2026 Dodge Charger Coupe Review
Our automotive expert shares opinions and new photos of the 2026 Dodge Charger Scat Pack.
Manuel Carrillo III
Pros: Dodge's latest muscle car oozes with personality in its design, performance, and sound.
Cons: The Charger's proportions make it harder to park than the competition, and more road noise permeates than preferred.
The Takeaway: As the Dodge Charger lineup expands, it becomes more compelling.
The gas-powered Dodge Charger, which is new for 2026, delivers three muscle car essentials. First, it turns heads whether it's standing still or laying down a mushroom-cloud of a burnout. It also has admirable straight-line performance, but it doesn't get caught flat-footed on a twisty road. Finally, it's a terrific companion, and something you can be excited to drive daily.Â
While the Charger is a good muscle car, so is the Ford Mustang. But these two models take different approaches to plucking your heartstrings. The Mustang goes a conventional route. The Charger does not. Because of that, the muscle-car segment feels more relevant to more people than it has in years.
QuickTakes:
What's New for the 2026 Dodge Charger
QuickTake: The Charger adds a pair of internal-combustion engine options and rear doors for 2026, broadening its appeal.
The eighth-generation Dodge Charger was introduced late in the 2024 model year as an electric two-door coupe called the Daytona. The Charger Daytona EV is covered separately. For 2026, Dodge expands the muscle car's powertrain lineup with a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six available in standard- and high-output potencies. The 2026 model year also introduces the four-door sedan variant, which can be paired with any of the Charger's available powertrains.
Manuel Carrillo III
About the 2026 Dodge Charger Scat Pack Plus Review Vehicle
QuickTake: The muscle-car segment is narrow, but not in terms of pricing, and the Dodge Charger is no exception.
The gasoline-powered 2026 Dodge Charger comes in R/T, R/T Plus, Scat Pack, and Scat Pack Plus trim levels, and base prices range from about $52,000 to around $64,000, including the destination charge to ship the muscle car to a dealership from the Windsor, Ontario, Canada, assembly plant that builds it.
For this Charger review, I test-drove the Scat Pack Plus in Southern California. Optional equipment highlights included the extra-cost Bludicrous paint, the Carbon and Suede Package, a panoramic glass roof, and an 18-speaker Alpine Pro premium sound system, bringing the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) to $70,455, including the $1,995 destination charge. Dodge provided the vehicle for this Charger review.
Manuel Carrillo III
Design, Quality, and Interior Layout
QuickTake: In terms of design and quality, the eighth-generation Charger is arguably the best it's ever been.
I couldn't help getting excited every time I approached the 2026 Dodge Charger. To my eyes, it's the coolest-looking muscle car on sale today, and that's saying something because I own a Ford Mustang.
But imposing measurements can also lead to a bloated appearance, and at 206.6 inches long, the Dodge Charger is enormous. It's almost as long as a Lincoln Navigator — a full-size luxury SUV. For reference, a 2026 Mustang is only 189.4 inches long. And yet, despite its size, the Dodge still manages to appear lean and luscious.
Slide inside the new Charger, and the interior is just as attractive as the exterior. Compared with the previous Charger's less impressive cabin, though, this new cockpit is light-years ahead. The materials match the price point, and the wraparound theme is enveloping. This is a smartly executed interior, with engaging ergonomics to match.
Manuel Carrillo III
Comfort, Convenience, and Cargo Space
QuickTake: The 2026 Dodge Charger makes a splash with its generous cargo volume, but storage for small items and drinks could be better.
The Charger's imposing exterior dimensions translate to an accordingly spacious interior. Pair that with supportive seats, and you can gobble hundreds of miles of tarmac in comfort. You may find the Scat Pack's standard heated steering wheel lacking, though. The one in my test car could not surpass lukewarm — surprising for a car designed in Detroit.
This is one of the few two-door coupes I've tested where I felt zero guilt about placing my older brother in the back seat. Rear legroom seems as abundant as that of a midsize family sedans, and there's enough headroom to keep 6-footers happy for extended trips. Even placing three souls back there for an hour-long journey seems reasonable.
