attached.
Daryl Killian
The Uconnect system is relatively straightforward; the digital displays provide useful information, and the performance pages give drivers access to timers, gauges, G-force information, and other vehicle data.
Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are supported through the 12.3-inch Uconnect touchscreen.
Daryl Killian
My Plus test vehicle included a head-up display, surround view cameras, and upgraded seating.
The Carbon and Suede Package adds real carbon fiber accents, plus leather and suede high-back performance seats and additional suede trim. My test car also had the available 18-speaker Alpine PRO audio system and full glass roof.
The seats were comfortable enough for daily use while still giving the cabin the character you expect from a Scat Pack.
Daryl Killian
Technology is here.
It just doesn't dominate the experience. I appreciate that.
Bigger Outside, Smaller in One Important Place
One specification surprised me.
The new Charger is 206.6 inches long.
The previous-generation Charger Scat Pack measured about 200.8 inches.
So the new car is roughly 5.8 inches longer.
Daryl Killian
You might expect that extra exterior size to translate into more rear passenger space.
It doesn't.
The previous Charger provided 40.1 inches of rear legroom. The new Charger provides 37.2 inches.
That's almost three inches less rear legroom in a car that's nearly six inches longer.
For a four-door Charger, I think buyers should know that.
The tradeoff comes with a major practicality advantage.
Instead of a traditional trunk, the new Charger uses a liftback design. With the rear seats folded, the cargo area becomes considerably more useful for carrying larger items than the previous Charger.
Daryl Killian
Daryl Killian
The Camera System Solved One Problem and Created Another
The surround-view camera became one of the most useful features on my test car, simply because of the Charger's size.
Pulling into parking spaces, positioning the wheels near a curb, and maneuvering in tight areas became much easier.
But I discovered something while driving normally that annoyed me.
When the camera system activated while I was using Waze, the camera image could take over the center display and cover the navigation map at exactly the moment I needed directions.
The cameras themselves are useful.
The way the screen prioritizes information could use some refinement.
That's exactly the kind of issue that may never appear on a specification sheet but becomes obvious when you actually live with a vehicle.
Fuel Economy Is Still Performance Car Fuel Economy
Don't buy a 550-horsepower Charger expecting economy-car fuel consumption.
The EPA rating is 16 mpg in the city, 23 on the highway, and 19 combined.
That's not particularly efficient by modern standards.
But context matters.
This is a 550 horsepower performance car with standard AWD.
The SIXPACK may represent a major technological departure from the HEMI, but it doesn't turn the Charger into a fuel-economy play.
Buy it for the performance. Not the gas mileage.
The $72,455 Question
My biggest hesitation with this particular Charger is not the engine.
It's the price.
The base MSRP on my four-door Scat Pack Plus was $56,995, and after options and the $1,995 destination charge, the window sticker reached $72,455.
At $72,455, I start looking at the options differently.
The glass roof is nice.
The upgraded seats are nice.
The premium audio system is nice.
The appearance packages make an already attractive car look even better.
But none of those things make the Charger faster.
And that matters even more now because Dodge has revealed another SIXPACK Charger.
The upcoming 2027 Charger Super Bee Launch Edition targets 600 horsepower and a 3.6-second 0-to-60 time. Dodge says it is expected in mid 2027.
That raises a question I would absolutely ask before spending more than $72,000 on a loaded Scat Pack: How badly do I need this car right now?
The AutoNsider Buyer Guide
| Buyer | AutoNsider take |
| You want the new Charger but don't need every option. | Start with the Scat Pack and be disciplined with the option sheet. The 550 horsepower engine is already the main event. |
| You want a daily performance car | The Scat Pack makes a strong case. AWD, selectable RWD, four doors, and a hatch give it unusual versatility. |
| You are buying primarily for HEMI sound and character | Drive the SIXPACK before deciding. The performance is there, but the experience is different. |
| You want maximum SIXPACK performance | The upcoming 600 horsepower Super Bee deserves consideration before ordering an expensive Scat Pack configuration. |
| You regularly carry adults in the back seat | Sit in your normal front-seat position before buying. Rear legroom has decreased from the previous Charger. |
| You want a practical performance car | Don't overlook the hatch. The cargo area is one of the new Charger's most useful surprises. |
Where I Would Spend My Money
This is where my decision becomes different from my opinion of the car.
I like the 2026 Charger Scat Pack more than I expected to.
But I would have a hard time spending $72,455 on this particular configuration.
The performance is already present in the Scat Pack. I don't need to spend thousands more to prove that.
If I were buying one today, I would price a more lightly optioned Scat Pack first and protect the thing I came to appreciate most about this car: 550 horsepower, AWD when I need it and RWD when I want it.
And if my budget were already well into the $70,000 range, I would want to know considerably more about the 600-horsepower Super Bee before signing anything.
The AutoNsider Verdict
The 2026 Dodge Charger Scat Pack taught me something I wasn't necessarily expecting.
I don't think Dodge's biggest problem is the six-cylinder engine.
The SIXPACK is powerful. It's quick. The eight-speed automatic works well with it. AWD makes the performance accessible and selectable, RWD preserves some traditional muscle-car behavior, and the chassis handles the Charger's considerable size remarkably well.
I also think the car looks good.
The interior works.
The hatch makes it more useful.
And 550 horsepower is 550 horsepower regardless of how many cylinders produced it.
But a Charger has never been only about numbers.
The HEMI created an emotional connection through sound, vibration, and personality that this smoother twin-turbo six doesn't completely duplicate.
That's why I don't think the right question is:
Is the SIXPACK a good engine? It is.
The better question is: Can Charger buyers separate performance from the experience they associate with the HEMI?
After a week behind the wheel, I think the new Scat Pack has enough performance to earn a fair shot.
Whether it has enough personality to replace the Charger people remember is something each buyer will have to decide from the driver's seat.
550 horsepower isn't the problem. The challenge is convincing Charger buyers that horsepower was ever the whole point.
2026 Dodge Charger Scat Pack Plus
Daryl Killian
