QOTD: How Charged Up Are You?

Tim Healey
by Tim Healey

Today's Dodge Charger launch is going to drive a lot of conversations.

Including this question of the day.


The big question is, will Dodge be able to sell muscle-car aficionados, some of whom are probably anti-EV and/or very much in favor of internal-combustion engines, on a pure battery-electric vehicle? Especially since there was no intermediate electrification step involving a hybrid or plug-in hybrid?

I also wonder if the Hurricane-engine Chargers will sell well amongst those who are reluctant to go EV.

Maybe it will go the other way -- maybe old-school folks will be won over by the power on tap, especially since EVs can put their torque down instantly.

Personally, I am not bothered by the idea of an EV muscle car, though it is a bit sad to say goodbye to natural V8 sounds -- I am not sure fake exhaust sounds will be a proper replacement.

I am simply curious how the all-EV version of the new Charger will do. I am also curious as to how the EV/ICE mix will break down.

Some folks here think I am anti-EV -- I am not. That said, I wouldn't own one at present, as my current living situation makes charging a hassle. So whether I would buy an EV Charger is academic for the moment -- and I reserve final judgment on any new vehicle until I drive it, anyway.

With that in mind, I could see, based on the car's specs, a scenario where I'd own one, if I could charge it easily. I am also intrigued by the six-cylinder version -- it may not have a V8's snarl, but the power numbers are strong, the price will probably be less dear, and even if you're not anti-EV, buying a Hurricane-equipped Charger could be the best way to have one in your driveway. Imagine wanting the Daytona but buying the six because it's cheaper and/or you can't charge an EV easily. That's one way to get into a cool-looking new Charger.

What say you? Do you like the car's looks? Would you drive/own the EV Daytona? Is this muscle-car blasphemy or a step into the performance future as the motoring world evolves? Do you prefer the Hurricane, and if so, is that because it's ICE or for some other reason? And so on, and so forth.

Some of these questions will be answered, at least for me, whenever I finally drive the car.

Until then, sound off below.

[Image: Dodge]

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Tim Healey
Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

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  • Lou_BC Lou_BC on Mar 06, 2024

    I guess they could mount the hurricane tilted and call it a slant 6.

  • Alex Mackinnon Alex Mackinnon on Mar 07, 2024

    Its 1000 lbs heavier than my Mach E GT. I'm really not sure why. The battery is about the same size, the HP is a little bit higher (but not much), torque is similar. Longer body, but shorter profile.


    Looks cool, and I like the sedan/hatchback profile though. Quite slick. I'm just not sure why it's so heavy.

  • Theflyersfan The last 10 laps of the Indy 500. And Kyle Larson showing that he could drive an IndyCar. Few too many wrecks earlier, but the ending more than made up for it.
  • ToolGuy "the Volkswagen logo at the front is illuminated for the first time"• I didn't want to like it, but now I have to. 😉
  • ToolGuy "There's a heavy shake/vibration at speeds between 60-75mph or so, before that range, it doesn't shake, and after that speed range, it also doesn't shake. But when it does shake, it can be pretty violent. The van runs beautifully at 80-90+mph but that just so happens to be when the engine light starts flashing, giving the random misfire code."• When you rich genuises in your brand new cars decide to drive 'aggressively' and believe nothing can go wrong, remember that you are sharing the road with this guy.
  • Master Baiter Paint job looks like a Smurf puked on it.
  • ToolGuy The old 'pricing jump on the balance sheet' trick... 😉
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