Cool Facts About The 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona

[00:00:00] My name is Carl Anthony and I work in the automotive industry in Detroit. Sometimes that work encompasses future vehicle technology and that's what we talk about here for the most part anyway. This is AutoVision News Radio.

[00:00:30] This was before Stellantis. Our team traveled the country with the AutoShow Circuit giving attendees ride and drive demonstrations of Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram and Fiat vehicles.

[00:00:42] Although I knew the entire FCA lineup, my primary cars were the Dodge Charger and Challenger, my first event, the 2016 Sacramento Auto Show.

[00:00:52] So I spent that October afternoon flight out to California reviewing and committing to memory a stack of spec sheets. And for the next two years, that's how it went.

[00:01:04] I traveled across the United States to all different kinds of auto shows and all kinds of places to present and demonstrate the charger and challenger.

[00:01:13] I did the best I could to represent the cars and to represent Detroit, what it meant to be from Detroit.

[00:01:21] I met a lot of interesting people who came to our display and I was able to hear their stories. My co-workers became like family.

[00:01:29] Those fond memories found their way back to the surface on March 5th of 2024 with the reveal of the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona.

[00:01:39] Join me for a little bit as we dive into the spec sheet and explore a few very cool things about the Charger Daytona.

[00:01:48] Moving at speed of mobility, this is all to vision news radio with Carl Antony in Detroit, Michigan.

[00:01:54] Built on the new Stella or STLA large unibody platform, the Dodge Charger Daytona is described by Stellantis as a multi-energy vehicle, meaning we will see both electrified and gasoline versions.

[00:02:10] STLA large will ultimately support electric, hybrid and internal combustion power trains for Stellantis.

[00:02:17] Dodge and Jeep in North America will see the first applications of STLA or Stella large followed by Alpha Romeo, Chrysler, and Mazerati.

[00:02:27] Between 2024 and 2026, Stellantis plans to launch eight vehicles across the five brands with the Stella large platform.

[00:02:38] Stellantis engineers and designers can better tailor these Stella large vehicles according to the target customers desires, be it a luxurious off-roader like a Jeep Grand Waggeneer or in this case a monstrous muscle car like the Charger Daytona.

[00:02:56] Key vehicle parameters like the wheelbase, the length, the width, the height and ground clearance can be adjusted accordingly and with respect to suspension and power train objectives around ride, handling and comfort.

[00:03:11] As described by Stellantis, the STLA or Stella large unibody platform will leverage the latest high-strength materials, it's optimized for weight and rigidity and will cater to transverse and longitudinal engine mounting configurations.

[00:03:28] With regard to electrification, Stella large is available in 400 volt and 800 volt architectures.

[00:03:35] That's a high level view of STLA or Stella large now a closer look for the world's first electric muscle car available in two door and four door variants and standard with all-wheel drive the 2024 Charger Daytona will utilize the 400 volt STLA large architecture whereas the more powerful SRT Banshee

[00:03:57] will utilize the 800 volt architecture. The system incorporates a high voltage battery pack, a dual integrated charge module and both a front and rear electric drive module often written as EDM for short.

[00:04:13] The front EDM employs front wheel and disconnect to improve range and efficiency while the rear EDM includes a mechanical limited slip differential to increase traction and overall performance.

[00:04:27] Both front and rear EDMs have a three-in-one architecture, the inverter, the gearbox and the motor generating 355 horsepower and 300 pound feet of torque.

[00:04:40] If you are enamored by how power trains like this function because it is really cool stuff, see the link in the show notes.

[00:04:49] I recently had the opportunity to visit GKN driveline North America in Auburn Hills, Michigan. While on site I met with Bendoland, director of electrical hardware engineering at GKN Automotive,

[00:05:03] in that episode, Bend gives me a 101 lesson. All the technical specs on all-wheel drive systems and eDrive systems really fascinating stuff, see the link in the show notes.

[00:05:16] In terms of horsepower, the 2024 charger Daytona RT has a standard direct connection stage one upgrade kit. That adds 40 horsepower for a total of 496 horsepower while the SCAT pack has a stage two kit.

