Dodge Killed the V8 Charger and Replaced It With an EV — This 550-HP Twin-Turbo Six Is the Apology Nobody Expected

Throttle House hosts Thomas and James test the 2026 Dodge Charger Sixpack, the gas-powered, twin-turbo six-cylinder version of Dodge’s new Charger platform making 550 horsepower for $54,995 USD. The review — bluntly titled ‘Welp’ — splits the hosts between cautious optimism and open disappointment. Commenters piled on over the car’s roughly 4,800-pound curb weight, heavier than a Toyota Highlander hybrid despite carrying no EV battery, and a plastic engine cover that misrepresents the inline-six’s cylinder layout. It’s a pointed look at whether Dodge’s post-Hemi Charger can actually deliver on the muscle car promise.

Dodge spent years building hype around what would replace its V8 muscle cars, and when the answer finally arrived, the reaction from two of the hosts testing it split almost immediately. One stayed cautiously hopeful through most of the drive. The other decided within the first few minutes that the whole thing just didn’t work — and said so, on camera, without much hesitation. Online, the verdict got even blunter, with one commenter borrowing a line from a rival YouTuber about showing up to a party late, at the wrong address, and it turning out to be a funeral. The video’s own title gives away exactly how this one lands before you even press play. So what did Dodge actually build, and why did it land this hard?

Introducing the 2026 Dodge Charger Sixpack

This Throttle House review, bluntly subtitled “Welp,” covers the 2026 Dodge Charger Sixpack, the gas-powered version of Dodge’s new-generation Charger platform that was originally introduced as an EV-first design. Pricing starts at $69,995 CAD ($54,995 USD), positioning the Sixpack as Dodge’s answer for buyers who want a modern Charger without going fully electric, and hosts Thomas and James take it out specifically to see whether a twin-turbo six-cylinder engine can convincingly fill the void left by the outgoing Hemi V8 lineup.

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The 550-Horsepower Hurricane Engine Under the Hood

Power comes from a 550-horsepower twin-turbocharged inline-six, part of Dodge’s newer “Hurricane” engine family, delivering big torque low in the rev range according to the review. On paper, that output undercuts the Ford Mustang Dark Horse in price while roughly matching or exceeding it in horsepower, a genuinely competitive positioning for Dodge on paper. The real question the video sets out to answer is whether a six-cylinder, even a heavily boosted one, can replicate the emotional experience longtime Charger and Hemi buyers actually want.

Why One Host Loved It and the Other Didn’t

The review’s tension comes largely from a split reaction between hosts: James approaches the Sixpack with more optimism, while Thomas is far more openly critical, going as far as declaring “this car sucks” during the test. That disagreement shapes the entire video’s tone, turning what could have been a straightforward spec rundown into a genuine debate about whether Dodge’s new direction actually works — and it’s a big part of why the video’s comment section became such an active discussion thread.

The Weight Complaint Commenters Couldn’t Get Past

Multiple viewers zeroed in on the car’s curb weight, reportedly around 4,800 pounds, with one commenter pointing out that figure is heavier than even a Toyota Highlander hybrid despite the Sixpack carrying no EV battery pack at all. Another compared the number directly to the previous-generation Dodge Hellcat, noting it’s “impressive” that Dodge somehow made the new gas-powered Charger heavier than one of its most notoriously heavy predecessors — a criticism that cuts directly against the sportier image the Sixpack is trying to project.

The Fake Six-Cylinder Engine Cover That Annoyed Enthusiasts

A smaller but telling detail drew its own wave of criticism: the plastic engine cover over the inline-six shows two separate groups of three cylinders rather than a single row of six, a cosmetic choice several commenters read as evidence that engineers had limited creative input on the final presentation. For enthusiasts who care about the details of an engine bay as much as outright performance numbers, that kind of styling decision reads as a symbol of a car built more by committee than by passion.

Comparing the Sixpack to Dodge’s EV-First Charger Strategy

The Sixpack exists specifically because Dodge’s original plan to launch the new Charger generation purely as an EV met resistance from muscle car loyalists, prompting the brand to develop this gas-powered variant alongside the battery-electric version. One commenter framed the situation as Dodge “showing up late to the party, and also at the wrong party,” a nod to a widely shared sentiment from another automotive YouTuber that the entire platform transition mishandled what longtime Charger buyers actually wanted from a successor to the Hemi era.

Why the Comment Section Turned So Skeptical

Beyond specific complaints about weight and styling, the broader comment section reflects a skepticism about whether piped-in cabin audio and turbocharged six-cylinder power can ever substitute for the visceral experience of a naturally aspirated or supercharged Hemi V8. One commenter called piped audio “the worst thing to happen with modern performance cars,” while another argued the new Charger isn’t a bad car because it’s electric-adjacent — it’s simply not a compelling car on its own terms, V8 nostalgia aside.

The Production Team Behind Throttle House’s Sixpack Test

As with other Throttle House reviews, this test credits a dedicated crew beyond just Thomas and James on camera, including videography from Karston Chong and Daniel Mason, editing from Chong, and sound work from Harrison Dickson. That level of behind-the-scenes credit reflects how much Throttle House’s production has scaled since its early years, treating a car review with the same crew structure — separate videographers, editors, and sound engineers — that a mid-budget documentary might use, rather than a single creator filming solo with a dashcam.

How the Sixpack’s Price Compares to Its Predecessor

At $54,995 USD to start, the Sixpack undercuts many outgoing Hemi-powered Charger and Challenger trims that carried six-figure price tags by the time Dodge’s V8 lineup wound down, at least on paper making the new platform more accessible to a broader range of buyers. Whether that lower entry price offsets the criticisms raised throughout the review — the added weight, the fake-looking engine cover, the piped-in cabin sound — is left largely unresolved by the video itself, but it’s a detail that shaped much of the discussion in the comments about whether the Sixpack represents genuine value or just a cheaper way to be disappointed.

What the Sixpack Means for Dodge’s Muscle Car Future

However the Sixpack is ultimately received, it represents Dodge’s most direct attempt yet to prove a modern Charger can still carry the muscle car torch without a V8 under the hood. Whether that bet pays off likely depends less on the raw horsepower figure — which is genuinely strong — and more on whether Dodge can address the weight, engine presentation, and audio-authenticity criticisms raised repeatedly across reviews like this one before buyer patience with the brand’s post-Hemi transition runs out entirely.

Watch the full video and tell us what you think — comments are open below.