Recently, the Sixpack gasoline version of Dodge’s Charger has been getting all the attention, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t some exciting stuff ahead for the Daytona EV version as well. In fact, testing is well underway for what would be a much-improved variation of the EV.

While Dodge is busy showing off the 2027 600-horsepower Sixpack gasoline Charger Super Bee right now, it’s also confirmed that development of the semi-solid-state Charger Daytona EV is progressing. The semi-solid-state Charger Daytona has moved out of the lab and onto public roads for real-world testing, according to Dodge.

While Dodge hasn’t confirmed a launch timeline for the experimental semi solid-state battery pack, if it does make it to production, Dodge has already confirmed that it will charge from 15% to 90% in just 18 minutes.

Here’s the real kicker: compared to the Daytona’s current lithium-ion setup, a semi-solid-state pack would up the energy density by anywhere from 44% to well over 80%, which would mean less weight and more range.

Dodge stopped talking about plans for a tri-motor, 800-volt Banshee EV edition of the Charger a while ago, but this year Dodge has been stressing SRT performance-level cars are coming back in a big way. Many are speculating that means a Hemi V8 Charger is coming, and that might end up being the case, but what many have seemingly forgotten is that the Charger Daytona Banshee EV concept was also originally showcased as an SRT model.

So while the Charger Daytona is taking a backseat right now to the gasoline Sixpack, that doesn’t mean fans of the Daytona should give up hope on the Charger EV’s evolution. In fact, a semi-solid-state battery pack would make a tri-motor Banshee even more logical as a technology showpiece—perhaps coming as early as 2029, although that’s just a wild guess on my part.

Performance-wise, a tri-motor version would conceptually make a 1,000-horsepower or better, sub-two-second Charger possible, perhaps even coming close to or topping the Lucid Air Sapphire’s 1.89-second 0-to-60 mph time.

And here’s something else to get excited about: Drop Top Customs in High Springs, FL, has shown off a refined version of its upcoming Daytona ragtop, which may or may not be factory-sanctioned by the time it makes production. It’s just one photo (see video at the top of this post), but this one looks darn close to production-ready compared to the photos EV Rider showed you last year in this video:

So despite relatively low sales and some early quality control and firmware issues, it looks as though Dodge’s electric Charger still has a pretty good shot at reaching its full potential. If you enjoyed this episode of EV Rider, please go ahead and give this video a like, hit subscribe, and maybe even the notification bell, so I can continue to bring you EV news and adventures in EV motoring.

More Dodge Charger EV Coverage

Dodge Charger Scat Pack EV: 1,800-Mile Road Trip Test

EV Swap: Mustang Mach-E To Charger Daytona

Long-Term Owner Review: Charger Daytona Scat Pack

Drop Top Customs Developing Dodge Charger EV Convertible

Production Dodge Charger EV Unveiled With Full Specs

2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV Convertible Announced

The post What’s Ahead For Charger Daytona EV Development appeared first on EV Rider.

Some might say that the 2026 BMW 550e xDrive is the best of many worlds.

First, it is a sedan in a world where so many buy crossovers. Second, it has a turbocharged engine offering 483-hp and all-wheel-drive. And third, a turbo is paired with an electric motor to deliver all that power.

Reflect on that – a turbocharged gasoline engine and electric motor. Plus its lithium-ion battery has a 22.1 kWh battery capacity. Fully charged, it gets you up to 34 miles of EV-only driving and reach 87 mph before the engine kicks on to help.

The 550e has slightly more sedate styling than the M5 PHEV sedan we tested and then the PHEV M5 Touring (station wagon). The 550e’s iconic twin-kidney grille looks calmer than the M5’s, gaining optional Blackline trim on its frame and 14 vertical bars. It’s flanked by quad LED headlights with haloed DRL rims, and a slightly aggressive lower intake and air dam also framed in gloss black.

More BMW Coverage (story continues below)

2026 BMW M5 Touring: V8 Muscle With An EV Twist

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2025 BMW M5: Twin-Turbo V8 With EV Motor Blasts Off

2025 BMW 430i Convertible Is One Fun GT

Growth Of EVs: The Real Story

Why Tesla Model Y Owner Switched To BMW iX

And speaking of grilles, the 550e’s may look like it is closed to passing air, but it has active shutters – closed for streamlining, or open when cooling is needed. It also gets  a white LED halo, which looks cool at night along with the flowing “M” logo puddle lights glowing from the side mirrors. 

Side intakes are a bit less aggressive than the M5, but still wide and attention-seeking on the Alpine White paint job, with more gently flared fenders framing 20-inch Pirellis.

Lower side sills flare gently in gloss black – and no carbon fiber roof, rather a long smoked glass sunroof atop a low-slung and curving roofline. Side window trim is also gloss black vs. buff chrome, again due to the Shadowline trim option. There’s a slim black spoiler on the short rear deck that flows off the semi-fastback rear window. And we had the blue M-Sport brake calipers visible inside forked 5-spoke black and silver alloy wheels.

In the rear, slim LED taillights accented in black wrap around the shapely fenders over more gloss black lower accents, with reflectors hidden inside vent-like accents.

In white, with edgy design lines and the black trim, this 550e is a stylish, muscular-yet-trim sedan that looks ready to travel some winding roads. And in the Florida sun, you can see some subtle edging in the fender and door designs, which a darker color might hide.

It’s a well-proportioned shape. And what looks like framed exhaust tips in back – aren’t – just framed areas that look appropriate for a BMW 5-Series. And in case you do not know this is: a 5-Series logo is embossed in gloss black trim in the Hofmeister kink – BMW’s trademark small bend where the rear side windows meet the back of the side window.

Crystal Flourishes Surround BMW 550e xDrive Interior

The padded black leather interior is accented with a sweeping crystal band of color that changes with selected drive modes. The accent abuts an alloy band with touchable texture, that also wraps into the doors. Air vents are neatly hidden in the fascia. There are touch-sensitive sliders under them to control air flow, plus rubberized mechanical controls underneath for direction – a bit busy for me. 

Driver and front passenger get supportive, nicely bolstered leather and suede seats with power adjustments and heat. The driver has dual memory presets. The long moonroof is flanked by an Alcantara Suede headliner, with manual rear side shades, and a power rear one. Holding the key fob’s unlock button drops all side windows.

This is not an M5, but our options also gave us a flat-bottom M Sport steering wheel – a meaty, leather-wrapped rim with paddle shifters. Holding the left paddle down invoked a 10-second Sport Boost. That pushed combined gas/electric output from 483 to 489 hp, and all 516 lb-ft of torque for passing or launch control use.

All this faces a 27-inch-wide display, beginning with a configurable 12.3-inch gauge screen that shows different designs, including full navigation with digital speedometer, G-force meter, engine gauges, even a front-facing camera and other options.

It sweeps seamlessly into a 14.9 inch infotainment touchscreen with BMW’s iDrive 8.5 interface, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as HD Radio and more. You can enjoy video games or streaming shows – when parked – on the center screen, aided by the good Harmon-Kardon sound system.

The center console gets BMW’s familiar twist/tap central screen controller done in faceted crystal, next to a clear faceted volume knob. There’s haptic touch buttons for drive and EV modes, and more. At the front there area cup holders with accent lighting and an inductive phone charge slot with storage.

Despite this being my third 5-Series test in recent years, I still find the touchscreen menus within menus takes time to master – a few more physical controls would be nice. Fan speed needs a tap of the fan icon, then more taps. Overall, the dash has a very clean design. And at least you can program shortcut buttons

In back there are low-set semi-bucket seats with great support, plus decent head and leg room. You get outboard heat, rear vents, plus USB ports. Seat backs split and fold to expand a wide, flat 18-cu-in. trunk under a power lid you can power pop with a wave of a foot under the bumper.

Again, this BMW is the best of both worlds. Sure, there’s a 94-hp deficit from the M5’s I’ve tested – both PHEV’s have EV and turbocharged V-8s. But the 550E’s turbo 3-liter six and electric motor combine for 483 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. It feels very quick – and has a great snarl when pushed, even in Efficient Mode.

You also get a Sport, all-EV, or “Hold the battery” mode. And that electric motor is part of the 8-speed automatic transmission, adding up to 194-hp to the inline six, which has 313 hp by itself.

BMW 550e xDrive Sprints To 60 In 3.6 Seconds

In Efficient mode, our 9,300-mile-old 550e accelerates nicely in traffic, with smooth downshifts and decent passing power when asked. It will get to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds after a millisecond of moderate acceleration on EV. Then turbochargers kick in smoothly, joined by a subtle exhaust growl. Tap on Sport mode – the crystal accent under the center screen and doors blaze red – and there’s immediate EV torque joined by turbocharged inline six to hit 60 mph in 4 seconds.

For serious fun, hold down the left shift paddle – labeled BOOST – and you get 10 seconds of all EV and turbocharged engine power/torque funneled cleanly through xDrive. Then tap the gear shifter into “Sport” – tighter steering, a sportier exhaust, and power.

Use “Launch Control” – press the brake and floor the accelerator, then release the binders and the 550e launches to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds – no drama, no wheelspin, and a stunning 1.02 Gs on launch. Using it twice on a private road did see EV range drop a mile or two – but overall, we averaged about 19 mpg.

