Reviews of the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV have been coming out over the last week, and it’s fair to say it’s a mixed bag. Objectively, it’s a competent coupe with a lot of interesting design features and technical choices to appreciate. But it’s also a massive departure from its predecessors, the Challenger/Charger pair that stood proudly as old-school V8 muscle cars in an electrifying world, and it’s being criticized accordingly. Now a big question is popping up: can the Hemi V8 fit in the new Charger, and if so, would Dodge consider bringing it back?
Yesterday, Jalopnik published a story citing an anonymous Dodge engineer who said the old V8 literally doesn’t fit in the 2024 Charger’s engine bay. We were skeptical of that, so we reached out to Dodge and Stellantis PR to ask point blank if it’s physically impossible to stuff a Hemi in the new car. Dodge’s response: “Dodge is focused on launching the all-new, all-new electric Dodge Charger Daytona models, as well as the Dodge Charger Sixpack ICE-option models next year. We have nothing additional to share in regard to potential future products.”
That’s a heck of a non-answer, and we can guess why it’s dodging the question (heyo). First, the engineer’s full statement was that the V8 wouldn’t fit without cost prohibitive changes to the cradle and firewall, which belies an important point: with enough elbow grease and a can-do attitude, you can stuff a big engine into anything. And I don’t just mean backyard wrenchers LS-swapping a Miata—Jeep dropped a 6.4L V8 in the Wrangler from the factory.
It’s not a plug-and-play job because the new Charger’s front crash structure, firewall, and STLA platform were designed for electric motors or a straight six engine, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. While we haven’t yet taken a tape measure to the Charger Daytona EV’s engine bay, we also know that the new model is even bigger than the old Challenger in practically every dimension. And that includes the new gas engine! The high-output Hurricane inline-six is approximately 34 inches long, 29 inches wide, and 33 inches tall, not to mention the twin turbo setup. Meanwhile, the naturally-aspirated Gen III Hemi V8 in cars (vs the truck version) measures about 29″ x 26″ x 31″.
So, safe to say the “it literally doesn’t fit” argument doesn’t hold water. But if the Charger can fit a V8 engine, why won’t Dodge say so? To be fair, it’s stuck in a hard place. If Dodge admits it’s possible, that’s all it’s going to hear about for the rest of the decade, and there’ll be a permanent asterisk on the current car. Could’ve had a V8. If it denies it, it might shut down the conversation for now, but it risks having a YouTuber buy a new Charger to swap in a crate Hemi and publicly prove Dodge was lying or incompetent—or both.
Looking at the big picture, the real reason Dodge won’t answer is because a V8 in the new Charger is possible, but highly, highly unlikely. The cost issue is important; Stellantis isn’t exactly in the best position to be blowing a bunch of cash to adapt supply and production lines for a different engine, particularly on an enthusiast vehicle that won’t help the company reduce fleetwide emissions to avoid future penalties from regulators. Stellantis also no longer buys EV credits from other automakers, a decision made under former CEO Carlos Tavares, which means it can’t use those to offset selling inefficient V8s anymore, either.
Even if Stellantis was financially healthy, the engineer source in Jalopnik’s story signaled one more big philosophical reason why new Dodge Charger can’t have a V8—it’s supposed to be the muscle car of the future, and the Hemi is an engine of the past. Brand-wise, I don’t think a clean message makes up for it being one that the loyal customer base doesn’t want to hear. Still, it’s no surprise that a major corporation doesn’t want to admit it made a bad decision and toss aside years of marketing to say “just kidding!”
Who knows, though: there’s a sliver of hope in the man who killed the Hemi getting kicked to the curb. But I wouldn’t hold your breath.
Got tips? Send ’em to tips@thedrive.com