If the all-electric Dodge Charger Daytona doesn’t tickle your fancy, wait a few months. Come next year, the 2025 Dodge Charger will also be available with Stellantis’ three-liter twin-turbocharged Hurricane inline-six in two states of tune and both three-door liftback and five-door liftback bodystyles. There’s a 420-horsepower standard output variant that already looks tantalizing, and then there’s the double bacon cheeseburger 550-horsepower high-output model. Dodge is currently extremely light on details so there’s lots we don’t know about this new gasoline-powered Charger, but for those who crave internal combustion while it’s still available, that ought to do the trick.
Oh, and then there’s the name. Dodge is calling the inline-six version of its muscle car the “Dodge Charger Six Pack,” a throwback to the iconic six-barrel carburetion option on classic Dodges with 340 cubic-inch small block and 440 cubic-inch big block V8s. Might the use of this name brush some hardcore classic Mopar fans the wrong way? Perhaps, but if most of us got over the introduction of a Charger sedan, it’s likely we’ll get over an inline-six powertrain option being referred to as the Six Pack.
So, what’s the deal with the Hurricane inline-six? Currently used in the Jeep Wagoneer and Ram 1500, this three-liter, twin-cam, twin-turbocharged motor features a closed-deck aluminum block, forged connecting rods, and a forged crankshaft, meaning it’s ready to make some serious power. Standard output versions feature a 10.4:1 compression ratio and cast pistons, while high-output versions drop that down to 9.5:1 using forged pistons and cramming in more boost before detonation happens. With a bore of 84 mm and a stroke of 90 mm, the Hurricane falls squarely in the camp of modern undersquare turbocharged engines, limited in peak engine speed by relatively high piston speeds but rich in usable torque. Basically, don’t expect a high redline, but do expect a slug of grunt.
Our own David Tracy recently got the chance to sample the Hurricane inline-six in the 2025 Ram 1500, and he came away impressed, writing:
I love the old Hemi, yes, but I don’t miss it, because when boost hits on this inline-six, the thing moves with fury. Like, it’s an event. The Tungsten I drove comes standard with the High Output (HO) engine making 540 horsepower, so it probably goes without saying that this thing moves
If it can make a half-ton pickup truck feel like that, just imagine what it can do in a coupe or a liftback sedan. Sure, we might not be talking Hellcat power here, but considering the Hurricane weighs 441 pounds in high-output trim and a HellCrate 6.2-liter Hellcat crate motor has a shipping weight of 875 pounds, that’s a big difference on the nose of a car. Granted, we don’t know total curb weight, so there’s still a chance the new Charger Six Pack could weigh more than the old Hemi-powered Charger. On the plus side, this car’s STLA Large architecture includes multi-link front and integral link rear suspension, and should provide tangible benefits over the old LD platform under the previous car.
[Ed Note: I like the inline-six for the truck, but in my eyes, the Charger/Challenger were defined by the V8 burble, while in the truck that beautiful noise isn’t as important. So I’m unsure, here. -DT].
In the Jeep Wagoneer, the standard output Hurricane inline-six makes 420 horsepower and 468 lb.-ft. of torque, and as the standard-output Charger also sports 420 horsepower, don’t expect that torque number to change much. As for the high-output model, the Ram 1500’s most potent Hurricane engine makes 540 horsepower and 521 lb.-ft. of torque, so it looks like the 550-horsepower variant in the 2025 Dodge Charger is going for the crown. Regarding sound, inline-sixes are renowned for their outstanding smoothness, and turbochargers do muffle exhaust noise, so V8 fans whose hearts race for a Woodward Avenue stoplight-to-stoplight soundtrack may be disappointed.
As it stands, every current Hurricane inline-six application comes backed by a ZF 8HP eight-speed automatic transmission, and the combustion-powered 2025 Dodge Charger Six Pack will also feature that slick torque converter automatic just like the old Charger did [Ed Note: Because the Charger is now offered as a two-door, it’s safe to say it’s replacing the Challenger, which came with a stick. I want a stick. -DT]. Dodge has also dug deep into the parts bin and pulled out a transfer case (PTU) stout enough to spin all four tires, making the Charger Six Pack all-wheel-drive just like the Charger Daytona EV. Best of all, you can turn this transfer case off and go rear-wheel-drive only. This is going to be the old-school kind of hybrid — one that burns both gas and rubber.