For comparison, the 2025 BMW M5 sedan we tested a year ago – with twin-turbocharged V-8 and a ripping 577-hp – hit 60 mph in 3.4 seconds in Comfort mode, and 2.9 seconds in Sport mode/Launch Control as all four tires squiggled momentarily before they grabbed.

BMW upgraded the AC onboard charger on the 550e plug-in hybrid from the standard 7.4 kW up to an 11 kW system. That means about 8 to 9 hours on a standard Level 1 (120-volt) household outlet for a full charge. Or on a Level 2 (240-volt) charger, we got 100% charge in 1-hour, 14 minutes.

BMW 550e Offers Decent EV Range To Boost MPGe Average

That Level 2 charge resulted in an indicated 34-mile range. On electric only, it’s quick enough, and fine for neighborhood commutes. But it felt a bit less sporty, deleting the verve of the twin-turbo six and EV torque. Still, there’s smooth power delivery and – surprise – gear shifts. That is because the 550e’s electric motor is integrated directly into the 8-speed transmission, with almost undetectable upshifts while driving.

To activate EV mode, three taps of the center screen does it. But we noted estimated range posted on the gauge display was a bit optimistic compared to EV reality. My 14-mile commutes to work saw the 550e consume 16 miles of range each time. That’s reasonable, and my commute includes a tall bridge and no stop-and-go driving to add range via regenerative braking.

Speaking of regen braking, while BMW how-to videos showed how to set one-pedal regenerative driving – back off the gas, and regen brakes kick in fully – that option did not exist (as BMW says) in “Driver Settings.” Other videos said I could also tap the Drive paddle to get full regen braking – that did not function either. I guess it was a software glitch.

That said, heavy use of brakes in rush hour would routinely see a few miles of range added back every time. We also got some regenerative braking under deceleration, feeling motors turn to generators as charge flowed into batteries. And many times, the electric motor seamlessly took over motivation in highway driving, only noticeable by the absence of an inline six exhaust sound.

The BMW’s 117.4-inch wheelbase looks long, with independent suspension and stabilizer bars, plus adaptive dampers and rear-wheel steering. The result was a taut but buffered ride – not harsh on most roads, with decent cushioning on full rebound over bumps. And with all-wheel-drive and the rear-steer, it was quite agile – neutral, well controlled and offering minimal lean in corners while pulling a respectable .8 Gs. If you’re having a bit more fun in longer corners it’s very neutral, with a mere whisper of understeer and a drama-free 1.06 G’s of lateral load.

The electrically-assisted rack and pinion steering felt direct and had plenty of feel, loading up nicely in Sport mode, rear steer offering a tight turning radius. And the 14.7 inch front/13.5 inch rear vented disc brakes, with four-piston fixed calipers in front and single-piston floating calipers in back, have a solid bite high up on the pedal, a bit quick in initial response, then very progressive. We managed a very solid 1.28 G’s in stops from 60 mph – quick and stable, with minimal nose dive and no fade after repeated use.

It’s athletic, powerful and offers long legs for travel. It’s quiet with only some tire noise at highway speed, and solid traction in Florida thunderstorms.

A base 530i starts at $50,500; our 550e started at $73,400 with lots of standard equipment. Our car’s options were: $1,050 M Sport Pro Package with grille lighting, black trim and sports brakes; $2,650 Executive Package with crystal controls and 3D parking view; 2,500 Handling Package with adaptive suspension; and $2,500 driving assistance with lane change and partial automated driving – final price is $82,600.

Bottom line: Agile, quick, frugal (and quick enough) when you want to EV it, or near-M5 when you combine it all. All in all, a bit more subtle, with lots of M5 in its DNA.

2026 BMW 550e xDrive Specifications

Vehicle type- 4-door, 5-passenger all-wheel-drive sports sedan
Base price – $73,400 (As driven – $82,600)
Gas engine type – dual turbocharged 32-valve V-8
Displacement – 3-liter
Horsepower (net) – 483 hp at 5,000-6,500 rpm
Torque (lb-ft) – 516 at 1,750 –4,700 rpm
EV power – up to 194 hp/up to 207 lb-ft max torque
Lithium-ion battery w/22.1 kWh usable energy capacity
Transmission – 8-speed automatic w/paddle shifting
Wheelbase – 117.9 in.
Overall length – 199.2 in.
Overall width – 74.8 in.
Height – 59.6 in.
Cargo capacity – 16.5 cubic feet
Curb weight – 4,894 pounds
Fuel capacity – 15.9 gallons
Mileage rating – Combined – 25 mpg average gas-only/68 MPGe hybrid

The post 2026 BMW 550e: Plug-in Hybrid With A V8 Turbo’s Punch appeared first on EV Rider.

For the past seven years, Kia’s midsize SUV has been the leader of its pack when it comes to size, luxury and capability.

In other words, it’s a serious enough SUV that the X-Pro really is capable of going off road as well as coddling its passenger and driver.

Now, after only one generation – albeit one that got a mid-cycle refresh in 2023 – Kia chisels its way into a very in-your-face look for 2027’s model. At 199.2 inches in length atop a 116.9-inch wheelbase (2.3 and 2.7 inches longer respectively), it takes the Telluride to the next gold mine.

Tellurides have sold very well, with over 73,000 sold though June of this year, after just over 123,000 sold nationwide in 2025, and 115,500-plus in 2024. And if the 2025 model I tested last year was a boxy, no-nonsense design, the 2027 model (Kia skipped a year) just introduced chisels its way right into the spirit of the Rocky Mountains.

The blunt grille goes all-cubist for 2027, with rows of flat black squares capped with vertical LED lights and amber DRL slashes. A blunt black bumper gets gold tow hooks over a deep lower intake, all under a broad hood ‘tween angular, faceted front fenders. It’s an in-your-face, face.

Under those triangular creased fenders live P255/60R18-inch Continental CrossContact rubber on faceted black alloy wheels, with suspension visible between tread and gloss black fender trim. There are square accents atop each wheel arch hooked into chunky black lower side sills. Flush door handles are almost invisible on flat flanks between faceted fender flares, leading to a pretty slick – for an SUV – drag coefficient of .33 on our X-Pro, Kia says.

Black roof rails are on top. In back there’s a hint of Range Rover with tall, slim LED taillights athwart a flat tailgate over a sculpted black bumper, again with prominent tow hooks.

The 2025 model looked purposeful – this one, with 9.1 inches of ground clearance and upgraded suspension, does look ready to get muddy. Reviews were mixed at various car events I attended in this misty gold SUV. Some liked the look, especially the grille, while someone called it a “Transformer.” I like the softened 90-degree angles, its long wheelbase and its chunky-yet-smooth aesthetic, with a 2-inch longer body design. 

Despite X-Pro’s off-road height and more ground clearance, it’s easy to slide into its pleated black faux leather bucket seats with suede uppers, X-Pro embossed on each. The driver faces a padded leather squircle steering wheel with paddle shifters in back, and the usual audio, cruise and gauge configuration buttons, plus drive and off-road mode selection.

There’s a wide curved dash display incorporating two 12.3-inch screens. It’s an evolution of the slightly smaller 2025 version. Straight ahead is a configurable display that shows speed, rpm, even off-road pitch and roll, plus an info screen with trip, front/rear power split and more. To the right there’s a climate control screen, which is partially hidden by the steering wheel rim. Then comes the navigation screen, or a split showing map, audio and more.

Cool stuff here: one configuration starts with a lightspeed star field when you turn the Telluride on, then each screen function – entertainment, phone, audio, etc. is a Star Wars character. And the map icon that shows where you are is the Rebel Alliance insignia – Red Leader standing by! And dig those rubber floor mats for if/when you get in the dirt.

Don’t look for the Start/Stop button on the dash or center console. It’s almost hidden on a right-side stalk with a twist control to engage Drive, Reverse or Park. And there’s only a handful of real buttons here. The main screen has Home/Map/Search/Media/Setup above the center air vents, and climate controls below, with USB ports nearby.

Plus, the color head-up display showcases surrounding traffic, including in blind spots, aided by a widescreen video rear-view mirror.

The interior is done in stitched black pleather with shredded carbon fiber-like accents on the dashboard, doors and center console, along with accent lighting. There’s dual inductive phone charge plates at the head of the center console, then buttons for auto-hold brakes and the like, plus a sliding door over cup holders and a storage tray. The wide center armrest hides more storage.

Back doors open wide to access twin captain’s chairs with center armrests, cup holders, and manual side window shades. You can slide the seats fore and aft for more rear seat room. And it’s easy enough to get to the third-row bench seat of this 7-seater, with good head room. Third-row leg room is tight unless the second row moves forward.

At least there are heated outboard seats and USB plugs. 

There’s plenty of cargo space here too, especially as the back rows fold flat, plus space under the floor, and a self-leveling rear suspension for heavier loads.

Like many Kia and Hyundai SUVs, there’s a built-in intercom so the driver can talk to the rear seat passengers in addition to blind spot cameras that display in the gauge package.

It also has SmartPark, which allows you to move the Telluride forward and backward via the key fob to move it in or out of a tight parking spot.

The interior has a cleaner, updated look that lacks a number of physical buttons, but with fairly easy access to most screen menus via the steering wheel or dash buttons.

More changes have been made under the skin of this totally redone second-gen 2027 model, as compared to the first-gen 2025.

