Personally, what I would love to see with the 2026 Charger is actually quite simple.
1.) Extensive exterior color options: I would love to see all of those new colors that they showed at spring fest plus some of the amazing colors that they've had for mopar over the past few years such as Octane Red, Granite Crystal Metallic, Sinnamon Stick, Hellraisin, TorRed and F8 green.
2.) More interior color options: The black and red are cool but Laguna Sephia needs to make a return as well along with that black and tan leather and alcantara option the scat packs had a few years ago along with that Hammerhead package that the Durango has. that needs to be a thing for this Charger. ASAP! Actually that whole interior and exterior package needs to happen for the new Charger.
3.) Graphics/Exterior design: That graphics package on the gray Daytona they showed at Spring Fest and the one with the white/orange & black that they had for one lap America needs to be a production graphics package on the ICE chargers with either Dodge or Charger as the optional callout and it should come in different color options depending on the color of the car. It would be nice to see Dodge/Direct Connection actually have different hood options for the six pack cars along with spoiler options, front lip, side rockers and splitters (with painted options for the rockers) and diffuser options, Similar to what Chevy did with the last-gen Camaro.
4.) More involvement from Direct Connection: I am going to be extremely conservative when I say a cold air intake, tune, upgraded air charge pipes a blow off valve and upgraded catback exhaust system could see gains of 50hp/35lb-ft of torque on these cars from a 50-state legal Direct Connection Stage-1 package. Even still that would put the GT at 470hp/503tq and the Outlaw at 600hp and 566tq. Having that with both cars being able to be optioned with the Super Track pack packages with the dynamic suspension, staggered wheel/tires and the Brembo brakes (with different caliper color options like the Jailbreak cars from the previous generation) would really be nice to see. Plus if Direct Connection comes out with a lowering kit and a few other chassis upgrades that wouldn't be bad either. Would also be nice to see the illuminated steering wheel with the GT-logo and Outlaw logo with a nice leather and alcantara heated and cooled steering wheel option on this next-gen car as well.
5.) More trim levels and better (more profitable powertrain options: By now, we all know that the EV Daytona isn't a big seller. Even though the car is insanely beautiful (to me) truth be told, people shopping for a Charger aren't EV buyers, and people shopping for an EV aren't Charger people. Kudos to the idea and honestly. I truly, honestly think that the car is Amazing and it has alot of potential but maybe as a Chrysler and not as a Charger. Personally I think the Daytona would do better as a hybrid with the 3.0L Hurricane high output engine attached to the Hybrid 8-speed transmission, adding 218hp from the transmission's electric motors, making the Daytona a Hellcat stomping 768hp beast with torque like a freight train. The same way an R/T trim package with a 3.0L Hurricane Standard Output engine attached to the Hybrid 8-speed gear box would produce a 638hp AWD beast. While that would take care of the higher-end, sub-SRT variants of the Charger, the other side of that would be the SE and SXT models. a base model SE with the 292hp 3.6L with AWD in sedan only form with the 850RFE transmission wouldn't be a bad idea for and entry level Charger or even a police fleet vehicle as it would focus on the basics and fuel economy. small screens, 18" wheel, low-back seats, no grille DRL and the smooth EV-style front end with no mail slot would work for the SE-variant Charger. Stepping up to the SXT level Charger, with coupe and sedan options, would get the mail-slot front fascia back with an optional sport package for the spoiler and certain other things. The powertrain on that would be a 370hp hybrid version of the 2.0L Hurricane-4 EVO with about 395lb-ft of torque, meaning that the SXT would produce the same amount of power as a 5.7L Hemi V8 with exhaust tuning similar to that of the Hornet R/T. Add a Mopar Cold air intake, a handling package and Brembo brakes with a few aero upgrades and interior package for a GLH trim of the SXT with about 5-10hp gain over the regular variant and now the Charger has a lineup that gets alot more people behind the wheel with decent power, performance, practicality and economy where it counts.
What I DON'T want to see in the 2026 (or beyond) Charger
1.) A V8: I love Mopar V8 engines. I love the 392, I love the 6.1, I like the 5.7L and the 440ci V8 is one of my all time favorite engines ever made and I dream of being able to ride in an old school Mopar (Charger, Coronet, GTX or Roadrunner) that is powered by a 440 V8. I love the 5.9L Magnums in the old Dakotas and Durangos so yes I am truly passionate about the Mopar V8 engines. However, I don't want to see an engine shoehorned into a car that it doesn't belong in. I think this car is going to handle amazingly and that is partially due to the I-6 powertrain and to me, it's the best option for this car. If Stellantis decides to put a V8 in something, they need to build a car that is designed for a V8. This car isn't it and honestly, that's a good thing.
2.) EV Powertrains: The 670hp dual motor setup in the Charger is truly an experience and a wonderful one at that. It has a hellcat like feel to it and it's definitely a fun powertrain. Even with all of that, it doesn't belong in this car, even in Banshee form when it arrives. EV technology like this should be what is used to save the Chrysler brand and even with this, traditional and hybrid cars need to be available for Chrysler as well even with Chrysler developing a strong EV presence. I am anxious to see Stellantis come out with another 1,000+hp car and that Hurricane Cat-X race level crate engine in Race form may give us that. While it may be a bit too radical for a daily driven-production car, a Detuned variant of that pushing around 800hp from the powertrain alone, mated to a hybrid 8-speed with that 218hp electric motor would push the car over 1,000hp on pump gas. If the SRT team uses that same tuning formula they did on the Demon 170 with the race fuel, that means the horsepower and torque numbers go even higher and with all-wheel drive this next Charger SRT hybrid could actually smoke a Demon-170 on the track and still be an amazing daily.
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