On the outside, the 2025 Dodge Charger Six Pack ditches the massive nose duct seen on the EV and adds a revised front bumper with an extra air inlet and a deeper lower grille, a pair of air inlets between the headlights, and a substantially broader power bulge in the hood to cover the inline-six. Around back, Dodge has installed a revised valence that includes some beefy exhaust tips, completing the Charger Six Pack visual package.
While interior details of the Charger Six Pack haven’t been released yet, it feels reasonable to expect a manumatic mode in the electronic gear selector at minimum for changes over the EV variant.
It’s worth noting that the Hurricane inline-six is a fairly tall engine, and automakers with inline-six-powered cars have been known to tilt this engine configuration over for better hood clearance. Could we be looking at a new Leaning Tower of Power (the nickname of the old Chrysler Slant-6, the most reliable gas engine of all time) here? It’s unlikely, but perhaps. We’ll know for sure next year, as the gasoline-powered 2025 Dodge Charger Six Pack is expected to go on sale in the first quarter of next year in both three-door liftback and five-door liftback configurations.
(Photo credits: Stellantis)
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This comment is oddly the high point of my day. Welcome back!
The content of the comment is a bummer, but informative!
It’s a bit of a letdown to see AWD only, I imagine it has to do with slimming production lines down by offering only one transmission, but that’s Chrysler’s problem, and the customer will certainly not see any of those savings because the cars are “better” equipped as standard. They can say whatever they want about 0-60 times, it’s still one fewer option for us.
They are gonna do it the lucid way, try to upsale everything, then, when they find out it doesn’t work, create lower offering
I want a manual, RWD version. With crank windows.
Easy, buy a flood-damaged one on Copart when they’ve been out for a while, then buy a wrecked manual Challenger donor car, gut the Charger, and transplant the Challenger drivetrain into the 2025 Charger after cutting a hole in the transmission tunnel for the shifter.
I can practically guarantee the engineers made an effort to include a large enough engine bay for a V8 even if that was never going to be an option, as they know everyone wants it anyway.
But the Hurricane apparently has a timing chain so it’s rock solid… 😉
The more Hemi’s on the road means I can quote out more long blocks, cams, lifters, and all the other issues Hemi’s constantly have.
So, keep supporting them! Hemi’s really help with my bonus! More so than any other motor.
Since it’s getting AWD standard, an AWD lifted/safari’d version would be quite interesting…
I like the way you think.
Making all of them AWD was a choice. Is there really much demand for AWD Charger? I get it can become RWD with a flip of the switch. But your bring a lot of dead weight with you. Plus, seems like a lot of added cost, for maybe little benefit. Ultimately they’re taking a swing against the Roundel. On Bavarian home ice. If this thing is comes even remotely close in MSRP to /////M cars, it’s not going to go well for our friends in Auburn Hills.
Oh they’re very clearly trying to punch up and steal some sales from the German luxury brands. The base Hurricane is a bit more powerful than the B58 is rated to be (keyword rated) and rumor has always been that they benchmarked that engine.
Do I think it’ll work? It depends largely on price. If it comes in at the same price as the beloved M lites they have nothing to worry about, and BMW undoubtedly has them beat on refinement, efficiency, and as odd as it feels to say this, reliability. The B58 and S58 are bombproof and are basically single handedly repairing BMW’s reputation on that front.
…but if you can into a comparably equipped one of these for 5-10,000 less than the equivalent M lites and Ms? It’ll be something to consider, for sure. Especially since those cars are a bit overpriced for what they are. By the time you equip an M340i nicely it’s as expensive as a CT4V BW.
I find all of this quite intriguing, and as someone who loves pony cars and has been saying their next move is a sports sedan for years, this 6 cylinder Charger 5 door is certainly tickling me in all the right ways. They don’t necessarily have to beat Bavaria…just make something intriguing and cheaper enough to make people consider it.
Pretty sure the German car crowd is not going to be cross shopping a Dodge in my lifetime.
