Dodge in the US has finally dropped all the juicy details of its twin-turbo six-cylinder powered 2026 Dodge Chargers.

The new ‘Sixpack’ Chargers are based on the electric-powered Charger Daytona, using the Stellantis STLA Large ‘muti-energy’ platform. Besides Dodge, SLTA Large is used on Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Chrysler and Jeep products. It can run in pure EV, hybrid or pure-ICE formats and can accommodate, front-wheel-drive, rear-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive drivetrains.

The six-banger Charger takes the all-wheel-drive option, but Dodge is keen for everyone to know that the front axles can be disconnected at will when burnouts or drifting is on the menu. The single transmission offered is an updated eight-speed 880RE TorqueFlight auto.

Released in 2021, the 3.0-litre six pot was dubbed the Hurricane and has been doing duty in the Jeep Wagoneer & Grand Wagoneer, as a crate motor and latterly in RAM 1500s.

In Charger form, the engine is known as Sixpack and will be available in two formats. The top-of-the-range Scat Pack model makes 550hp and 531lb-ft from the HO (High Output) version, which features a forged crankshaft, pistons and rods.

The R/T base model gets the SO (Standard Output) version, with misses out on the forged internals and runs less boost for a factory rating of 420hp and 468lb-ft torque. While Dodge says the HO pumps as much as 30psi, the SO delivers less boost, but doesn’t say just how much less.

The R/T misses out on the Scat Pack’s Line Lock and the electronically controlled exhaust, they do score the rear-wheel-drive mode, the limited-slip diff, and launch control mode.

The Charger is available in both two-door and four-door formats. And boy, they are big units. The two-doors have a claimed kerb weight of 2184kg and is 5247.mm long! Nevertheless Dodge is claiming a quarter-mile ‘target’ of 12.1-seconds from the HO.

Despite packing up to 670hp, the Dodge Daytona EV version of this car has performed less than spectacularly in both road testing and in terms of showroom sales. The R/T version of the Sixpack starts at US$51,990, whereas the Daytona EV costs a full US$10K more. For comparison, the bare-bones V8 Ford Mustang GT undercuts the R/T to the tune of $46,885.

And if the Sixpack doesn’t tickle your fancy, Dodge execs haven’t exactly been ruling out a Hemi V8 version in the future, as you can read about here.

HO 3.0-LITRE SIXPACK SPECS

The 550hp HO Sixpack uses a deep-skirt alloy block with six-bolt steel main caps, forged steel crankshaft and rods, and full-floating 9.5:1 forged pistons with anodized top rings, DLC-coated wrist pins, and cooling oil jets. The block is beefed by a structural aluminium sump holding 7-litres.

The alloy cylinder head houses twin overhead cams with independent timing control for intake and exhaust. Turbos are twin Garrett 54mm GT2054 units with exhaust manifolds integrated into the head. Cooling the charge are dual engine-mounted water-to-air intercoolers on their own cooling circuit. The fuel system is a direct-injection, with 350 bar of pressure. Maximum boost is 30psi.