Test Hub: Dodge’s New Six-Cylinder Charger vs. the Old V-8 Challenger
We compare the Charger’s Hurricane twin-turbo six with the old-school Hemi V-8 and let the test results do the talking.
By Jack FitzgeraldPublished: Mar 28, 2026
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2026 dodge dharger sixpack vs 2019 dodge challenger scat pack test hub
Dodge
Now that we’ve had the chance to test Dodge’s new two-door Charger Sixpack, we wanted to see how it compares with the old Challenger R/T Scat Pack.
In our testing, the V-8 Challenger had more grip and stopped from 70 mph in a shorter distance, though the six-cylinder Charger was quicker to 60 mph.
In addition to having a heavier curb weight, the new gas-fed Charger currently can’t be optioned with summer tires, putting it on a serious back foot.
Welcome to Car and Driver’s Testing Hub, where we zoom in on the test numbers. We’ve been pushing vehicles to their limits since 1956 to provide objective data to bolster our subjective impressions (you can see how we test here).
The Challenger left Dodge’s lineup after the 2023 model year, but like a melodramatic 20-something experiencing heartbreak, we see it everywhere we look. That’s especially true when we see the two-door, Sixpack-equipped 2026 Dodge Charger Scat Pack Plus parked in our driveway. Since we were already thinking about the Challenger, we figured it was the right time to compare the new model’s test results with the figures we recorded for the 2019 Challenger R/T Scat Pack Widebody back when it was new.
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A lot has changed since then, namely that Dodge’s muscle cars no longer offer a V-8. The Scat Pack version of the new gas-fed Charger that we tested features a 550-hp twin-turbo 3.0-liter straight-six (dubbed the Hurricane). Meanwhile, the old Challenger we tested was powered by a 485-hp naturally aspirated 6.4-liter V-8 (a.k.a. the famous 392 Hemi).
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It’s never great when a new model performs worse than its predecessor. Unfortunately, that’s the case with the Charger Sixpack and the defunct Challenger—at least in some key performance metrics. The Charger performed worse than the Challenger on our skidpad, posting just 0.90 g compared with the Challenger’s 0.96 result. It’s the same story when it comes to braking. A hard stomp on the Challenger’s left pedal from 70 mph required 148 feet to bring the car to a standstill, while the same action in the Sixpack took 177 feet.
Digging into the details, it quickly becomes clear why the old model performed better in both tests. Currently, Dodge doesn’t offer the Charger Sixpack with summer tires, which, oddly, are available on the Charger Daytona EV. However, a Dodge spokesperson told Car and Driver that the stickier tires will be available on the gas-fed model later this year. Still, that didn’t change our test results for the time being. Along with the tire disadvantage, the Charger packed on more pounds for its latest generation. The Sixpack Scat Pack we tested weighed 4889 pounds, whereas the Challenger R/T Scat Pack tipped our scales at 4352 pounds. Pair the Charger’s 537-pound weight penalty with its all-season tires, and the test results speak for themselves.
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But in the world of muscle cars, it’s often straight-line speed that takes precedence, so let’s get into acceleration. Despite being considerably heavier, the Charger Sixpack reached 60 mph in 3.7 seconds, two-tenths ahead of the V-8 Challenger. And the Hurricane-powered Charger reached 100 mph 8.8 seconds, a good amount ahead of the Hemi-equipped Challenger’s 9.3-second run.
The new twin-turbo Charger was also quicker in the quarter-mile (12.1 seconds at 116 mph), with the Challenger doing the deed in 12.4 seconds at 114 mph. Sure, the Charger recorded a more impressive launch, but the Challenger’s hefty Hemi V-8 was the more responsive engine. We measured a 5-to-60-mph time of 4.2 seconds in the Challenger versus 4.8 seconds in the Charger.
The debate about what defines a muscle car has been raging since the segment originated. Your definition will surely be different than your neighbor Fred’s, and his will be different than ours. That said, pretty much every muscle car possesses impressive straight-line speed, and while it may not have the proper number of cylinders, at least the new two-door Charger Sixpack Scat Pack accelerates quicker than an equivalent V-8 predecessor.