I’ve only had German cars except the Stinger and I agree. Even though the 4 door is basically the more powerful, uglier version of the Stinger (and obviously the German liftbacks), I wouldn’t consider it for a single second.
Wyrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrm! Hey man! Happy to read your comments again.
As a jeep person, I have no problems with a straight 6. I am old enough to have driven some v-8s that had barely enough power to get out of their own way. Technology changes we need to be ok with those changes.
Ah, the malaise era V8’s… In the immortal words of Jezza; “How do they get so few horsepower from a V8 mowder?”
It’s pronounced chowdah!
I really couldn’t think of a better way to spell the way he says it… https://youtu.be/Sd8eFoqAZ5Q?si=kxaEdwolBa9NOcpI
Having supped at the table of silky straight 6 torque, I am now enamored. And with modern fuel injection, there’s no worries about the far cylinders getting lean.
Well, that’s depressing news :/
I wonder: now that it 2 door again, will this reignite the kerfuffle (that seemingly we’d finally gotten past) about how many doors a real Charger has?
Are all the old diehards ready to remerge like cicadas to tell us “I TOLD YOU!”
100%.
The people who care that much about it, and call the Charger a 2 door, hate when you bring up the last B-Body and the Omni-based coupes though.
The important thing is that this Charger is a hatchback, just as the ghost of Lee Iaccoca intended.
Now that is a good one!
Revenge of the P-Body.
The Challenger was effectively the 2-door Charger all along anyway, the physical product is more important than a plastichrome name badge on the trunk lid. Hell, swap it out yourself if it’s that important to you
Those kinds of people would, I’d bet money on it!
This car will still be sold primarily to assholes, just like the V8 and it will do quite well. Stellantis knows its target market. The only real competition is the Mustang at this point.
Isn’t that the reputation of most “performance” car drivers? I can’t ever recall hearing anyone regularly say something like “Wow, that M3 driver properly indicated every turn”, “Who knew GTR drivers were such safe drivers”, “Thank god the guy in the Raptor was patient and stopped at the crosswalk”, “Civic Type R drivers are always great examples of defensive drivers”, “Mustang drivers are some of the most courteous people on the road”.
It may be different in other states but Mustang and Charger drivers are the absolute worst in Texas. Whenever you hear a needlessly loud car go by, driven without regard for others, it’s one of those two brands.
How about old British roadsters driven by old men with tweed jackets smoking a pipe and mumbling something eccentric about Lucas electrics and carburetors?
Or a vintage Ferrari owner trying to pretend they’re not scared out of their mind that someone will hit their priceless collectors item while driving in public?
Or Miata drivers, trying to have fun while everyone around them in “normal” cars drive like lunatics?
Or sleeper car builders who have no reputation because you’re not supposed to realize they’ve created a performance car in the first place? 😉
Woo Hoo! I kinda wondered if he’d been waiting in his lair, sitting on a throne made from a Shelby Dodge Omni seat, for just this moment.
No hybrid version is disappointing, I had hoped for a 4 door version as my next cat, but I drive 35,000+ miles a year just for work, plus personal, so fuel economy unfortunately has to be a priority. Anything under 40mpg highway is automatically off the list
I bet it wouldn’t be too hard for them to put the range-extender pentastar V6 generator in the front and keep the 315 hp electric motor in the back. I wonder if hybrid versions will be in the pipeline later? Seems doable to me, they just need to dig in their own parts bin to make it happen.
They need to put that powertrain in the Pacifica, too!
PHEVs with a gas generator that charges the battery (but doesn’t drive the wheels) are the sweet spot IMHO.
They should definitely build the next gen Pacifica on the same platform as the Charger while we’re fantasizing.
Well, they’re halfway there with the 4 door Charger so I’m not losing hope!
It’s Rootwyrm: The Return!!
The man! The myth! The slamdancer!
If pricing will be anything like the outgoing Charger and if the turboed six proves to be reliable (both likely big ‘ifs’ given recent Stellantis history), the five-door version will become the police car choice for many departments, and end up being the real market for that body style. Start memorizing the shape of the headlights now.
WHEN WE NEEDED HIM MOST, HE RETURNED!!!!
I wondered why my headaches had stopped.