[00:05:33] That provides 80 extra horsepower for a total output of 670 horsepower. Dodge says it expects the SCAT pack will have a zero to 60 time of 3.3 seconds and run the quarter mile in about 11 and a half seconds, and all that sound while you're doing that is going to be coming through Dodge's signature fratzonic chambered exhaust system.

[00:05:57] For comparison, a 2023 charger SRT Hellcat red eye with the 6 2 supercharged heavy does zero to 60 in 3.6 seconds so the charger Daytona is faster 0 to 60 but the quarter mile time on the Hellcat red eye with the 6 2 supercharged heavy is still quicker at 10.6 seconds 129 miles an hour 10.6 seconds versus 11.5.

[00:06:27] Now the Daytona charger Daytona has a 100.5 kilowatt nickel coal-bolt aluminum battery pack with a peak discharge rate of 500 kilowatts. Dodge is calling this the battery electric version of high octane fuel.

[00:06:45] The charger Daytona RT is expected to have a range of 317 miles while the SCAT pack is expected to have a range of 260 miles both cars feature regenerative braking with driver selectable modes to help improve that range and both can replenish the battery in under 30 minutes using a 350 kilowatt DC fast charger.

[00:07:09] Despite all the chatter around the EV powertrain, the charger Daytona can still be optioned with gasoline engines. You may recall how in 2022, Stellantis announced its hurricane engine a 3.0 liter twin turbo in line 6 with V8 levels of power and more efficiency.

[00:07:30] Key features of the hurricane include two low inertia high flow turbo chargers each feeding three cylinders dual overhead camshafts with fully independent variable valve timing and plasma transfer wire arc coating in the cylinder boards to create a low friction wear surface.

[00:07:51] The surface the spray and the coating process leaves more aluminum between the cylinders for better heat transfer and engine cooling.

[00:07:59] The hurricane engine has two versions a standard output optimized for fuel economy with cooled exhaust gas recirculation or EGR for short and then a high output version that's tuned for performance.

[00:08:14] Jeep and ram have already made use of the hurricane engines and Dodge will do the same in 2025 for the charger Daytona known as the six pack engines the standard output version creates 420 horsepower while the high output version produces 550 horsepower.

[00:08:33] As you're driving your charger Daytona, you can get a little freaky with the power shot button. Donut mode and drift mode the power shot button is located on the bottom right hand side of the steering wheel. It's standard for RT and scat pack.

[00:08:49] If you push it, it unleashes 40 more horsepower for 15 seconds and then exclusive to the Daytona scat pack are donut mode and drift mode.

[00:09:00] Donut mode allows the vehicle to spin only the rear wheels and then rotate around its front wheels without the traction control interfering and then drift mode has three driver selectable slip angle levels.

[00:09:14] Torque at that point becomes rear axle bias the front axle will maintain that pre selected slip angle. The front dampers soften the rear dampers will stiffen and then that creates creates an oversteer condition and you can use your imagination from there.

[00:09:31] Meanwhile, the track pack option for the Daytona scat pack includes the most extensive braking setup ever found on a Dodge vehicle consisting of 16 inch brembo vented rotors and six piston front and four piston rear fixed calipers.

[00:09:47] The break by wire eBoost intelligent braking system will optimize pedal feedback and breaking force in the cockpit.

[00:09:56] It's a mix of classic and modern for the 2024 charger Daytona. The instrument panel has lines and textures that pay tribute to the 1968 Dodge charger but the equipment is anything but vintage.

[00:10:09] The 12.3 inch you connect five infotainment touchscreen supports Tom Tom navigation serious XM Amazon Alexa wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and will locate charging stations other interior highlights include the 64 color attitude adjustment ambient lighting with varying intensities in the pistol grip shifter production of the 2024 Dodge charger Daytona RT and scat pack.

[00:10:37] The 20.2 inch and scat pack will begin at the Windsor Ontario Assembly Plant in mid 2024 while the four door versions will enter production in the first quarter of 2025 together with the gas powered charger six packs to learn more about the charger Daytona the Stella large platform and eDrive systems see the links in the show notes auto vision news radio is available on Spotify Apple podcast pod bean and more reporting in Detroit

[00:11:06] I'm Carl Anthony auto vision news radio