First, lift that hood and find not the 2025 Telluride’s 3.8-liter V-6 with 291 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque, but instead a turbocharged 2.5-liter inline 4-cylinder producing 274 hp and 311 lb-ft of torque. It’s hooked to an 8-speed automatic transmission, capable of towing up to 5,000 lbs., compared to the V-6’s 5,500 lbs.

Tapping one of two steering wheel buttons accesses Eco, Normal, Sport, and My Drive modes – the other handles off-road Snow, Mud, and Sand. That’s handy since our X-Pro has higher ground clearance than the 2025 model we tested.

We did most of our driving in the 4,744-lb. Telluride in Eco mode, noting that all-wheel-drive auto kept it in mostly front wheel drive except under acceleration, when rear rubber kicked in, and during some of the off-road modes. In Eco it launched moderately, then the turbo smoothed in to hit 60 mph in a decent 8.1 seconds. In Sport mode, which routed a bit more to the rear wheels in most cases, we launched quicker. There were faster up shifts en route to 60 mph in 7.9 seconds. The four-cylinder engine has a bit more vocality than the last-gen’s V-6, but it’s not unpleasant, and is mostly quiet during suburban and highway driving. 

We scratched 18 mpg in mostly Eco mode driving. Sport mode resulted in a slightly sportier exhaust note, a tighter and more responsive steering feel, and quicker downshifts when power was requested, sort of fun for an SUV.

The 2025 Telluride we tested then – remember, there are no 2026 models – had that V-6, doing 60 mph in 6.9 seconds in Sport mode, with an indicated 22 mpg.

That relatively long wheelbase gets an independent suspension with MacPherson Struts up front, and independent multi-link in back, with that self-leveling rear suspension. The result was a comfortable ride, just taut enough, but with a supple feel over bumps. It only showed a bit of after-bounce following some larger speed bumps. And for an SUV, it handled suburban curves and interstate ramps nicely, fairly neutral without a lot of body roll. And when pushed in steady state cornering, only a bit of controllable understeer could be felt, but nothing driver and safety nannies couldn’t smooth out.

Our 5,900-lb. SUV had a nice bite and decent control on the pedal working its 13.6 in. front/12.8-inch rear disc brakes, offering solid stops with minimal nose-dive at full stop. There was some ABS chatter under full pedal threshold from 60 mph, but no fade.

We did do some off-roading, tapping in the off-road page on the main screen with an image of the X-Pro showing steering, tilt and climb angles, which wheels are getting how much power, plus engine gauges. In grass overlying sand, traction was solid in Sand mode, the gas pedal backing off input just a bit as we cruised through easily. Then we tackled bumpy sand in a pine wood with lots of branches, roots and depressions around, and again, traction was fine. Nothing tapped the underside due to higher suspension, and there was nary a body creak. But some roots did transmit a sharper bump through the suspension. X-Pro will probably handle a bit more Mother Nature without an issue.

The Telluride doesn’t have autonomous driving yet, but it will execute a lane change in cruise control with a tap of the turn signal stalk. The lane-keep system is insistent. Better steering wheel feel is there with it off on side roads.

A base Telluride goes for $39,190; our Telluride SX Prestige X-Pro starts at $56,790, the only options the Terrain Brown Matte paint and floor mats, for a final price of $59,580.

Bottom line: the Telluride X-Pro we tested is a near-luxury SUV with a distinctive and clean exterior design, near-luxury interior with serious attention to detail and equipment, and a solid engine with powe, and some decent off-road travel. It’s a solid choice for a traveling family with stuff.

2026 Kia Telluride SX-Prestige X-Pro AWD Specifications

Vehicle type – mid-size 7-passenger all-wheel-drive SUV 

Base price – $53,685 ($56,240 as tested)

Engine type – Turbocharged direct-injection DOHC aluminum inline 4

Displacement – 2.5-liter

Horsepower (net) – 274 @ 5,800 rpm

Torque (lb-ft) – 311 lb.-ft. @ 1,700-4,000 rpm

Transmission – 8-speed automatic with manual shift

Wheelbase – 116.9 inches

Overall length – 199.2 inches

Overall width – 78.3 inches

Height – 71.5 inches w/roof rails

Front headroom – 40 inches

Front legroom – 41.4 inches

Middle headroom – 38.9 inches

Middle legroom – 43 inches

Rear headroom – 37.4 inches

Rear legroom – 32 inches

Cargo capacity 22.3 cu. ft./48.7 w/3rd row folded/89.3 w/all rows folded

Towing capacity – up to 5,500 lbs.

Curb weight – 4,736 lbs.

Fuel capacity – 18.8 gallons

Mileage rating – 17 mpg city/ 22 mpg highway

The post 2027 Kia Telluride SX Prestige X-Pro Adds Star Wars Fun appeared first on EV Rider.

This week on EV Rider, something every motorcyclist who is considering an EV here in the U.S. needs to know.

By now, I had hoped to make this video and post a 30,000-mile review of my 2020 Zero SR/F, but I ran into an issue. I came out one morning, went to charge the bike, and it showed an indicated 0%. It wouldn’t accept a charge.

I’ve been doing troubleshooting since then, which is why you’re seeing the Zero with the plastics removed in the video at the top of this post. Among the first things I tried was replacing my 7-year-old 12-volt battery and resetting the BMU, but no luck.

It had been at 54%. In fact, the app still showed 54%. So, I went ahead, pulled the logs, and sent them to Zero. That’s one of the cool things about Zero Motorcycles: they do allow for a preliminary diagnosis in most cases if you can send your bike’s logs into their support team.

But here’s the big rub: I don’t have a local dealer anymore. My local Jacksonville dealer dropped Zero. My next closest dealer, about 80 miles away in Gainesville, Florida, also dropped Zero. So then I called the next closest dealer, which is roughly 110 or so miles away in Sanford, Florida—and guess what? They’ve dropped Zero as well.

And just to be clear, my local RideNow Beach Blvd. dealer, which up until recently carried Zero, is now refusing to service the bike for anything that requires a Zero-specific repair, despite me buying it new from them.

More EV Motorcycle coverage (story continues below)

Verge Says It Will Be 1st With Solid State Battery

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Zero Motorcycles’ Big Pivot For 2026

Aoocci C6 Pro Transforms Motorcycling

200-Mile EV Motorcycles May Be Coming Soon

Energica Motorcycles Is Back, Emerging From Bankruptcy

Now, I don’t point all this out to slam Zero. But for potential electric motorcyclists, this is something that you need to know. And this, by the way, is not unique to Zero Motorcycles.

I did a quick check: LiveWire also is no longer carried here in Jacksonville by the local Harley-Davidson dealerships. I checked Daytona Beach—same story, they’ve also dropped LiveWire. However, I want to stress, I do not know if that means like RideNow, those dealers do not service existing customers that previously bought their LiveWires from them. That’s something existing or potential customers would need to verify.

So then I decided to check Can-Am, which also has a local dealership. Guess what? They don’t carry the electric side of the brand either. And if you’ve got an Energica, that brand has gone through a bankruptcy and reorganization and isn’t currently supporting U.S. customers in any meaningful way—although there is at least one dealer in New England doing his best to continue supporting U.S. customers while the Italian brand regroups.

Now, I’m not saying this to slam Zero, LiveWire, or any other brand. Instead, what I want to make sure people know is that if you’re buying an electric motorcycle, it’s not like buying a traditional Honda, Harley, or Indian. You’ve got to be very sure about what you’re getting into, because these are big investments.

In the case of my Zero, if I decide to have it repaired, I would have to have it towed or shipped more than 200 miles to get to the next closest in-state dealer, which in my case is in Tampa, FL.

And my example isn’t nearly as bad as some are facing. I believe in these products. I’ve been riding EV motorcycles since 2014, and I have been very happy with the customer support I’ve had from Zero. But right now, I’m in a lurch.

The preliminary diagnosis shows that I probably need a new Battery Management Unit (BMU). But because Zero can’t communicate with the bike, it can’t guarantee that is the only problem or the actual problem.

Right now, I’m waiting to hear back from Zero one final time before deciding what to do. But here’s the short story: if I were to send the bike to Tampa, I would probably spend $1,500 or more between shipping and an initial diagnosis due to labor costs before I would even know for certain that the BMU is the issue here.

And if it’s not, my bike’s out of warranty—I bought this bike way back in 2019. So, what am I going to do? I’ll follow up.

There’s a chance what I may end up doing is buying the part from the Tampa dealer (Zero does not sell parts directly to customers) and then have it shipped to Jacksonville, and installing it myself. But I’m still debating that because it’s a gamble.

Based on what I’m reading on the internet, there’s a chance a BMU swap won’t end up being plug-and-play, potentially still requiring a Zero dealer to connect to Zero’s server, although as best I can tell, that’s not mentioned in Zero service manual. So even if the BMU is the only problem, I might still be stuck paying to have it shipped.

I didn’t do this video to criticize electric motorcycles. Instead, I want to make sure any video I do is open and honest, so potential EV buyers consider all the facts.

And the facts are that in many cities around the U.S., it is not as sure a thing to have reliable service over the course of the ownership of the motorcycle as it is with the mainline traditional gasoline brands of motorcycles.

