Denied a Horsepower Hike for 2019, Dodge Grants the Charger a 2020 Bump

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

Dodge’s Charger and Challenger are rolling anachronisms we’ll miss after they’re gone. For now, the two full-size rear-drivers soldier on into the future atop their ancient underpinnings, with Fiat Chrysler bestowing an ever-growing list of variants upon still-interested buyers.

The latest corrects what some Mopar fans may have viewed as an oversight. Last year, following the release of the long-teased Challenger SRT Demon, Dodge pushed the Challenger SRT Hellcat’s supercharged 6.2-liter up to 717 horses, giving would-be buyers 10 more reasons to desire the model. A Redeye version delivered 797 hp, a downgrade (if it can really be called that) from the limited-edition Demon’s 840 hp.

Meanwhile, the Charger was left to “suffer” with only 707 hp. Not anymore.

After introducing widebody versions of the Hellcat and Scat Pack Chargers for 2020, Dodge has bestowed an extra 10 hp upon its super sedan, though buyers had best act fast ⁠— this word salad of a model doesn’t come with an indefinite supply.

Officially called the 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody Daytona 50th Anniversary Edition (*draws deep breath*), this Charger variant packs the same 717 hp found in the Challenger SRT Hellcat and dons a retro paint scheme designed to remind you of the year of the moon landing. Regular Charger Hellcats remain at 707 hp and the same 650 lb-ft of torque as found in the Daytona.

Inside, trim-specific stitching and badging abounds, and you’ll find your instrument panel swathed in carbon fiber.

Featuring 20-inch wheels, a lip spoiler (no high-flying wing, sorry), and four paint choices ⁠— one of them, B5 Blue, being exclusive to this model — the Daytona 50th Anniversary Edition is limited to 501 examples, with orders opening in the fall. That production figure mirrors that of the original, short-lived 1969 Charger Daytona.

Pricing has not been announced, but customers should expect to gain delivery early next year. Those of you eager to see yet another version of FCA’s venerable power twins in the flesh had best head down to the Woodward Dream Cruise this weekend (specifically, the Modern Street Hemi Shootout Lot in Pontiac, Michigan).

[Images: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Jeff S Jeff S on Aug 15, 2019

    The Charger and Challenger will not last much longer so this is the last hurrah for American made rear wheel drive muscle cars. I don't believe there is enough market for these vehicles and that is why FCA has not done a major redesign of these vehicles.

  • Cognoscenti Cognoscenti on Aug 19, 2019

    I for one hope that FCA just keeps making LX sedans until the market says "no more". If we can't have a redesign, they should just keep doing mild refreshes on the cheap indefinitely. The tooling has long been paid for!

  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
  • FormerFF We bought three new and one used car last year, so we won't be visiting any showrooms this year unless a meteor hits one of them. Sorry to hear that Mini has terminated the manual transmission, a Mini could be a fun car to drive with a stick.It appears that 2025 is going to see a significant decrease in the number of models that can be had with a stick. The used car we bought is a Mk 7 GTI with a six speed manual, and my younger daughter and I are enjoying it quite a lot. We'll be hanging on to it for many years.
  • Oberkanone Where is the value here? Magna is assembling the vehicles. The IP is not novel. Just buy the IP at bankruptcy stage for next to nothing.
  • Jalop1991 what, no Turbo trim?
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