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The new Dodge Charger has fans split. On the one end, some Mopar faithful are grateful to see the iconic nameplate return at all. However, some die-hard fans reject the new Charger’s EV offering and believe the Hurricane inline-six is cylinder deficient. Regardless, the 2025 Dodge Charger Sixpack and its six-cylinder mill will outmuscle its perennial rival, the Ford Mustang, without a V8.

The 2025 Dodge Charger Sixpack will develop as much as 550 horsepower from its twin-turbocharged inline-six-cylinder engine

When Dodge unveiled the Daytona SRT EV Concept, fans were understandably worried about the possibility that the next-generation Charger would be an EV-only formula. Fortunately, Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis put those worries to bed with the debut of the 2025 Dodge Charger Sixpack. Cue the collective relief; it’s a gas-powered Charger for the next generation of the storied Mopar model. 

However, you won’t find the brand’s bread-and-butter HEMI engines in the lineup. No, the eighth-generation Charger will offer two versions of the brand’s twin-turbo, 3.0L “Hurricane” inline-six-cylinder engine. The less potent of the two 2025 Dodge Charger Sixpack models will develop 420 horsepower courtesy of the Hurricane mill. 

A set of new Dodge Chargers show off the sedan and coupe body styles.
A set of new Dodge Chargers in coupe and sedan body styles | Stellantis

That’s on par with the late-model fifth-gen Ford Mustang GTs and their then-new 5.0L Coyote V8 engines. However, the brand says the upper-tier 2025 Dodge Charger Sixpack, the “H.O.,” or “High Output,” will produce a commendable 550 horsepower. That’s a far cry from the tire-eviscerating Dodge Charger SRT Hellcats of the previous generation. However, it’s enough to easily outmuscle the doomed R/T Scat Packs and their naturally aspirated 6.4L V8s. 

Moreover, the 2025 Dodge Charger Sixpack H.O. can boast a higher horsepower output than any standard Ford Mustang trim, save for the elusive, spectacularly spendy Mustang GTD. For instance, the range-topping S650 Ford Mustang Dark Horse produces 500 horsepower from the highest-output factory Coyote V8 the Blue Oval has. That’s still 50 ponies off the output of the incipient Charger Sixpack H.O.

Better yet, the upcoming inline-six Charger will be available as a two-door coupe as well as a four-door sedan. Consequently, the presence of a 550-horsepower retro-styled coupe deadens a bit of the brand’s loss in discontinuing its Challenger lineup.