What I would say to people considering a new Zero, LiveWire, Can-Am, or any other brand: if at all possible, get the to commit in writing that they will service the bike for as long as you own it. If they won’t, that may say something about either the long-term viability of their dealership or their faith in the brand or brands they’re carrying.

And I would say as a community, we need to put pressure automotive and motorcycle companies – whether gas or EV – to make sure they support the right to repair. For example, in the case of this Zero, if I had to get a new battery pack, the part would need to be commissioned—which basically means a Zero tech would need to log in to the system to activate that battery on this bike.

That’s fine in a city where there’s a dealership with technicians. But if you’re in a city, country, or community that doesn’t have that option, what do you do?

Just food for thought. I will be back at some point to hopefully do that 30,000-mile review on my Zero, or at least tell you the outcome in my particular case.

The post I Can’t Get My EV Motorcycle Locally Serviced Anymore appeared first on EV Rider.

Cadillac is the second oldest continuously operating car company in the U.S., founded in 1902 by Henry Leyland – three years after Buick.

Within just a few years, Leyland’s car company had achieve many firsts, including the first electric starter in a production car in 1912 Model 30, a first mass-produced V-8 in 1915, the first independent front suspension in 1934; and in 2023, the first GM product crafted on its unique Ultium EV-only platform.

The Lyriq was ostensibly an SUV, but in reality it’s a fairly low, sleek and lush 5-door that really says “Cadillac.” It’s almost hard to believe that same Ultium platform is part of the GMC HUMMER EV, as well as the Chevrolet and GMC electric pickups, which are all pretty unique themselves.

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Now comes the performance version of the midsize Lyriq, and in our test vehicle’s stunning metallic red with serious performance rubber, it has serious presence. This Cadillac is massaged by its V division. That normally means a Corvette-derived, supercharged 6.2-liter V-8. But this is the first Cadillac EV to get the V treatment. That means the combined output of the base Lyriq’s twin motors is hiked from 515 hp/450 lb-ft of torque, to the V’s 615 hp/650 lb-ft if you select the most-power-for-your money setting.

You have Tour, Snow/Ice, Sport, My Mode, V-Mode – and Velocity Max, this last bringing all power and torque to the table while managing steering, suspension, power and braking for the quickest launch. Tour mode gave us 515 hp and a quick launch to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds. Passing power is mighty fine. I used Tour mode the most as it also gave us a comfortably taut ride and precise steering with decent feedback from the electric steering – plus the best range by backing off the power a bit.

But wait, there’s more. Launch Control in Sport mode. Hold the brake down, floor the throttle, and when you release the binders, twin motors deliver almost all power and torque to all four wheels with enough safety nannies to keep it straight. First, we did it in Competitive mode, which is accessed after tapping the V Mode button.

That saw this red rocket hit 60 mph in 3.6 seconds, the launch is immediate as all four wheels grab with no wheelspin. The EV drivetrain gave us an electronic whirring as we launched the EV motors.

Steering gained more feel and even more precision, while the suspension was taut enough that we felt the back side of speed bumps a bit. But there’s a wilder option – Velocity Max, which unleashes warp speed in Launch Control. Tap it on and a red line circles the entire display panel as you depress the brake and gas.

A screen says “Brake Harder,” then tells you to let off the binders as speakers emit a howling electric soundtrack for more instantaneous torque and a power dump. There’s no wheelspin or drama as we hit 60 mph in 3.2 seconds, as confirmed by an E/T readout. The G-Force display read an impressive .8Gs on launch. Oh yes, Cadillac estimates 3.3 seconds.

Cadillac’s V Division recalibrated the Continuous Damping Control, and lowered the suspension attached to those 22-inch tires. But at 5,890 pounds, and despite an almost 50/50 weight distribution, the Lyriq-V did understeer when pushed hard.

There’s a quicker steering ratio that even feels direct, with tight road feel in Competitive Mode. And in steady-state cornering, the V pulled a solid .9Gs, while most curves saw a very neutral .5Gs with no drama.

Upgraded 15.35-inch front brakes with Brembo calipers, and 13.6-inch rear discs helped bring the V to a halt quickly, with good stability and no fade after three back-to-back 60 mph stops. We also saw a very good 1G in braking power with minimal nose dive.

There’s SuperCruise autonomous driving too, which is straight and true most of the time on highways, with lane changes done after scanning blind spots when initiated by the driver.

The Lyriq-V has a 102 kilowatt-hour battery, with an EPA-estimated 285 miles of range if you keep it in Tour mode and drive sedately. We started with 88% charge and an estimated 254-mile range. We drove 124 miles in the first three days, half interstate, and had an estimated 107 miles of range left.

Cadillac says it will pull in up to 19 miles of range each hour on a 240 volt/7.7kW Level 2 charger, with a full charge in about 10 hours; a 19.2kW charger does up to 44 miles each hour, resulting in a full charge in 5 to 6 hours. At a Level 3 DC Fast Charger with 480 volts, it’s up to 75 miles of range in 10 minutes, while a 10% to 80% charge takes up to 40 minutes. Cadillac also supplies a NACS adapter so a Lyriq-V can use Tesla Superchargers.

We decided to recharge with Level 1 on our home garage’s regular household 120-volt outlet. Cadillac says that takes about 70 hours to fully recharge, delivering 3 to 4 miles of range per hour. We plugged it in for 15 hours the first night and gained 32 miles. Then came a week of 14-mile round trip commutes, and after about 14 hours each night, we went from about 50% to 60% battery level, gaining about 28 indicated miles of range each time. Despite driving in Tour most days, we used up 31 miles of range on average during each 14-mile commute, albeit with a tall bridge and a bit of interstate with no regen braking. Suburban stop-and-go and one pedal full regen braking saw us maintain range longer. But tap that V-Mode to make this Lyriq sing – its most fun mode – and range drops quicker.

The base Lyriq carries Cadillac’s new face for its EVs, and it is stunning, as we saw in EV Rider’s video drive of one, and our recent test of its Vistiq brethren. There’s a smooth, shield-shaped grille flanked by LED accents and vertically-stacked LED light bars with inboard vents. Lyriq-V adds more aggression with a black chrome accent bar atop the illuminated grill and big Cadillac emblem. The working side vents inboard of the headlights units seem bigger and more aggressive in gloss black. And you can’t miss the deeper lower front air intake with aggressive air dam below.

It is an aggressive, yet refined look that is like nothing else sharing this platform. And it seems to sit lower on its 22-inch Continental PremiumContact 6 performance tires on semi-gloss dark gray V-Series alloy wheels, big red Brembo brake calipers visible in front. The flanks get more black chrome sill accents.

There’s gentle sculpting along the doors with a rising line matched by the window sill under a low roofline that fades down at the B-pillars. It flows into a sloped rear window as an LED light bar rides down D-pillar/hatchback edges, then flows above a neat spoiler in black. The lower fascia’s aero goes gloss black.

The Lyriq-V is particularly handsome at night, its taillight LEDs framing the hatch as grille accents glow, both doing a progressive light show as you walk up. There’s also a small backlit Cadillac crest behind the navigation screen, a jewel-like glow from outside.  

In our test model’s Radiant Red Tintcoat, this V positively sizzled in the 95-degree Florida sunshine at a local classic car museum cruise-in, sitting long of wheelbase and low, with lots of enthusiasts asking about it.

Stepping inside the Lyriq-V allows one to slide into quilted, bolstered black leather bucket seats with white stitching and piping. It has embroidered V emblems and a myriad of power adjustments as well as gentle massage, heating and cooling. The seats are plush but nicely supportive.

You are surrounded by stitched black leather and matte silver accents as dark wood wraps around front seat occupants, ending with organic piercings to showcase just some of the AKG sound system’s 23 speakers, with some in the head restraints too.

Ergonomic power seat controls are near the door speakers, with heating and cooling buttons, dual memory presets, and a clumsy massage/lumbar support knob.

The driver faces a 33-inch curved glass screen, with a configurable gauge display that also showcases EV info, navigation and more.

To the left there are headlight and other touch icon buttons. The right has information displays including elapsed time counters when you put it all in Competitive mode. Then comes a wide-screen map that can show other information, even G-force and motor outputs. A row of climate control buttons – real buttons – live under a slim center air vent, with a slide-out drawer under that.

A floating center console hosts a chrome knob to control the center touchscreen main menu items. There’s an inductive phone charger slot, cup holders and a center storage area under the black leather armrest with a 12-volt outlet inside. The storage shelf under that is big, with a USB port and accent lighting.

With so much handled by touchscreen buttons left and right of the steering wheel, it sometimes means a tap or two to get into a menu for some climate control, drive mode or audio needs, or even the glove box. And while I like real metal inside vs. silver plastic, some controls and surfaces got hot in the Florida summer sun.

Access to the quilted black leather rear bench seat is easy, with very good head and leg room, and a long sunroof overhead should you want to stargaze. AKG speakers live in wood and alloy frames with heated outboard seats, climate controls, and more USB ports and 12-volt ports.

The hatch area has 28 cubic feet of storage, 60.8 if you power fold the split rear seats, and more room under the floor.

You can open the hatch by waving a toe through the petite Cadillac crest spot-lit on the ground. But do not look for a frunk. The bonnet can be opened, but Lyriq-V’s cooling systems and power electronics are there under a neat cover panel.

