No More Dodge Muscle Cars With Manual Transmissions
As the Charger enters the electrification era and the Challenger gets left behind, there’s nowhere for the manual to fit in.
What you feared was true, is: Dodge muscle cars with manual transmissions are done for. Tuesday's reveal of the 2024 Charger mentioned lots to get excited about, from the twin-turbo I6 variants carrying the torch for internal combustion and the 670-horsepower Daytona Scat Pack EV. Still, there was no mention of the new Charger's transmission options, so we reached out to Dodge and got the answer:
"No plans for a manual transmission."
This isn't surprising. The Charger hasn't been available with a stick shift for years, though the Challenger Hellcat manual made a triumphant comeback in 2023. Now that the Challenger is effectively dead and the Charger succeeds it with both two- and four-door models. We were hoping for a miracle—maybe foolishly, but still.
As much fun as it would be to dump the clutch and rip a fat skid in the twin-turbo 3.0-liter Hurricane I6 cars, the Charger doesn't come with rear-wheel drive anymore. All-wheel drive is the only option now and even though they can cut power to the front axle with the Line Lock function, the car has to be stationary. That feature is for warming up the tires before a quarter-mile run, not kicking the tail out around a curve.
All this said, the 2024 Charger is nothing to be upset by. Just because it departs from certain traditions by ditching the V8 and leaving the manual behind doesn't mean it's a total sell-out. The design looks great, if you ask me, and there are a ton of callbacks to the model's Mopar heritage. You know it'll be fast, and if the current offerings don't offer enough excitement, then just know there are more powerful ICE and EV variants on the way.
It's never been easy to watch the manual die off, but we should be used to it by now.
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