2026 Dodge Charger R/T Review: All-Season Entertainment

Dodge is quick to call the Charger a muscle car, which would make sense given its history. But I don’t think it really fits that bill. While this new Charger is definitely a sharper, sleeker version of the car it replaces, it actually more closely resembles a different type of vehicle entirely.

For my money, the newest Charger R/T is essentially a huge hot hatchback with lots of power, and now, true four-season driving capability. I sampled the latest Charger in an unlikely place: snow-covered New England. Dodge took things a step further, actually, and let me loose on the snow, slush, and ice-filled stages at Team O’Neil Rally School in New Hampshire.

And the Charger performed amazingly well. Proper winter tires and a healthy rear-biased all-wheel-drive torque split deliver smile-inducing, snow-slinging driver entertainment.

The Dodge Charger has evolved. We now have one model essentially replacing two prior models since the eighth-generation Charger can be had with two or four doors. In addition to the electric Daytona, Dodge currently offers the Charger with your choice of Hurricane inline-six-cylinder engines. If you spy the R/T badge on the front fender, you know we’re dealing with the standard output version.

All versions of the Charger, however, come standard with AWD. But, being Dodge, the Charger has a mode that sends power exclusively to the rear wheels. Put the car into Sport mode, then simply click the RWD button. That’s it. You’re now free to burn tires, rip donuts, and go full hooligan mode to your heart’s content.

Pros: Selectable Rear-Wheel Drive, Great Entry-Level Power, Tons Of Interior Space

The R/T serves as the entry-point to the Charger lineup, and 420 horsepower is a great place to start. Sure, the Hurricane inline-six still sounds like a distant Trophy Truck churning through silty slop, but the power delivery remains great. Peak torque hits at 2,500 RPM, the eight-speed gearbox rips off crisp shifts, and the AWD system pulls off the line hard.

The main problem for Charger R/T shoppers, however, is the Charger Scat Pack. For $5,695 more dollars, you jump to 550 hp, a 3.9-second 0-60 MPH (vs 4.6 for R/T), better suspension tuning, and larger brakes.

Photos by: Dodge

Photos by: Dodge

Well, that’s just one of the problems. The other is that Dodge buyers demand a V8 under the hood of the Charger. Dodge plans to bring one to market, but the rumor mill suggests the only option with eight cylinders will be a Hellcat—and that car surely won’t be cheap.

If a Charger shopper can get past the lack of aural enjoyment, they’ll realize that even the R/T delivers great power. In fact, it crushes the prior version with the 5.7-liter Hemi V8. You have 50 more horsepower, 73 more pound-feet of torque, and the new Charger shaves half a second off its 0-60 mph dash and 0.6 seconds off its quarter-mile time.

Photo by: Dodge

Cons: Weak Engine Noise, Too Close To Scat Pack Price-wise, Standard Seats Are Better

Beyond the car’s powertrain evolution, it’s somewhat intriguing to consider this car a hot hatchback. That powered rear glass lifts up to reveal tons of interior volume. Fold the rear seatbacks down and revel in just over 38 cubic feet of cargo space. You’re limited height-wise due to the shape of the car, but it feels like you could haul plywood in the back of this thing.

Since the Charger was developed to be either a two or four-door vehicle, passenger volume is wonderful as well. Real full-size adults can comfortably sit in the back seats of the coupe. It’s not just for children or all you short kings out there.

Photos by: Dodge

Though you have screens front and center, Dodge still has a physical volume knob—an odd, rare treat these days in modern cars. I’d like real buttons for the HVAC controls as well. Dodge uses a sort of capacitive-like touch bar set below the center screen. It works well enough, but real-deal buttons would work better.

While you can spec the car with its standard seats, Dodge does offer more aggressive optional seats on the Scat Pack. And that’s the one area the R/T actually wins—after spending a few hours hustling on Vermont and New Hampshire highways and b-roads, I find the standard seats to be quite a bit more comfortable.

Photo by: Dodge

Those B-roads lead me to the Team O’Neil Rally School, which is where Dodge has three courses laid out to explore the capabilities of the AWD system in the Charger. There’s a donut course, a slalom section, and a small rally stage. All three are covered in a mix of snow, slush, and ice, and each one allows me to have a lot of fun.

Controlling the Charger on the donut course requires throttle modulation and a light hand on the steering wheel. Put the car in Sport mode, fully disengage stability control, and have at it. On the slalom course, however, I get a quick lesson in the physics of weight transfer. 

The Charger is happy to rotate through the course, but it needs a lift of the throttle to get it moving to one side. Once it starts to rotate, I’m back on the throttle with a dab of oversteer. You repeat the process in the opposite direction to get through the course.

Finally, on the short rally stage, all these learned lessons are put into practice. And the Charger rips through the course without issue. Part of this snowy success is owed to the proper winter tires, but the Charger’s AWD system deserves plenty of credit as well. Dodge has built a true four-seasons fun mobile.

Dodge Charger R/T Verdict

Photo by: Dodge

I fully understand the desire for a V8-powered Charger, and when it finally gets here, it will be the one to have. But both versions of the inline-six-powered Charger are surprisingly good fun. A large part of that is owed to the drivetrain and your ability to run the car in AWD or RWD, as well as to the fact that the SIXPACK Chargers should heavily undercut the cost of the V8. 

I do think it’s worth the jump to the Scat Pack version of the car for the extra power, better brakes, and upgraded suspension components. You have to start at $56,990 for a Scat Pack versus $51,990 for the R/T. But I’m happy to report that even the entry-level Charger R/T easily put a smile on my face as I slid the car through snow-covered trails.