The base Lyriq starts at $78,595; our Lyriq-V starts at $83,795 with only a few options – final price of $86,690

Bottom line: There are no performance luxury SUV EVs this side of the pond – discounting some German and Italian stuff – that move out as well, and look so good doing it for a price under $90,000. But as quick as this EV sings, and how well it carries people and stuff doing it, the range is just shy of great compared to other Ultium-platform users, and it’s not super slick in handling – just good.  

2026 Cadillac Lyriq-V Specifications

Vehicle type – 4-passenger all-wheel-drive EV sports crossover
Base price $83,795 ($86,69 as tested)
Engine type – Dual motor w/12 Lithium-ion NCMA cathode, blended graphite anode battery modules and 102 kWh of useable battery energy
Horsepower (net) – 615
Torque (lb-ft) – 650
Transmission – direct drive
Wheelbase – 121.8 inches
Overall length – 197 inches
Overall width – 86.9 inches
Height – 64.1 inches
Front headroom – 38.6 inches
Front legroom – 44.3 inches
Rear headroom – 37.7 inches
Rear legroom – 39.6 inches
Cargo capacity – 28 cu. ft./60.8 w/2nd row foldedTowing capacity – up to 3,500 lbs.
Curb weight – 5,980 lbs.
Max estimated range – 305 miles
Mileage rating – 80-MPGe combined

The post 2026 Cadillac Lyriq-V Rips With 615 HP Of Smoothness appeared first on EV Rider.

Here’s something ironic: President Donald Trump, who has historically favored fossil fuels over renewables and EVs, may actually end up accelerating EV adoption.

The International Energy Agency has released an analysis of EV buying trends around the world since the start of the U.S.’s war with Iran, finding that EV sales reached record levels in 50 countries in the second quarter since the start of the war.

Australia, Brazil, India and several others roughly doubled their EV sales while the overall global EV market surged 35% as compared to the first quarter.

In the U.S., EV sales grew 14.7% in Q2 as compared to Q1, according to Kelley Blue Book; although that’s still down about 20.5% from last year, which follows the elimination of the $7,500 federal tax credit.

When it comes to EV adoption, the U.S. ranks near the bottom among advanced and developing economies, according to the World Resources Institute.

But even here in the U.S., and certainly on the global stage, it appears President Trump’s war could continue to help boost EV sales in the coming months.

While gas prices have largely been kept in check in the U.S. thanks to the release of strategic petroleum stockpile reserves, the reserves have now reached their lowest level since 1983, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.

If the war were to linger into the fall some analysts, including Goldman Sachs, have warned it could trigger more gasoline price spikes.

Meanwhile Bloomberg reports used EV sales are surging in the U.S. as some gas drivers are being hit with $200 fill-ups, while Recurrent reports used EV prices have risen an average of 5.1% since January.

Put it all together and Bloomburg predicts 2026 will set another global sales record for EVs, possibly reaching or exceeding 23 million.

Australia, Brazil, India and several others roughly doubled their EV sales during the second quarter (Q2) while the overall global EV market surged 35% as compared to the first quarter (Q1).

In the U.S., EV sales grew more than 14% in Q2 as compared to Q1, although that’s still down 20.5% from last year, which follows the elimination of the $7,500 federal tax credit.

When it comes to EV adoption, the U.S. ranks near the bottom among advanced and developing economies, according to the World Resources Institute.

But even here in the U.S., and certainly on the global stage, it appears President Trump’s war could continue to help boost EV sales in the coming months.

While U.S. gas prices have largely been kept in check thanks to the release of strategic petroleum stockpile reserves,  those reserves have now reached their lowest level since 1983, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.

If the war were to linger into the fall some analysts, including Goldman Sachs, have warned it could trigger more gasoline price spikes.

Meanwhile Bloomberg reports used EV sales are surging in the U.S. as some gas drivers are being hit with $200 fill-ups, while Recurrent reports used EV prices have risen an average of 5.1% since January.

Put it all together and Bloomburg predicts 2026 will set another global sales record for EVs, possibly reaching or exceeding 23 million.

The post EV Sales Hit Records In 50 Countries During Trump’s War appeared first on EV Rider.

The grass around our fifth-generation 2026 Range Rover SE LWB was often as high as its 24-inch Pirelli radials as we rolled over bumpy soft sand interspersed with gravel piles. Baby pine trees and tufts of unknown greenery that we maneuvered around rose higher than the 2026 model’s rounded Ionian Silver-clad bonnet.

You may say– didn’t we just see a new Range Rover LWB here in evrider.tv’s website? Yes – a 2025 model with much the same level of equipment. But we just got this 2026 model with a young 2,000 miles on the odometer, and went into the legend of Range Rovers – and deeper into the sand of our Florida neighborhoods.

Let’s get it dirty.

2026 Range Rover SE LWB Has Up To 11.6-inch Ground Clearance

To recap, this Long Wheelbase Range Rover is almost the top of the Land Rover/Range Rover range – 207 inches of aluminum-bodied luxury SUV, its grandpa born in 1970 when the more utilitarian Land Rover company opted to combine the rugged off-road capability of its legendary World War II-born model with a more luxury edge. The pinnacle of that is this Range Rover introduced in 2022, its squareness curved and carved into the slick .29 coefficient of drag you see here, offered in Sport, Short Wheelbase, or this LWB.

This Range Rover can “kneel” to allow owners to more easily ascend into cushy leather seats with a ground clearance of 6.6-inches. Then for trips to Windsor Castle, ground clearance rises to 8.6 inches. But we took this Range Rover deep into a Florida sand scrub rutted with gnarly, bumpy-rooted trees and more. So we tapped in its highest 11.6-inch ground clearance setting via its 13.1-inch touchscreen infotainment display. We needed to get to that electronic wizardry to transform this 7-seat SUV limo into an off-road genius.

Under the aerodynamic alloy, leather and wood interior are multiple off-road modes for Grass/Gravel/Snow, Mud/Ruts, Sand, Rock Crawl – and a way to configure what you want or need. There is hill descent control that automatically taps brakes to control descent. There’s Wade function to lift it high enough to ford up to 35.4 inches of water without ingesting H₂O. There’s also low range and dual locking differentials, plus a multi-camera system with Ground View that shows a simulation of what’s under the hood via a delayed image from the nose camera so you can “see” what you’re going over.

There are displays for altitude, front and center diff lock status, steering angle, and roll angles. It shows steering angle and hill descent control. None are accessible via good old-fashioned dials and buttons, but instead a touchscreen’s worth of menus and sub-menus.

We tapped into the Off-Road mode, then activated Sand mode, eager to test 2026’s upgrades in the Terrain Response system. We flipped the gauge display’s info screen to show steering angle/center differential lock-unlock, then put the Ground View on the center screen to see what was ahead. It is joined by downward angled side mirror cameras to show how close foliage might be getting to the silver flanks.

We nudged the stubby gearshift into Drive and engaged Sand Mode, which backs off throttle response and adjusts Stability Control to allow drive wheels to handle sand better.

The 5,900-lb. Range Rover’s turbocharged 395-hp inline 6 responded smoothly, and we moved out with no digging in of Pirellis. Off-road and Sand mode kept all four tires working without spinning in the fine stuff, even on some stretches where there was more silica than swaying fronds. Our photos show no sand being kicked up either.

The double wishbone front/multi-link rear suspension with active air suspension smoothed out anthills and ruts, while taking rougher edges off higher mounds and some gravelly bumps. The Range Rover’s body was flex-free, quiet and rigid over the washboard surface.

Then we moved to another typical Florida off-road site. It had narrow sandy dirt trails mixed with muddy dips and very wet conditions on either side. Here, the suspension was a bit busier, with gently damped up and down motion and great traction though the tire-deep puddles.

We made good use of the nose camera to eye puddle depth, and side views to make sure the narrow trail’s bushes didn’t scrape. The overhead camera view was a great help, as was the tight tuning radius as we U-turned to get out of dead-end trail.

Despite street-oriented rubber, the Range Rover’s height, allocation of power where needed, electronic air suspension and heritage baked into its luxury meant we never felt like getting stuck was an option.

We did note that Range Rover made evolutionary changes on our 2026 model over the 2025 we tested, including what it calls “a more sophisticated front grille design,” with slimmer gloss black with darker accents, and updated headlight technology. There’s improved aerodynamic elements for better efficiency.

2026 Range Rover SE LWB Interior Has Everything, including Fridge

Inside, our 2026 model’s black stitched leather was joined by matte wood and buff alloy, still elegant, simple and very stylish. The leather seats up front reauire you to tap into menus for heat/cooling, lumbar support and vent positions.

The center console gets more wood and alloy, with an inductive phone charger and USB ports under one timber-clad door, and cup holders under another. A small refrigerator lies under the padded center armrest, while almost hidden buttons open upper and lower glove boxes. It takes too many taps to get into menus, while some touchscreen buttons take multiple taps to input. The station seek button on the steering wheel for the superb Meridian audio system sometimes refused to work. And while there’s a “Hey Range Rover” voice command system, once or twice it just never responded.

Those long rear doors allow easy access to roomy leather bench seats with outboard heating/cooling and individual screens to stream video. You can power the 60/40 second row forward to get in the third row, with just enough room for two adults between cup holders. A clamshell rear power hatch has a carpeted lower one that becomes a shaded seat.

