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YARMOUTH PORT, Mass. – It’s bold. It’s broad. It’s in your face. It’s quick and fast. The new 2026 Dodge Charger Daytona sedan presents itself as the world’s first four-door muscle car. And it is fully electric!
That is how the performance brand from Stellantis describes the dual-motor battery-electric vehicle (BEV) with up to 670 horsepower.
Dodge dialed in special features providing the Charger Daytona with track capabilities as well as the ability to rumble along sounding like a V8 with performance exhaust or in virtually silent stealth mode – all at the push of an on-screen button.
The beefy, low (59 inches high, 5.6 inches of ground clearance), wide (84.3 inches maximum) and long (at 206.6 inches longer than the average mid-size SUV) sedan clearly harkens back to the muscle cars of the 60s but is as modern as a ground-up EV platform-based car can be.
Power to the people
A 100.5 kWh battery pack with a peak of 442 Volts provides the electrical power for the (standard) permanent magnet synchronous motor motors front and rear, which provide all-wheel drive (AWD). Said motors produce 630 horsepower and 627 pounds-feet of torque. A push of the Power Boost steering-wheel button provides 40 additional horsepower for 20 seconds.
The results of this technology are 0-60 times (both Dodge and Car and Driver numbers) of 3.3 seconds. Dodge also reported a quarter-mile time of 11.5 seconds and a top speed of 135 miles per hour.
This performance comes in a package capable of approximately 241 miles of operating range, with DC Level 3 fast recharging able to juice the Charger Daytona from 20 to 80 percent in 24 minutes. A 350 kW fast charger can take the car from 5 to 80 percent in 32.5 minutes.
My charging experience was a mixed bag. I picked up the Dodge Charger Daytona sedan in Kennebunkport, Maine, at the conclusion of the annual #NEMPARagtopRamble and the battery-level indicator was 23 percent. I plugged into a public Level 3 charger (not 350 kW level) and an hour and 15 minutes later, fully charged, headed to Cape Cod.
Once home in Yarmouth Port, Mass., I would hook up my Autel MaxiCharger AC Wallbox Home unit plugged into a 240-Volt NEMA 14-50 outlet at the end of the day and have a full charge for the following day’s adventures.
Platform and special-brake package equal to the performance
Dodge engineers designed a platform which provided a compliant ride, sure handling and, when equipped with the Track Package like the review pre-production Charger, capable of serious driving.
The basic suspension components feature a multi-link setup in the front with monotube shock absorbers and an integral link with said shocks in the rear. The Track Package (option price not available) adds a dual-valve adaptive damping setup.
The Track Package brake system features components by Brembo including – Dodge’s word – massive 16-inch Brembo vented rotors and red six-piston front/four-piston rear fixed calipers. The system’s swept area is 30 percent greater than the previous Charger SRT performance car and the largest ever offered on a Dodge vehicle.
Supplementing the friction-brake system is a three-tier regenerative-braking capability, which allows for one-pedal driving, engaged with steering-wheel paddles. The regen does a good job of slowing down the Charger Daytona, but those massive Brembo brakes are there if you get in over your head.
Transmitting both the awesome power and braking force to the road is the largest tire package ever offered on a Charger. The components, a Track Package option, features 20-inch aluminum wheels with staggered-sized (front/rear) Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3 305/35ZR/20XL tires up front and 325/35ZR20 rear ones.
All the platform pieces including the drivetrain and chassis work with the electronics which allow for a suite of Drive Modes: Sport, Track, Drag and Custom. With Scat Pack and Track Package the Race options include Drift/Donut Mode, Launch Control and race-prep options.
Dodge is serious about the Charger Daytona’s track capabilities, including a one-day performance driving experience at Radford Racing School, which is the official high-performance driving school of Dodge/SRT.
I did not have such an experience, nor did I have access to a closed course upon which to try the full-extent of the Charger Daytona’s performance capabilities, but its brute strength and power was evident whenever I wanted it.
Driving was a blast. Step on the loud pedal – usually quiet when I drove to deter overt attention – and the Charger just took off. I never felt like the car was ahead of me thanks to the locked-down platform Unlike past muscle cars, the Charger Daytona stopped, turned and rode like a modern car. Nothing rough around its edges.
Full suite of ADAS
As a modern machine, the 2026 Dodge Charger Daytona sedan comes with a comprehensive suite of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) including automatic emergency braking with road user detection; blind-spot detection with rear cross path detection; blind-spot turn signal activated view; electronic stability control — includes brake assist; full-speed forward collision warning; head-up display; park sense front, side and rear park assist system with adaptive guidelines and vehicle path detection, and park view 360 surround view camera.
Interior comfort and technology
Power adjustment for the body-hugging front seats includes heat, ventilation and memory which also covers the power-adjusted heated steering wheel.
This is a true four-door sedan and the back seat will fit three persons.
In front of the driver is a 16-inch free-standing screen with the customizable cluster. The center of the dash features a 12.3-inch color LCD touchscreen at the heart of the Uconnect 5 infotainment system.
The intuitive Uconnect system brings SiriusXM satellite radio, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (and the ability to have two phones connected), voice control and, in the case of the review car, an 18-speaker Alpine premium audio system (with subwoofer and amplifier).
The 2026 Dodge Charger Daytona sedan is really a five-door! The rear hatch, which opens to a deep storage area, is so well integrated into the body design, Dodge calls it a hidden hatch.
No pricing yet
The 2026 Dodge Charger Daytona, both sedan and its sibling two-door coupe, are not yet on sale, but estimates are prices beginning just north of $75,000.
Over all, this is an excellent marriage of something traditional – an American muscle car – with something as modern as any vehicle in the world – a battery-electric vehicle.
And the combination works! The result is a fun to drive, roomy, comfortable, efficient and thoroughly modern example of unique engineering.
Next week TBR Drives the Toyota Crown Signia.
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