Dodge Flexes Electric Muscle With Daytona

Who needs a Hemi? That’s what Dodge hopes muscle car fans will be asking themselves once they get to drive – or at least look at – the 2025 Charger Daytona.

First introduced in 2022 in concept form, it comes as a complete, ground-up replacement for both the aging Dodge Charger and Challenger models that ended their long run a year ago. Somewhat confusing matters, the muscle car brand will introduce several variants, starting with two EV coupe packages. Next year Dodge will roll out 4-door versions and eventually add the extreme Banshee package it promises will be its fastest, most powerful street-legal product ever.

Adding to potential confusion, and thanks to the flexibility of the STLA-Large “multi-energy” platform, Charger also will be offered with internal-combustion engines – though they’ll not use the Daytona badge, nor offer that legendary Hemi.

At launch Dodge rolls out R/T and Scat Pack coupes. WardsAuto got a first chance to drive both during a visit to Phoenix, first on public roads and then on both the track and drag strip at Firebird Raceway.

Muscling Up

Eventually, Dodge plans to allow buyers to upgrade the performance of each EV model electronically. Initially:

Both packages use twin motors to deliver through-the-road all-wheel-drive and a single-speed gearbox. Top speed is limited to 135 mph (217 km/h).

STLA-Large 'multi-energy' platform, in electric guise.

Sounding Off
One of Daytona’s oddest features is the quirky Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust. According to Dodge, it uses "passive radiators, housed in a custom enclosure and powered by a dedicated amplifier." How much sound depends upon the drive mode. "Drag, Drift/Donut and Track Modes deliver an elevated acoustic output” that can reach 120 decibels, it adds. But drivers also can adjust noise levels in Daytona's Settings menu.

Most of today’s EVs allow motorists to choose various artificial soundtracks, some sounding like they were lifted from the old Jetsons cartoon. Fratzonic was designed to create a Hemi-like “exhaust” note, including the occasional burble. Gimmick? Perhaps, but it proved more appealing than expected in actual operation.

The system provides a more “real” feeling than I expected, enhancing a visceral sense of performance some other high-powered EVs lack. There’s also a functional benefit, like the roar of a Hemi-powered Charger creating a man-machine link that, especially on the track, made it easier to feel what the battery-electric beast was doing.

Driving Is Believing

For those familiar with Chargers past, there are some notable differences. There’s no waiting for torque to build up, for one thing. Power comes on instantly and blasting down the Firebird drag strip felt a bit like launching off an aircraft carrier. Wherever you drive, you’ll discover a very linear power “curve,” one reason why Fratzonic’s feedback is welcome.

While Dodge offered AWD before, it was limited to a V-6 package. Now, you get it on all BEV models and I was loath to find any reason to dislike that strategy, especially since I could readily adjust how power was directed between front and rear axles. Credit a driver mode control including not only the usual normal and sport settings, but also track, drag strip and even drift/donut.

Light 'em up! Daytona employs electric propulsion to generate power, smoke.

Both BEV packages have Jekyll-and-Hyde personalities. In the latter settings they can get as wild as you want, on a drift circuit carving off chunks of rubber as you press the aluminum throttle pedal to the floor. But, with AWD, and when switched to its normal setting, the beast is surprisingly docile. I could readily see using it as a daily driver, especially back home in Detroit.

Whichever mode you opt for, the three-mode brake regeneration system was particularly well-executed, functioning much like downshifting an ICE two or three gears. In the mid- and high one-pedal modes I found myself rarely using the brakes on public roads, and the system lets you come to, and hold, at a complete stop at a light.

Dodge Design on Steroids

“Those who know (Dodge history) will see the ’68 Charger,” suggests Scott Krugger, vice president and head of Dodge exterior design, during a background briefing ahead of our first drive. “Others will see a very modern car.” There are familiar touches, like the Dodge-themed “racetrack” taillights. And there are classic cues, such as the reborn, triangular Fratzonic logo. At first glance, the nose looks quite retro, recalling the earliest Daytona-badged Dodge. But the R-Wing is actually a very modern take, a passthrough that both increases downforce and lowers drag. Aero, as you’d expect, was a critical priority during Daytona’s design.

Functional R-Wing improves aero, adds downforce.

Daytona is notably larger than Dodge’s last-gen gas muscle cars. At 121 ins. (3,073 mm), its wheelbase is 1 in. (25 mm) longer than the old sedan, 6 ins. (152 mm) longer than the coupe. And it’s 2 ins. (51 mm) wider than the old Widebody models, as well. There’s a much more planted look and it comes together to provide massive space for both passengers and cargo. There’s not only a usable back seat but, accessed by a “hidden” hatch, a 38.5-cu.-ft. (1,090-L) cargo compartment, 133% larger than in the old Charger.

The interior design doesn’t stray completely away from the old model, the horizontal layout accentuating the car’s width while also adopting a more modern, high-tech feel. “This is the future of where our Dodge products are heading,” Ryan Nagode, the head of interior design at Stellantis, explains.

That’s accentuated by the instrument cluster which features a widescreen 12.3-in. (31-cm) infotainment display and, depending upon your package, either a 10.25-in. (26-cm) or 16-in. (41-cm) digital gauge cluster. Both screens are readily reprogrammable, and the cluster automatically changes appearance, including layout and color, depending upon driver mode. So does the ambient lighting system, though drivers can manually choose any of 64 different hues.

Charger’s infotainment system uses Stellantis’ latest Uconnect5 operating system. And there’s an extensive package of advanced driver-assistance systems, including active lane management and a surprisingly good semi-autonomous driving system.

Interior adopts modern, high-tech appearance.

Gotta Love It – Or Wait For ICE

If social media is any indication, there’ll be plenty of initial resistance from the muscle-car crowd as the 2025 Charger Daytona rolls into showrooms. There are diehards who’ll simply never accept the idea of an electric Dodge.

Too bad. I went in a skeptic but came out convinced that the automaker has done as good a job as could be hoped for capturing the brand’s performance DNA, taking it into the future. As word of mouth gets around, I expect much of that resistance will melt away. And for those who simply won’t plug in, there’ll be gas-powered versions to follow next year.

Daytona: Same muscle-car styling, new BEV propulsion.