The new Dodge Charger didn’t exactly have an intrepid start out of the gate, but the muscle car will have an opportunity to reset with the arrival of the long-awaited gas-powered Sixpack model. The Charger has historically been an inexpensive path to power for those who want it, but the R/T Sixpack is slated to start at $51,990 delivered—exactly $15,070 higher than the cheapest last-gen one. It’s possible that Dodge lowers the floor with a future trim, but based on comments from CEO Matt McAlear, we wouldn’t hold our breath for a return to the sub-$40K realm.
McAlear reflected on the new Charger’s higher starting price during a roundtable chat with journalists attended by The Drive. The chief executive argued that if you tally up everything the R/T coupe offers as standard and compare that against the discontinued Challenger, the Sixpack is the better value.
“If you look at where we exited the market with a 375-horsepower Challenger two-door, it was just under $41,000,” McAlear said. “Now, you take what we were charging at the time for all-wheel drive, which was $3,000, and you look at what we were charging for a widebody package at the time, which was $6,000, and you add that up—41+9, right there at 50. We’re at $49,995 [without the $1,995 destination charge] and we still have 45 more horsepower. You got more rear-seat leg room, you’ve got more technology, more safety, more cargo room, better handling. From an outgoing to an entry, I’d say we’re actually as competitive as we can be,” McAlear summed up.
Like for like, purely based on equipment, the CEO is right—sort of. Standard all-wheel drive and more power should be accounted for in any value comparison, though the widebody point feels a little flimsy, as if the new Charger is so wide that Dodge couldn’t possibly blow out those fenders even further in a future special edition. (And remember—this is from the same brand that is playing coy about whether or not a Hemi fits in the new car.)
But McAlear’s final qualifier there—”as competitive as we can be”—is a little tricky. Dodge evidently believes this formula is competitive in the low-$50K range, and that could be argued. But Dodge can go lower; it could offer rear-wheel drive, for starters. And that’s well before you get into strategically cutting options and trim to hit, say, a $45K base.
The question is, as ever, whether Dodge wants to go lower. Right now, it doesn’t seem to. That makes sense, considering how many folks have been pining for a gas-powered, next-gen Charger. Those early adopters will pay the premium. (And if $52,000 is too rich for your blood, just imagine the premium when the Hemi finally makes its return.)
My guess is only after that point will Dodge see about lowering the barrier of entry for the new Charger. But even if it does, the days of $30K Pentastar muscle are likely well behind us. Blame it on inflation, not to mention the economies of scale of those ancient LX cars. Today, Dodge starts over from scratch—for better and worse.
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