Between him being back and Toecutter remaining as strong on his brand as ever I’ll be sure to send some pain relievers your way
I think folks are laughing with you, not at you. I for one always enjoy your comments.
PERIOD.
Happy to see your name: please do keep commenting!
We missed your comments, but, yeah, I can see how this attempt at good-natured ribbing would disincentivize further commenting.
I think people are glad to see you back at it and uncomfortable expressing that directly. Jokes allow a comfortable distance from emotions.
It was never my intent to make you want to leave, so if anything I’ve said had upset you or made you not want to be here, I apologize. Even if we may disagree on some topics, I actually appreciated your input and insight when you were posting here and would like to see you continue to do so. I’ve learned almost as much from your comments as the articles themselves.
Please tell me RootWyrm runs on the spice Melange.
Now I want to see Bishop design Melange-era cars.
rootwyrm is a guild navigator confirmed
I think this would be a big fail if it was sold as AWD only. I’m probably a lonely voice on this, but seeing almost every performance-oriented car slowly become AWD makes me sad.
Save RWD!
Esp. this version. Have to imagine RWD would be part of the draw for at least some of the target market for this one, just like how previous gen Challenger’s R/T level period-correct striping was there.
I blame the GTR for a lot of what’s happened to performance cars the last 15 years. AWD, auto only, heavy weight somewhat mitigated by electronic driving aids.
In retrospect, that car seems like it was a lot more influential than sales alone would have predicted.
I’ve always liked the assessment that the GT-R is basically the real-life incarnation of a video game car. It’s less about direct driver engagement than it is about a somewhat abstract performance experience.
And for an entire generation now, that sort of thing is how they first experienced performance cars…so will the market follow?
I feel that RWD is a substantial portion of the draw of a longitudinal platform altogether.
It’ll be a big fail if they don’t sell a budget version period. If all they do is drive up the cost of entry with all this complexity, they’ll quickly be slapping all kinds of incentives on the hood like those overpriced behemoth Wagoneers. The hardcore fans will get their fix, and then they will languish on dealer lots.
There will be budget versions. Honestly I bet there’s one with a Pentestar V6 ready to go for rental fleets and the like. Manufactures usually release the higher trims before they roll out the poverty spec ones due to margins.
I sure hope so. I’m just not very optimistic given the trend of cutting out lower trim levels these days..
Early rumors were a $20,000 price increase across the board vs the 2023 Charger & Challenger. Hasn’t been confirmed by Stellantis, but they haven’t denied it either, and making the factory fuel economy delete standard across the board seems to be a step toward confirming it
No, I’m with you and I live in a place with snow . . . or at least we used to get snow. Anyway, I’ve never been a fan of AWD and, for a car like this, it seems an oversight even more than not offering a manual that some are lamenting (which as a diehard manual fan, I’m not even sure I would buy it as it’s a big f’n car—4″ longer wheelbase than the 2nd generation and only 1″ shorter overall—and a manual doesn’t really go with this kind of vehicle IMO).
I think they should offer the manual as long as they are building combustion cars. It has made it this far past its supposed expiration date already. What’s a few more years?
In the case of this particular car? Money. What’s the take rate on them, especially where a good chunk are planned to be electric? Traditionally, I’ve argued that, for moderately priced sports/performance cars, a manual sells more overall cars of that particular model than are actually sold as manuals since auto-only sports/performance cars are largely regarded as poser or not real sports cars and that dismissive perception on what is often as much fashion item as something bought for driving enjoyment can hurt interest. Being offered with a manual, it’s taken more seriously by all the waving influencers and magazines and reviews and more people will take a look at the car because of that, even though they’ll more likely buy it with an automatic because their SO can’t learn such a “difficult” task, they have “too much traffic”, or whatever other excuse rather than admitting that they really don’t want a manual even though they do want the “legit” image it imparts to the model as a whole. I think this effect is declining as people who even know anyone they can learn to drive a manual from decline, much less caring to learn in the first place, but it’s still there (see: Supra). Anyway, I don’t think that applies here as it’s not a sports car meant for that kind of dynamic driving and this thing is a battleship, so even trying to drive with some yaw is going to require a highway’s width and they don’t have those kinds of curves. I would think the lack of a V8 would turn far more people off than lack of a manual. That said, I’d certainly celebrate it being offered with a manual, I just don’t think it will cost them much in lost sales to lose it—definitely not enough to recover certification costs. I’m weird, so AWD is the big turnoff for me, but that doesn’t really matter because of the weight—holy Athena, the weight! OK, that’s the EV version, but even knocking off, say, 800 lbs for the ICE version, that’s way too f’n heavy for me. Also, it’s built by Stellantis.
