2021 Dodge Charger

It’s rare that a car ages as gracefully as the current-generation Dodge Charger. Now in its tenth model year, the big sedan is very familiar but still a rewarding, entertaining drive. Familiarity also plays to its strengths, as the Charger intentionally plays up its old-school feel and connections with the big, fast Mopars of yore. Like Metallica, its material may not be brand new but fans love its repertoire and its amplifier is louder than ever.

In 2020, the Charger SRT Hellcat and Scat pack models got a wild new widebody look, incorporating massive fender flares, wide wheels and an uprated suspension system. For 2021 the Hellcat gets a little more power and an even faster companion, the SRT Hellcat Redeye, but the other Chargers continue largely unchanged.

The Hellcats are at the thrash metal end of the spectrum, but all Chargers have a hard rock vibe: big, rumbly and menacing. A full-size, primarily rear-wheel drive sedan, it’s a big car with a big personality and few direct competitors with rivals like the Chevrolet SS now long gone. The base Chargers compete with other family sedans, the mid-range ones with the Chrysler 300 and Kia Stinger. The Hellcats vie with the likes of the BMW M5 and Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, but are more about fun than lap times.

At the bottom end of the Charger lineup are the SXT and the GT, starting at $32,065 and $34,065, respectively, including a $1,495 destination fee. Both are powered by a 3.6-liter V6, making 292 horsepower in the SXT and 300 in the GT. The latter also gets more aggressive styling and 20-inch rims. 

All Chargers are rear-wheel drive and use a slick-shifting 8-speed automatic transmission, but the SXT and GT offer optional all-wheel drive (AWD). It costs $3,600 extra on the SXT and $3,000 on the GT, but it provides lots of extra traction in snowy climates, transferring power to the front wheels when needed. Both AWD models get fancier wheels, too, with the SXT AWD adding 19-inchers.

The high-performance Chargers start with the $39,065 R/T, powered by a 5.7-liter V8 with 370 horsepower. Above that is the Scat Pack, a reference to muscle Dodges of the 1960s. There are two Scat Packs, both with a 485-horsepower 6.4-liter V8. The regular $43,740 Scat Pack looks much like the other Chargers, but the $48,905 widebody Scat Pack looks even more aggressive.

3.5 inches wider than the regular Chargers, the widebody gets different front and rear styling is filled out by huge fender flares and 11-inch-wide wheels riding adaptive Bilstein suspension dampers. Designed for the Hellcat, this setup adds more grip and tractability. It doesn’t hurt that it looks mean.

The downside to the fat rubber is that the steering isn’t very communicative. Still, the Scat Pack widebody is about as rapid as a sedan gets for under $50,000, and both versions will sprint to 60 mph in a bit over four seconds. The R/T and V6 models are decent performers as well, though the V6 Chargers aren’t quite as quick as the Stinger or some newer rivals like the Hyundai Sonata N Line.

Now with 717 horsepower, the supercharged 6.2-liter Hellcat and it’s 797-horsepower Redeye companion need all the rubber they can get to transmit their power to the ground, and even then smokey burnouts are part of the experience. The Hellcats offer performance on par with seriously expensive machinery, but they cost more themselves at $73,840 and $82,440, respectively. You’ll need a track to use it and it does not handle with the finesse of an M5, but the Redeye rockets to 60 in 3.5 seconds and tops out at 203 mph.

Although the rear-wheel drive V6 Chargers turn in decent fuel economy for such a big car, up to 23 mpg combined and 30 mpg on the highway, all-wheel drive drags the numbers down by 2 mpg in most measures, and the R/T and Scat Pack return just 19 and 18 mpg combined. The Hellcat and Redeye are subject to a $2,100 gas guzzler tax thanks to their 18 and 15 mpg combined thirst.

Mild or wild, every Charger has a big car interior, with loads of room for passengers fore and aft and a big 16.5 cubic-foot trunk, on par with roomy family fare like the Honda Accord or Toyota Avalon. It also rides as comfortably as they do, though the higher-performance versions are quite firm. One nice extra about the Hellcats is that there’s little tradeoff in practicality for their performance. In dry climates the Hellcat is just as easy to live with as the V6 models, something that can’t be said of many 700 horsepower cars.

The cabin isn’t all that nice, however. Higher-end models offer some colors and fabrics upgrades, but the low-end Chargers are a sea of rental-car black plastic, and the dashboard hasn’t really changed since 2011. It feels dated, and at odds with the car’s price.

SXT models use a 7-inch infotainment screen while all other Chargers get an 8.4-inch unit. All run Stellantis’ intuitive and quick UConnect system, which has matured into a best-in-class infotainment portal and includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.

Dodge also makes you pay for a variety of driver-assist gear that you can find standard on a much cheaper Kia K5. Automatic emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assist are all part of a $1,895 technology package. Blind spot indicators are part of a $1,295 driver confidence package. Notably the Hellcats can’t add adaptive cruise or forward automatic emergency braking at any price.

Though you can’t add every option to every model, like classic muscle cars the Charger is a blank canvas for a determined buyer. There are 19 different sets of wheels, 13 different colors, and an armada of personalization choices, audio upgrades and accessories. Even aging rock stars like to dress the part.