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I have been reading about what my 2026 Scat Pack is and is not. The biggest complaint is that the new Charger is not a muscle car. They are correct, but it never was in the traditional sense and more importantly, it was never intended to be. Most of these opinions are written by people who do not own the car, have no historical perspective about Chargers, and no knowledge of the unique technology and features the original Chargers had that kept them from being lumped into one category of car. About the first Charger, 1966, Fast Lane writes: "Rather than creating a traditional muscle car, Dodge set out to build a futuristic personal performance coupe that blended luxury, technology, and style in ways few American manufacturers had attempted before. The dashboard glowed with electroluminescent gauges, and a full-length center console stretched from the front seats all the way to the rear of the cabin." The original Charger was a personal luxury car that could be optioned with extremely powerful engines. Only the four seat T-Bird and Buick Riviera could compete with the Charger in technology, luxury, power and features. Look at the interiors from American "Muscle Cars" of that era and explain how they are comparable. The 1966 Grand Prix could slide into that category as well, but was a full size car with a rear bench seat and competed more directly with the Chrysler 300. The 1968-1970 were arguably the period when the Charger became the most muscle car like, with the 440 in the R/T and the HEMI option, but even then most Chargers were sold with the 230HP 318. The SE became the focus in 1973 and 1974, emphasizing the additional sound deadening used to make the car more quiet and luxurious. By 1975 the Charger reverted to its origins, it reverted to a full fledged personal luxury coupe, with a beautifully appointed interior. It still could be had with a 400 four barrel engine, which was close to the top of the field in power, but its mission was to deliver luxury, tech (think lean burn) and road presence. The cars that wore the Charger name in the 1980s should be dismissed as gussied up Omnis. The introduction of the 2006 Charger brought a great deal of backlash and angered many Charger fans because it had four doors. That should not have been the issue. The abysmal interior should have. If you did not get the package with the sports seats, even the seats were dreadful. I say this as an owner of a 2006 R/T with the sports seats and with all its faults, remained my favorite car before the new one. Most were sold not with the 5.7 but with the 2.7 and 3.5. The 2.7 was one of the worst engines produced by Chrysler in its illustrious history. The base ICE engine in the 2026 Charger is far and away the most powerful base power plant in its 50 year history. I don't read about that by any of the critics. The reason the "muscle car era" ended was emission mandates by the federal government. Emission standards set by the Biden administration's EPA made standards impossible to reach and the end of ICE would have come by 2030 had the new EPA not rescinded those standards. The HEMI is not capable of meeting the CAFE and emission standards the feds set. These standards are what was responsible for the hideous start stop feature cars have today. They are no longer required on cars from 2027 forward. I took the 2026 on a long trip yesterday and it came to me. This car reminds me of my 1976 Chrysler Cordoba with 50 years of added technology. The leather bucket seats were as comfortable as you could hope for. The car had effortless power, thanks to the 400 four barrel with the duel exhaust. It was quiet and smooth, but not as smooth as the GM or Ford rivals in that era. What it could do better than its rivals was handle twisty roads. The words written about my Cordoba easily apply to my Scat Pack. The 2026 Scat Pack is an absolutely magnificent automobile. Taken in the aggregate, there is no domestic competition. If you throw in its exterior looks and interior in its top trim, there is no competition period. Some cars will do some things better, but no car does everything as well. Those of us who are fortunate enough to be able to own one should be thrilled and proud of owning one of the coolest cars ever produced by a mainstream manufacturer.
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