If making the Charger AWD only eventually prevents idiots from blocking traffic by doing donuts in urban intersections, I’m all for it.
This is the one that will sell.
I give it 4, maybe 5 months from the first one hitting dealer lots to a Hellcat swap being shown off online, and 6 months after that for a swap kit to be on sale.
Wait it’s a liftback? Like a Stinger/A5? That’s amazing. And with a TT I6? And with AWD? Very intrigued…Very, very intrigued.
A 5 door straight 6 is now at the top of my shopping list for next go-around. That’s a ridiculously appealing package. It’s almost like a European luxury sedan with American muscle flair. Now if Mazda stops twiddling their thumbs and gets us a sedan with the RWD/new inline 6 combo we just may have a sedan revival on our hands.
One of the main reasons I went for my S5 is the 4 door liftback body style, plus the sweet turbo 6 which is crazy tunable, and quattro. It can haul four people comfortably in the cabin, plus a Greyhound and an Aussie in the hatch, and run 11’s. It’s one of the best approximations of a spicy wagon we’ll get in the US that isn’t a $100k+ RS6 or Benz. I also looked at the Bimmers, but wasn’t a huge fan of the styling, a little too bulbous in the rear. The Stinger was a top contender but it didn’t have the Audi aftermarket. This Dodge may be the answer.
I’m anxiously awaiting the price and the weight. Honestly I think even the “base” 420 horses will be more than enough for me.
Never thought I’d see a day where Dodge and Mazda are direct competitors with AWD longitudinal inline six sport sedans.
Panther Pink FM3 or no sale.
You need to give us the spark notes version of what you think, uncle Adrian. I know the previous gen Challenger is near and dear to you. I personally think they did quite well with this all things considered. The sedan somehow doesn’t even look awkward.
https://www.hagerty.com/media/design/our-designer-breaks-down-the-charger-daytona-srt-concept/
This.
Although I’m also willing to accept Plum Crazy FC7
This, and there better be Green Go!
I’ll allow it. My Duster was Lime Light.
Lime Light is also an excellent colour ????
Im a but shocked this one didnt come first- ease the people into the new charger and electric varients.
Yeah I don’t understand the reasoning there either.
I’d imagine they were desperate to bring an EV to market and couldn’t wait for both platforms to be developed before releasing it.
Depending on weight and price the lower output straight 6/5 door will be on my shopping list in a few years. I actually think this is really good looking, the gray and black we saw before today did the car no justice. The EV coming in at friggin 6,000 pounds is an immediate no dice from me personally, however.
Seeing as the hurricane is significantly lighter than the previous V8s and it won’t be lugging around any battery packs, I’m crossing my fingers that the weight will be within spitting distance of the last ICE one. Still portly, but not full sized BOF SUV portly.
I like this way more than I thought I would.
I’m a little sad the hood is bulked up compared to the EV, which hurts the aero but I get that it’s to fit the engine. Now just offer me a PHEV version in the vein of the Corvette E-Ray. Have the Hurricane power the front and one of the 350 hp electric sucks do the rear wheels. Sneak a 20 KW battery under the floor and you have yourself a winner.
I would do unspeakable things for a budget version of BMW’s current straight 6/PHEV combo. My old man has an X5 50e and total system output is almost 500 horsepower, it has over 40 miles of EV range (I think 44 when fully charged) and with both powertrains combined he’s averaging about 40 MPG.
It will also absolutely set your hair on fire. When the battery is charged and you put it in sport mode it’ll hit 60 in under 4 seconds. I got it up to 115 without even blinking (definitely not on public roads, of course!). Give me something like that in the new 4 door Charger and I will put a deposit down tomorrow.
Styling is a blend of the Challenger and Charger and now it’s both a 2 and 4 door, it all makes sense now