Opening the rear hatch reveals 22.8 cubic-feet of cargo space. Fold down the back seats, and you get up to 37.4 cu-ft, almost triple that of the Mustang. According to Dodge, that's enough space for four tires and a piece of carry-on luggage.
Small-item storage is just fine for a minimalist such as me. The bin under the center armrest is spacious, but those who prefer to stretch the limits of interior knick-knack nooks might gripe about the unremarkably sized glove box and complain that they need more drink-holding space in the doors.
Manuel Carrillo III
2026 Dodge Charger Uconnect 5 Infotainment System Review
QuickTake: Uconnect 5 remains easy to use, but the interface's voice recognition could use some help.
A 10.3-inch digital instrument cluster comes standard, but my Dodge Charger test example had the fancier 16.0-inch display. It's a sharp-looking piece of equipment, but the steering wheel blocks the upper-left and upper-right corners of the screen, where the time and temperature readouts sit. On several occasions, I had to peer awkwardly around the wheel to grab that info, and it didn't feel safe.Â
To the right of the cluster is a standard 12.3-inch infotainment screen. Standard features include:
- Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility
- Six-speaker stereo
- As you move up the trim-level ladder, you get:
- Embedded navigation
- Alpine nine-speaker premium audio system
- Wireless charging pad
- 64-color ambient lighting
- Head-up display
It was next to effortless to pair my iPhone 17 Pro Max with the Charger's Uconnect 5 infotainment, and the car paired with my device faultlessly every time after that. I found navigating between smartphone mirroring and the Dodge's native interface simple, thanks to a column of Uconnect 5 shortcuts running along the left edge of the center display.
If you're heavy into using voice recognition, you might be better off using smartphone projection. The Charger reacted predictably when I said, "Find me the nearest hospital," but it tried changing the temperature when I told it I was hungry, and it seemed to throw up its hands when I asked it to navigate to an address.
As an audiophile, I was thrilled to find that my test Charger was equipped with the 18-speaker Alpine Pro audio system. It's a decent array, but I've been more impressed with the Alpine units in other Stellantis (Dodge's parent company) products, such as the Jeep Wrangler and Ram 1500. The Charger's Alpine Pro audio is a $1,795 option. For that kind of money, I don't expect to be shaken, but I do want my soul stirred.
Manuel Carrillo III
Safety Features and Ratings
QuickTake: Dodge's driver-assistance suite isn't class-leading, but a couple of its driver aids perform like winners.
Dodge equips the Charger with a collection of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) as standard equipment:
- Adaptive cruise control
- Forward-collision warning
- Automatic emergency braking
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Lane-keep assist
In addition to those features, my test car added:
- 360-degree camera
- Lane-centering assist
- Intersection-collision assist
- Rear automatic braking
I'll often deactivate lane centering because in other vehicles, it frequently tries to fight me — sometimes by awkwardly favoring one side, sometimes ping-ponging between the lines, or a combination of both. During my week with the 2026 Dodge Charger, I never needed to deactivate the lane centering. It worked with me rather than against me.
I prefer setting the adaptive cruise control (ACC) to a medium following distance. That can leave room for cars to cut in between me and the vehicle ahead, potentially causing ACC to slam on the brakes. But that wasn't the case with the Charger. In heavy traffic, the ACC handled lane-jockeying pretty much as well as a calm and capable human driver.
Manuel Carrillo III
2026 Dodge Charger Specs and Fuel Economy
QuickTake: The Charger Scat Pack follows the axiom that with great power comes great fuel consumption.
All gas-powered 2026 Dodge Chargers use a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged Hurricane inline-six-cylinder engine mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission that sends power to all four wheels. That arrangement in R/T models is good for 420 horsepower and 468 pound-feet of torque. The Charger Scat Pack uses a high-output version of the Hurricane, singing to the tune of 550 horsepower and 531 lb-ft of torque.
