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SIXPACK-powered Dodge Charger Scat Pack models include standard Line Lock, enabling tire-smoking burnouts with the push of a button and punch of the throttle.
Dodge unveiled the Charger Scat Pack SIXPACK over the weekend to coincide with the Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge in Michigan. It’s got all the right stuff on paper: A twin-turbo inline six making 550 horsepower on gasoline (not electricity), all-wheel drive, and performance that rivals that of HEMI-powered Scat Packs.
The 2026 Dodge Charger Scat Pack, powered by the 550-horsepower, turbocharged SIXPACK high-output (H.O.) engine, features a class-exclusive rear-wheel-drive mode that sends 100% of torque to the rear wheels, delivering effortless drifts and smoky donut spins.
The Charger Scat Pack SIXPACK will do 0-60 in 3.9 seconds, cover the quarter-mile in 12.2 and run a top speed of 177 mph. That’s the good news, and it’s just for starters. At $54,995, it is the most powerful car for under $55,000.
For the less affluent, there is a 420-horse version of the Charger, the R/T AWD, for $49,995.
The 2026 Charger is a dramatically styled car from nose to tail. Gas-powered versions do not get the electric car's built-in air foil above the grille.
Unlimited Potential
People who have done Hurricane swaps in older vehicles are already going 9s in the quarter-mile.
Turning the wick up on this technologically advanced engine should easily have it making over 1,000 horsepower.
The Buick Grand National and GNX have shown some enthusiasts will accept six-cylinder muscle cars as the norm, and they were not nearly this fast from the showroom.
The bad news for many is that the Hurricane I6 is not a Gen-3 HEMI. While that engine should be available with supercharging and a lot more power eventually, a generation of enthusiasts brought up on the HEMI cult may not tolerate anything less.
The Hurricane I6 has the potential to make substantially more than its stock 550 horsepower, perhaps double that.
In the current economic climate, where Mustangs and Corvettes are languishing on dealer lots, the Charger Scat Pack has a tough road to cover. Still, let’s look at the positive stuff:
• 2026 Dodge Charger Scat Pack, powered by the turbocharged SIXPACK high-output (H.O.) engine, clocks a 3.9-second 0-60 time and runs the quarter-mile in 12.2 seconds with a top speed of 177 mph
• SIXPACK H.O. engine delivers 88 percent of peak torque at 2,500 rpm for immediate low-end response and more than 90 percent of peak torque from 3,000 to 6,000 rpm for sustained performance
• Line Lock – standard on SIXPACK-powered Charger Scat Pack – enables tire-smoking burnouts with the push of a button and punch of the throttle
• SIXPACK-powered Charger models feature standard all-wheel drive when you need it, rear-wheel drive when you want it
• Drifting and donuts: Charger Scat Pack’s class-exclusive rear-wheel-drive mode sends 100 percent of torque to the rear wheels, delivering effortless drifts, smoky donut spins and pure driving exhilaration on demand
• Launch Control improves off-the-line acceleration and allows drivers to dial in preferred launch rpm to generate the highest possible boost pressure on launch, depending on the traction of the launch surface
• SIXPACK-powered Charger Scat Pack has distinctive performance-tuned dual-mode active exhaust with rolled exhaust tips
• Five distinct drive modes include Auto, Eco, Wet/Snow, Sport and Custom
• SIXPACK-powered Charger exterior design features unique performance hood, large front fascia area and rear fascia with debossed “CHARGER” text logo
• SIXPACK Charger models share widest body of any car in the industry and award-winning interior with Charger Daytona models
• SIXPACK-powered Charger Scat Pack and R/T will be available as two-door coupes and as four-door sedans
• All-electric two-door 2026 Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack will also be available at a starting MSRP of $59,995, delivering the most horsepower under $60,000
“For 60 years, Dodge Charger has been known for delivering legendary muscle car performance, and we have every intention of continuing that legacy,” said Dodge CEO Matt McAlear. “This next-generation Charger lineup delivers the most horsepower and most torque of any muscle car in its class, the widest body of any car in the industry, an award-winning interior, and, perhaps most important, what our customers have told us they want: the power to choose what fuels them. The all-new turbocharged 2026 Dodge Charger Scat Pack is the most powerful car customers can buy priced less than $55,000.”
Charger vs. Mustang
No doubt about it, this is still a chunk of change, but right in line for a modern muscle car. The Mustang GT Fastback, which delivers 480 horsepower, starts at $46,480 and the Premium Package is $51,080 with the same 480 power output. Obviously, the SIXPACK is a bigger, more user-friendly vehicle for a daily driver.
Note the large lump near the leading edge of the hood to accommodate the gas-powered engine. Looks mean, but dictates the loss of the electric car's built-in air foil above the grille.
One spec Dodge is not hyping is the Charger’s 4,800-lb curb weight. The all-wheel drive obviously puts all 550 horsepower down to pavement to achieve the 12.2-second elapsed time, but that’s an awful lot of tonnage to carry around. The biggest knock on the previous generation Charger (and Challenger) was their battleship-like proportions; now it has gotten worse.
The 2026 Dodge Charger Scat Pack, powered by the 550-horsepower, turbocharged SIXPACK high-output (H.O.) engine, features a class-exclusive rear-wheel-drive mode that sends 100 percent of torque to the rear wheels, delivering smoky donut spins and effortless drifts.
We know the HEMI is on its way, even if Dodge won’t admit to it. The launch of only electric Chargers was a marketing foul-up of biblical proportions, angering their traditional customers without winning over any new conquest buyers.
Now that there is a gas-powered Dodge Charger Scat Pack SIXPACK available, is that enough to get buyers back to Dodge showrooms, or will they wait until the HEMI arrives?
