Michael Satterfield
In Texas, we like our muscle cars the way we like our BBQ: bold, spicy, and unapologetically authentic. So when Dodge announced the all-electric Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack, a few eyebrows around here raised higher than a ten-gallon hat. No gas? No V8? No way. But if you’re willing to set aside old loyalties and a little bit of skepticism, you’ll find there’s still plenty of muscle under that electrified skin, though not without a few trade-offs that even the most forgiving muscle car lover would notice.
Dodge Charger Daytona: A Looker With Swagger
One thing’s for sure: the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack knows how to make an entrance. Our test model, fitted with the Sun and Sound Package, Track Package, and the Driver Experience Recorder, made a lasting impression everywhere we went; in fact, it garnered more attention in town than the Aston Martin DB12 we had recently driven. It’s wide, low, and carries the kind of real-deal muscle car stance you can’t fake, even if it’s now humming instead of rumbling. If turning heads is your thing, the Charger Daytona is the car for you.
The sharp lines, throwback fastback roof, and menacing front end crowned with the signature “R-Wing” make it clear Dodge hasn’t forgotten its heritage. It’s a car that looks like it’s ready to square up at the drag strip or just look mean doing fifteen through downtown Fredericksburg.
Inside, Dodge blends new-school tech with old-school bravado. There’s a massive digital instrument cluster, a fat flat-bottomed steering wheel, and an 18-speaker Harman Kardon system that can drown out any doubts about your life choices. The Sun and Sound Package brings a full panoramic glass roof, but don’t expect any shade from the Texas sun. It’s a looker inside, but more show horse than workhorse once you start poking around the trim.
Lightning-Fast and Loud (Maybe Too Loud)
Mash the accelerator, and the Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack punches forward with a ferocity that feels downright unholy. Thanks to its twin electric motors and Direct Connection Stage 2 kit, the Scat Pack lays down 670 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels. Dodge says it’ll do 0–60 mph in 3.3 seconds, and in our unscientific testing, 3.3 seconds is easy to believe.
That’s the good news.
The bad news? Dodge also decided we couldn’t live without a little noise, and so was born the “Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust.” It’s a sound system, not an exhaust in the traditional sense, pumping out a deep, synthesized growl that can hit 126 decibels. At first, it’s fun, like a guilty pleasure. When you are behind the wheel, you think it is just playing through the internal speakers. But then you find out that all of Main Street is looking at you because of the massive growl every time you push the start button. But after a few hours, the fake V8 rumble can start to feel about as natural as barbecue tofu. Bless their hearts for trying, but sometimes silence speaks louder, and thankfully, you can turn it off the Fratzonic.
On the track, though, it’s a different story. The Track Package turns the Daytona into a legitimate curve carver. Adaptive suspension, big Brembo brakes, and sticky staggered tires work together to make this hefty coupe feel lighter on its feet than any Charger has a right to. It’s still no featherweight, but the way it hangs on through fast sweepers and tight switchbacks would make an old Charger R/T blush.
And for those moments when the devil on your shoulder wins, there’s Drift Mode and Donut Mode—because sometimes the only cure for a long week is a big smoky circle in a church parking lot.
Dodge Charger Daytona Scat: Not All Gravy
For all its muscle and might, the Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack can’t entirely shake its rough edges. While the upper parts of the cabin are dressed to impress, lower down you’ll find plastics and trim pieces that feel better suited to a car costing half as much. Close inspection reveals the kind of inconsistencies, uneven gaps, and poorly fitting upholstery that you’d think would’ve been left behind at the assembly plant, now that Dodge is aiming at the luxury EV crowd.
And at $82,175 as-tested, there’s not much room for excuses. That’s serious money. Corvette money. AMG money. Even the base-model BMW M4 money.
Then there’s the glass roof—beautiful for stargazing Hill Country nights, miserable on a scorcher of a day. Without a shade, you’re at the mercy of the A/C and your tolerance for baking like a pie in July.
Dodge Charger Daytona Scat: A New Breed of Muscle
At the end of the day, the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack is an imperfect but fascinating love letter to muscle cars, translated into the language of electrons. It’s not subtle. It’s not perfect. But it is bold, fun, and unapologetically American in the best way.
Dodge didn’t just plug in a battery and call it a day—they tried to capture a feeling. Some days, they nail it. Other days, you might miss the roar of a real V8 and the smell of race gas in the morning.
Either way, the future is here. And for better or worse, it still comes with a side of burnouts.
Photos Courtesy of Stellantis