There’s 8.8-cu.ft. of space behind that third row. Power drop that and the second row, and you can haul up to 92.9 cubic feet of stuff. There’s a button in back to lower rear seatbacks for easy loading.

Some say you need its optional turbocharged 4.4-liter V-8 with 523 hp to move out in the bush. But our BMW-sourced, turbocharged 3-liter inline six had an adequate 395 hp, and 406 lb-ft of torque, plus selectable four-wheel-drive, eight-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters, and Sport shift.

Eco mode starts off more sedately, but passing power was good. Under full throttle, 60 mph arrived in 6.4 seconds. Tap on Dynamic mode with Sport shift, and this 2,000-mile-old Range Rover quickly powered to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds with quick, slick shifts. It felt agile, easily cornering on asphalt as we averaged as high as 22 mpg. To compare, our 2025 model, with 11,000 miles on the clock, saw 60 mph in 6.9 seconds in the Eco setting with the inline 6, and 6.5 seconds and a bit more exhaust snarl in Dynamic mode. That one averaged 19 mpg in mostly Eco.

Like the 2025 model, the electronic air suspension shrugged off high grass. Seriously good approach angles helped when we found a rare Florida molehill. But most of its travel was on highway/suburban roads, where it was quiet, polite and fairly fun in Dynamic setting, with direct steering feel. For 2026, under-skin changes included refinement in the air suspension for improved articulation, improved approach and departure angles, and enhanced hill descent control system, Range Rover says.

The base price of a 2026 Range Rover SE LWB 7-seater is $120,700. Ours had options like: $10,450 Ionian Silver paint; $1,000 black roof; $1,000 black trim package; $3,500 black wheels; and more, for a final price of $148,240.

Bottom line: How nice to find that the plush Range Rover still retains most of the legendary off-road character that made its Land Rover ancestor so good. We didn’t push the last one, but went deeper into stuff than normal with this one and it delivered. It’ll do just fine at the beach or cabin trail.

2026 Range Rover SE LWB 7-Seater Specifications

Vehicle type – 7-passenger luxury all-wheel-drive SUV

Base price – $120,700 (as tested – $148,240)

Engine type – Turbocharged 24-valve DOHC inline 6

Displacement – 3-liter

Horsepower (net) – 395 @ 6,500 rpm

Torque (lb-ft) – 406 @ 2,000 rpm

Transmission – 8-speed automatic with paddle/sport shift

Wheelbase – 125 inches

Overall length – 207 inches

Overall width – 80.6 inches

Height – 73.6 inches

Front headroom – 38.8 inches

Front legroom – 40 inches

Center/rear headroom and legroom: N/A

Ground clearance – 8.5 to 11.1 inches

Cargo capacity – 8 cu. ft./92.9 w/2nd & 3rd row folded

Towing capacity – up to 7,715 lbs.

Curb weight – 5,932 lbs.

Mileage rating – 19 mpg city/24 mpg highway

The post Luxury Gets Dirty: 2026 Range Rover SE LWB appeared first on EV Rider.

This week on EV Rider, I’m pulling out on my very first long-distance road trip, going from Jacksonville, FL, up to Delaware on I-95. I hope you’ll come along for the ride by watching the video at the top of this post. But if you don’t have time, here’s a transcript:

And here we can see South of the Border as we get ready to leave South Carolina and enter North Carolina.

I’m doing my very first Supercharge here in Virginia. So far, charging has been flawless since I left Delaware—no hitches whatsoever. Actually, this is my second Tesla charge because I also used a Tesla Destination Charger when I stopped last night at the hotel I stayed at.

After more than 1,800 miles on mostly interstates, I arrived home with an average of three miles per kilowatt-hour. I started my trip with an estimated 277 miles of range. The short story? The EV Scat Pack turned out to be more economical than I had anticipated. It came through with flying colors.

More Dodge Charger EV Coverage (video transcript continues below)

What’s Ahead For Charger Daytona EV Development

EV Swap: Mustang Mach-E To Charger Daytona

Long-Term Owner Review: Charger Daytona Scat Pack

Drop Top Customs Developing Dodge Charger EV Convertible

Production Dodge Charger EV Unveiled With Full Specs

2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV Convertible Announced

Of course, anyone who has driven up and down the I-95 corridor knows speeds are all over the place. It may be just 10 miles per hour in some congested urban areas, while in some rural areas, the speed of traffic might be moving at 80 miles per hour.

I used the Charger’s Eco Mode for interstate travel and Auto Mode when on secondary roads. Eco Mode relaxes the throttle and keeps the front motor shut down in most cases, while Auto Mode activates the regen paddles and is quicker to fire up the front motor when accelerating. The regen paddles, which I used whenever I wasn’t using driving assist, likely also helped with raising my trip average.

So, based on my trip in high summer, it looks like the Charger Scat Pack EV is good for roughly 245 miles of interstate travel in a mix of rural and urban conditions.

Charging speed also worked as expected, with my Charger seeing a brief peak speed of 201 kilowatts during a stop. In most cases, it ramped up to the expected 178 to 180 kilowatts and settled into the 170s for the first 10 minutes or so before gradually ramping down. At one point, I did see speeds drop to 48 kilowatts before ramping back up again into the 120s—likely to cool the battery, since I had been driving hundreds of miles in 95-degree weather.

I used a variety of charging companies during my trip, including Electrify America, ChargePoint, Ionna, Tesla, and Rivian. I had good experiences with three exceptions: a Blink charger at a Royal Farms in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, malfunctioned, forcing me to go a few extra blocks to a nearby Wawa Tesla Supercharger. At my Walterboro, South Carolina stop, the Electrify America was full.

So, rather than wait, I went about 50 miles down the road for what would be the final charge of the trip. For some reason, during that stop, Rivian kicked me off at 40% charge and again at 70% charge. Given that didn’t happen at the other stations, Gemini AI’s best guess is that the Rivian charger hit its thermal limit and shut down.

Since I was too busy enjoying friends, I didn’t shoot much video on this trip, but I do want to give my friends, Bill and Kim, a shout-out for hosting me.

So, the bottom line is: the Charger is a very comfortable grand tourer, with its high-back, heated, and ventilated bucket seats, which have just about every conceivable adjustment you can think of. That, combined with adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist, made for a relaxed ride, especially in traffic slowdowns.

For all you Charger Daytona owners out there, please be sure to subscribe to EV Rider because I’ll be continuing to bring you my personal experiences with Dodge’s first production EV. And if you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to give it a like and maybe even hit that notification bell so you never miss an episode of EV Rider.

Thanks so much for watching, and we’ll see you again soon!

The post Dodge Charger Scat Pack EV: 1,800-Mile Road Trip Test appeared first on EV Rider.

The long, low Lucid Air first showed itself to me – and thousands more – at the 2022 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.

There, I saw the ultra-lux EV sedan quietly humming to itself on the close-cropped grass. Iconic race car driver David Hobbs (left in photo), stared at its stunningly crafted chassis, jewel-like electric motors framing low-slung batteries.

I would get a brief drive – calling it “very sleek, but with more character than some current EV sedans.”

Now, there’s a 195.9-inch-long Lucid Air Grand Touring in my driveway, done in Quantum Grey Metallic.

This may be the slickest EV I have ever driven. Lucid calls it the most aerodynamic luxury car in the world, its coefficient of drag a whispery .197 cD – that’s among the slipperiest around. The Lucid Air was born from the idea that other EV makers were not “doing this fast enough,” said Zak Edson, then Lucid’s Vice President of sales and service when he walked me around it in 2022.

More Coverage: Lucid Air Nails EV Sedan Category | What if: Lucid Air Convertible Concept

“Maybe some people think, ‘Oh, another one?’ Really, three percent of the U.S. market are electric vehicles, so we saw a need to have more of these products,” he said. “We wanted to present an offering that was the best possible.”

2026 Lucid Air Is Long, Low & Stylish

The nose is rounded and clean, only a slim slit for multi-element LED headlights and a light bar under a buff alloy bar. Twin vertical light bars with turn signals accent slim side vents. The clamshell bonnet is super smooth, with twin vents that flow air through the rounded front fender upper edges for aerodynamics.

The sedan is lower than waist-high at the nose. Flat-bladed satin silver and gloss black 10-spoke 21-inch wheels wear low-profile Pirelli P-ZERO rubber, with tight clearances to gently flat-edged fenders. The raked windshield starts just aft of the front axle line, then smoothly flows over a low roof, then back as part of an almost fully transparent roof with sweeping C-pillars and a small rear window that flows into a high rear deck with molded-in spoiler.

There’s gently tucked-in curves on the doors over black sill accents, while door handles tuck in when not in use. A slim rear LED light bar wraps around the short tail with a unique clamshell boot lid over a sculpted bumper with reflectors.

The result is low, with long wheelbase and short overhangs, a tightly wrought greenhouse that sweeps over a slick body design – far more elegant than any Tesla. I parked it at our local Caffeine & Octane, and it got lots of looks.

And when I showed it to a friend with a Tesla Model Y, he called it “smooth.” While some were not loving the muted paint job – I like that stealth look. The Lucid has the design advantage, if not as sporty as a Porsche Taycan, which I also love.

Lucid says luxury inside, evident as we slide into the black leather bucket seat with tan piping – a serene and quiet interior.