The EPA has yet to publish fuel-economy estimates for any gas-powered Charger, but my testing proved thirsty. After 249 miles, I averaged a poor 13.9 mpg. I spent roughly 50 of those miles on surface streets and about 100 miles on the freeway. Most of my fuel consumption occurred on the mountainous, twisty Angeles Crest Highway.
Manuel Carrillo III
2026 Dodge Charger Scat Pack Test Drive
QuickTake: The Charger Scat Pack's driving experience runs the gamut from mild to wild.
Six-cylinder engines often lack the mellifluence of V8s, V10s, and some V12s. That said, the 3.0-liter Hurricane straight-six's ratty exhaust note is dripping with character. It's racy, rumbly, and raring to fight. Ten times out of 10, I prefer a V8's noise, but every time I cold-started the Charger Scat Pack, my day got better.
According to Dodge, the 2026 Charger Scat Pack can crack off a run from zero to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds. Automakers typically validate stopwatch performance figures under ideal conditions — in other words, at sea level with fair weather and minimal wind. I performed my zero-to-60 testing at an elevation of roughly 6,000 feet. Far from ideal, but the Scat Pack was willing to play. Using launch control and the instrument cluster's zero-to-60 timer, I saw 4.0 seconds on my first attempt.
In Sport mode at wide-open throttle, the eight-speed swaps cogs with a satisfying slam, but under light throttle in the Auto drive mode, the slushbox is sufficiently silky. I enjoyed moving through the gears myself in the manual setting. The transmission responds urgently to the Scat Pack's standard paddle shifters, but the paddles themselves lack distinguishing tactility. They're practically pasted atop the audio controls, so on multiple occasions, I inadvertently hit the volume-up and next-music-track buttons in my quests to shift gears.
The Charger's steering is wonderfully weighted and precise, and the minimal feedback is just right for my fingertips. Dodge enlists Brembo brakes to haul down the Scat Pack's roughly 4,800-pound curb weight. Though the Brembos feel eager to bite, dive deeper into the left pedal, and you can start to feel the all-season Goodyear tires giving up traction. The all-seasons provide sufficient lateral grip for spirited driving on back roads, but if track driving is in the cards, sticky summer rubber might go a long way here.
And if you need to burn the tread off those all-seasons in a hurry, the Charger's rear-wheel-drive mode is sensational. With an extraordinarily long 121-inch wheelbase, the Charger is a remarkably forgiving drift machine. When the rear end does eventually break loose into a donut, the huge expanse of automobile that's swinging behind you makes it feel like you're running away from a black hole's event horizon.
For the times when you don't want your hair on fire, the Charger Scat Pack is still willing to match your vibe. At a cruising pace, the ride is firm but still comfortable. The Charger does a terrific job of minimizing wind noise, and it lets just the right amount of engine note through the firewall (and speakers). I think a little too much road noise permeates the cabin, however.
Manuel Carrillo III
Alternatives to the 2026 Dodge Charger
QuickTake: The Dodge Charger competes with the Ford Mustang, first for devotees, then for buyers.
With the Chevrolet Camaro's discontinuation in 2024, the Dodge Charger has just one competitor: the Ford Mustang. A muscle car is an emotional purchase, so the fact that the Dodge trounces the Ford's cargo capacity is unlikely to sway believers. This is a segment where shoppers are likely already set on their choices. If that choice is for the Dodge, I suspect the achingly good looks might play a role, but the extra interior space, cargo volume, and practicality probably don't hurt.
Manuel Carrillo IIIManuel's passion for cars began at birth, when he was delivered home from the hospital in his parents' 1977 Porsche 911 S. He's been fortunate enough to channel his intense automotive enthusiasm into a successful media career as a writer, editor, photographer, and presenter. He's also a Hollywood actor. Manuel's byline has appeared in CNET, DUB Magazine, J.D. Power, Motor1, and Robb Report, and he's also cohosted MotorTrend's Seduced by Speed. That 911 S never left the family, thankfully, and is now under Manuel's ownership. He continues to enjoy and maintain it, working toward restoring it to the condition it was when his father purchased it brand-new.
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