The sweeping dashtop is defined by tan double stitching, its lower section getting wood and alloy trim with grey alpaca wool underneath, like a tweed jacket.

The windshield continues overhead, sun-visors floating, connected to laminated glass that progressively tints as it heads to a center bar. The rear gets a tinted moonroof.

The flat-bottom leather-wrapped steering wheel power tilts and telescopes. It gets ribbed turbine-like thumbwheels for cruise and volume, with smart cruise and distance setting touch controls below. A sweeping 34-inch arc of digital display places speedometer and information straight ahead.

The left side has touch buttons for climate control, lights, defrost and the like, while the right side offers navigation, weather, distance and other information.

The “bink-bink” sound for turn signals was not loved by those who rode with me. And the arcing A-pillars are thick – you know they are there when you look around them to sightline a turn. But the digital gauge display’s left and right sides became blind spot camera screens – while any cross-traffic issues were warned in the display.

A retractable second screen is below dual-zone climate and fan speed buttons at the head of the center console. It has touch controls for drive modes, seat heat/cool/massage, and 21-speaker sound system. There’s navigation, calling, streaming media, smart home control, and expanded vehicle control features via voice command, plus Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

But the lack of real buttons means diving into menus for simple things like steering wheel and mirror adjust, a/c, even glove box door. And while the novel “Stretch” massage mode was wonderful, it’s noisy.

All doors open almost 90 degrees for easy access. But the sloping rear roofline meant I had to duck to get into the tan leather rear bench seat. Once there, good head and legroom with air vents and a touch panel to handle climate control and rear sun shade.

The unique power clamshell trunk opens wide to 22-cu.ft. of space with a low liftover and storage underneath, rear seat backs dropping to expand that space.

Some folks loved the fact that the front seats were black with tan piping, while the rear seats were tan with black piping – all over a tan carpet that did show some dirt.

2026 Lucid Air Offers Wide Range Of Trims

There are four models of the Air – the Pure is rear-wheel drive with 430 hp, and takes 4.5 seconds to hit 60 mph, with an estimated 420 miles of range; the Touring, with dual-motor all-wheel-drive, 620 hp, and 3.2 seconds to 60 mph with up to 431 miles of range. There’s our Grand Touring, also dual-motor all-wheel-drive with 819 hp, a 3-second 0–60 mph, and up to a 512-mile range. Top tier is the tri-motor (one in front, two in back) Sapphire, all-wheel-drive with 1,234 hp, 1.9-second 0–60 mph, and up to 427 miles of range.

Its skateboard chassis shows 10 lithium-ion battery cell packs mounted low. Each motor, which includes single-speed transmission and inverter, looks like jewelry and weighs just 163 lbs.

Our Grand Touring has an all-wheel-drive dual-motor drivetrain, up to 670-hp off the motor at the front axle, and the 671 hp one at the back – total 819 hp and 885 pound-feet of torque, powered off a 118-kWh lithium-ion battery pack with 900-volt-plus charging architecture.

Plugged into a fast-charger, the sedan is said to be able to recoup 300 miles of range in 21 minutes. It can add up to 200 miles of range in just 10.5 to 12 minutes at a DC fast charger. Recharging from 10% to 80% takes roughly 20 minutes, while a standard 240V Level 2 home charger requires 12 to 16 hours for a full charge. Our 5,000-mile-old car still had 200 miles of range after a full week of driving in 90-plus temperatures.

We had three drive modes – Smooth, Swift, and Sprint – which adjust powertrain response, torque vectoring, steering weight, and suspension damping to deliver the 819-hp as needed.

Smooth gives maximum efficiency, with a gentler throttle tip-in and initial throttle response, preserving battery range. Swift tightens the steering feel, with a more responsive, sporty feel that doesn’t get “overly frantic,” as Lucid says. And in Swift mode, all 819-hp and torque flow from the dual-motor setup, bringing it to 60 mph in 3 seconds, Lucid says. I like that all three modes allow for regenerative braking ranging from off, to one-pedal full.

In Smooth mode, steering is direct and weights up naturally, while there is a discrete electric motor whir on acceleration that works nicely to give the driver audible feedback – the car is that quiet so about all you hear en route to highway speed is that nice motor windup and some tire noise. Passing power comes when demanded, the pedal needing only a one-third push before you are at legal speed in a heartbeat – 60 mph came up in an amazing 3.6 seconds, all power and torque online, but with no wheelspin as we stayed straight and true.

2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring Sprints to 60 MPH In 2.7 Seconds

Tapped into Sprint mode, and power and torque comes online faster to hit 60 mph in almost 3 seconds flat – incredible for 5,000 pounds-plus. Then came launch control – tap in Sprint mode, then the Launch Control button before you left-foot-brake as you right-foot-push that go pedal. Release the binders – and warp speed – 60 mph in 2.7 seconds, a hint of wheelspin as a bear with a checkered flag pops on the screen. Yes, we lost range playing like this, but it’s addictive – quick, yet in control, and just fine for commuting if you mind the pedal push.

Nothing special under the aluminum skin – aluminum-intensive virtual axis double wishbones in front, with more aluminum used in the rear’s multilink system, steel coil springs all-round with semi-active dampers and torque vectoring.  It’s taut but forgiving over bumps, swallowing them with no head toss. Handling with front and rear motors dividing power where needed was very good – near neutral, stable and fairly flat, no drama no matter how we pushed. You can’t downshift into a turn, but backing off the One-Pedal throttle effectively does that smoothly as regen braking comes in – slow in and power out. In steady-state cornering, it was neutral with a hint of understeer, the Air floating along with nary any body roll. Yes, I felt the weight, but the Lucid was clearly in control.

The turning radius is good for such a wide, long sedan, steering feel loading up naturally, with good feedback in Sprint mode. Our Lucid Air has 15-inch ventilated front discs with 6-piston fixed calipers, and 14.8-inch ventilated rear discs with 4-piston calipers. We did not use them much since one-pedal regen nicely decelerated to a stop when invoked – I even saw some range return to the readout when One Pedal was used a lot. In tests from 60 mph, the pedal had a nice bite high up and great control, with no nose dive at full push.

2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring Glitch Seemingly Solved with OTA Update

That said, the Lucid Air was not without some issues.

The frunk power opens and closes from a gauge panel near those for headlight and defrost. But it popped once for photos – then opened an inch on next button tap, then slammed shut – we didn’t use it again. And launch control had an issue. It worked fine the first time. But a second attempt – as per owner’s manual – saw warnings flash as the Lucid slowed – top speed reduced to 50 mph in Limp Home mode with no stability control and flashing “Drive with Caution” messages. We had an over-the-air update available, so I tapped it on and all was fine again.

As for range, we started with 403 miles of estimated range, and checked after we had driven 142 miles, mostly in Comfort mode. There was a claimed 214 miles of estimated range left, meaning displayed range was optimistic, claiming 47 more miles than we had traveled. That said, in a solid seven days of commuting and some side, we still had all that range left – I could average 2-week commutes in this without plugging it.

New for 2026 is the Lucid Air’s access to the Tesla Supercharger network using an NACS to CCS1 adapter. That adds 23,500-plus Superchargers nationwide, capable of pumping in around 200 miles of range in an hour.

Using a V3 Supercharger is quite slow, since the charge speed is capped at 50 kW because of a technical bottleneck. At the newest V4 Superchargers, the Air can charge from 10% to 80% in approximately 20 to 30 minutes, more in line with what you’ll see at 400 kW chargers such as Ionna and others.

And at Level II (240 volts/19.2 kW max), 100% charge could take up to 16 hours depending on the setup. 

There’s no autonomous drive mode yet – but the Drive Assist does work to keep you in lane with hands on wheel and eyes on the road – it checks – and it slows down for curves, and handles traffic well.

The company sold over 9,000 Lucid Airs in 2025, and 5,400 as of June of this year, and is now building the new Gravity SUV in Casa Grande, Ariz. But just as I started driving this sedan, Lucid cut 18 percent of its U.S. workforce, and reduced production at that factory to save money.

A base Lucid Air Pure starts at $70,900; an Air Sapphire starts at $249,000. Our Air Grand Touring starts at $114,900, with $4,000 glass roof, $3,500 Stealth appearance, $5,500 for real leather and suede, and a few more options for a final of $138,700. For 2026, upgrades include a better AC compressor with improved cooling capacity and reduced ambient noise.

Bottom line: At highway speed, this car flows smoothly through the air, very quick yet well-mannered, very roomy and luxurious, yet with an eco-consciousness. Real range is very good; recharging is quick. This is one of the finest EVs I’ve tested. It’s just a pity we had some glitches and a driveline issue that hampered my drive until the over-the-air reboot.

2026 Lucid Air Grand Sport Specifications

Vehicle type – 4-door, 5-seat all-wheel-drive grand touring electric sedan

Estimated price – $114,900 ($138,700 as tested)

Motor type – dual electric motors

Battery – 118.00 kWh/ 14 battery cell packs mounted between wheels in chassis

Power – 819 hp

Length – 195.8 inches

Wheelbase – 116.5 inches

Width – 86.4 inches

Height – 55.5 inches

Front headroom – 39.5 inches

Front leg room – 45.4 inches

Rear headroom – 38.3 inches

Rear legroom/Long Range Battery – 35.8 inches

Cargo space – 10-cu.ft. for the frunk, and 22.1 cu.ft. for the trunk 

Curb Weight: 5,204 lb.

MPGe – City 126/ Hwy 121/Comb 123

The post Swift Transit: 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring EV appeared first on EV Rider.

There once was a Dodge concept car back in 1999, a propane-powered Charger R/T that used many styling cues from the iconic second-generation 1969 Charger, like its wasp-waisted Coke bottle styling, wide sharp-edged fenders and soaring rear pillar (see YouTube video)

It also had four doors, unlike the original, rear handles hidden in the C-pillars to retain that coupe-like look. I drove it, and loved the design – but it was never made. Instead, the Charger line that stopped in 1987 as a compact front-wheel-drive coupe did not come back until 2006, with a bigger 4-door sedan that became home for a revived HEMI V-8.

Then the HEMI Charger died, at least for now, with the “Last Call” edition in 2023; replaced with a new generation for 2024 that due to some delays didn’t actually reach customers until 2025.

Dodge created an entirely clean-sheet next-generation Charger that debuted with a slick Daytona EV, as tested here on EV Rider.

Then came the one featured in this road test – the Charger Sixpack with a 3-liter inline Hurricane six with twin turbos, in two flavors. So when Dodge delivers a Redeye (metallic red) all-wheel-drive Charger R/T with a 420-hp/468 lb-ft engine, you drop in on car shows to find lots of MOPAR royalty or reaction.

At one, a man rolls up in a 2022 Charger Hellcat, then says, “I don’t not like it,” as he checks it out intently. The owner of a 1967 (second-gen) Plymouth Barracuda I parked next to liked it too. So did an old friend who restores classic MOPARS, saying Dodge “did a good job and I like the shape,” showing surprise (many did) at the hatchback; and wondering what aftermarket performance goodies will come. And time and time again, “Is that the electric version?”

Nope.

2026 Charger Is One Of The Biggest Sedans Available

Now while the 2026 Charger R/T looks a tad smaller than its HEMI predecessor, it is not. Our 4-door hatchback is 206.6 inches long atop a 121-inch wheelbase; 84.3 inches wide and 59.2 inches tall. That’s actually longer/larger than the musclebound 2023 models I tested, which were 198.4-inches long atop a 120.2-inch wheelbase, 75 inches wide and 58.2 inches tall. 

Specs aside, this sleek and muscular hatchback sedan’s shape is clearly very retro, retaining some essence of the 2023 model, and hints of that stillborn 1999 concept that I drove. The slim grille has LED headlights connected by a thin DRL line. A center dimple mimics the third-gen (’71-’74) Charger grille’s chrome center bar, and has a backlit Fratzog – the name of a three-pointed split-triangle logo used on Dodge muscle cars in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

The logo has no official meaning. One glows between the taillights as well.

Under our R/T’s slim grille is a slit intake and gaping lower maw over black air dam – menacing yet sleek. That maw and its intercooler are framed by real vents. The hood’s power bump has a vent with “SIXPACK” embossed on it – the Charger Daytona EV’s hood airfoil won’t fit with a gas engine underneath.

That said, our hoodline dips nice and low at the nose, while fenders get nostalgic edges over smooth flares that frame meaty 20-inch Goodyear Eagle rubber on 10-spoke gray alloy wheels, Brembo brake calipers visible inside in front.

Yes, it has four doors – a sleek 3-door is available – but designers did a nice job giving the door design echoes of the 1969 model – wide rear fender upper lines starting on front doors, then widening into edgy hips in the rear. And the almost fastback rear window/hatchback glass seamlessly flows from the smoked glass roof.

The hatch ends with a gloss black spoiler over slim LED taillights that really echo the 1969’s chopped tail. The bumpers get real vents at each corner, and a black lower fascia with reflectors and neatly integrated exhaust tips. Good news – that glass roof was tinted so well, there wasn’t much heat transmitted inside – still, I’d like a shade.  

Yes, the 1999 concept was about 20 inches shorter than this one. But I know this one’s designers had images of that propane-powered could-be around when the new R/T was crafted. Everyone who saw our 4,816-lb. sports sedan said it’s big, and definitely wide – almost as wide as a seventh-gen Wide Body, but smooth in shape, disguising some of that. And having compared this R/T side-by-side with the last-gen Charger, this one may lose some of the last one’s muscular look, but isn’t as comic book character either.

Is the 2026 Charger Bigger Inside Than The 7th-Gen Model?

The 2023 Charger R/T has a 104.7-cu. ft. interior volume; the 2026 has 103.08-cu-ft. of interior space. The driver of the 2023 version has 38.6 inches of headroom and 41.8 inches of legroom; I had a max of 39.1 inches of headroom and 42.6 inches of legroom. But the big winner is the new Charger’s hatch. It has 22.7 cubic inches of space with rear seats up, and 38-cu.-ft. seats down. That’s compared to the 16.5-cu.ft. in the 2023’s trunk.

The black leatherette and suede bucket seats have neat red and white stitching, as does the pleather on the dashtop, armrests and fascia in front of the passenger. There’s ribbed hard black plastic on the doors, and dashboard centerline – warmed up nicely with accent lighting, called Attitude Adjustment. Red was my attitude adjustment of choice. 

Those front seats are comfortable, but look more supportive than they are – the driver gets memory presets, and both get heat and ventilation up front. The thick stitched leather-clad squircle steering wheel offers good grip but very small paddle shifters; audio controls behind, and cruise, with control buttons in front for the 10.25-inch gauge display. That gauge display can show speedometer and tachometer, or navigation map and digital speed, or just speed. 

Then there’s a 16-inch center infotainment display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, built-in Amazon Alexa and TomTom Connected Navigation, although navigation was sometimes slow to load. There’s a real volume and tuning knob. Below is a strip of slightly clunky haptic feedback buttons for climate control.

A sports sedan in the tradition of past Mopars, the center screen gives access to Performance Pages that include real-time engine gauges, 0-60 mph timers, G-force, quarter-mile times, and more. Along with the Drive Mode selector on the steering wheel, you can access that in the Performance Pages, along with the Eco mode, which isn’t accessible off the steering wheel.

You can set your rpm level for launch control, which lets the engine and transmission computers get the best for quick all-wheel-drive launches. You can also select rear-wheel-drive only. And for a drag strip, you can line-lock front brakes to spin the rear tires only and warm them for better launch grip.

The center console is framed in stitched pleather, which looks cool, but is an unpadded touchpoint for your right knee. There’s a ventilated inductive charger for your cellphone, and storage space under dual USB ports. Then a classic, albeit plastic pistol grip shifter falls readily to hand. A start/stop button and electronic handbrake is nearby, as is a decent storage with 12-volt outlet under the center armrest.

The new Charger gets push buttons to open doors and hood, although manual door handles and a fabric pull strap are near both to use if power fails. We had a squeak from the upper dashboard on bumpy roads, and some icons on the touchscreens took a few taps to work, as did the outside door lock buttons.

The swoopy sedan roofline means I had to duck to get under it and into a very roomy back seat – cool to have frameless side windows. There’s a/c vents, USB ports and heated outboard seats – but no manual door release, only power release buttons under more accent lighting on ribbed door panels. Seat backs split and fold to augment a long cargo area – under a hatchback! That power hatch stunned folks at car shows, and may be a game-changer for some looking at crossovers when they really want a car.

Dodge loves nostalgia when it comes to its modern Charger and Challengers, so SIX PACK originally referred to Dodge’s 1960s-1970s performance package – three, two-barrel carburetors on its 440-cu.-in. V-8. But for now – despite the 2026 Dodge Charger Drag Pak concept’s 5.8-liter HEMI V-8 – no V-8 has been announced for the street. I hope that changes.

But while this is no HEMI, this milder Hurricane six has a nice meaty, rumbly idle and a solid growl under pressure from its twin pipes – complete with a very HEMI-like “whoomp!” on each upshift.

We had no traction issues here with our 5,300-mile-old SIXPACK R/T and its all-wheel-drive, with its 40% front, 60% rear torque split. So we tested it in Eco mode first – a moderate start, then the first turbocharger came online around 2,500-rpm, and we hit 60 mph in 5 seconds. There was precise steering feel and a neat exhaust snarl under load.

Switch to Sport mode, and with more aggressive throttle mapping came a quicker launch and 60 mph in 4.6 seconds, with more aggressive downshifts and passing power, plus an even cooler, yet civilized exhaust snarl. Then in launch control and rear wheel drive only, with the RPM point set at 2,000 rpm, we hit 60 mph in 4.2 seconds, just a hint of wheelspin on each upshift – we pulled over 1G on launch.

To compare, a 2021 Charger Hellcat Redeye with 697-hp from a supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 saw 60 mph in 4.2 seconds in Sport mode in our tests, and 4 seconds flat in Launch Control. A 2016 Charger Hellcat with 707 hp saw 60-mph in 3.6 seconds. All are rear-wheel-drive only, traction an issue on straight track runs. Pretty close, I’d say – the new R/T still feels its weight, but the Hurricane 6 and all-wheel-drive give it a more mature launch and clearer moves, if lacking in the gale force sound – sigh.

More Charger Coverage (story continues below)

What’s Ahead For Charger Daytona EV Development

Dodge Charger Scat Pack EV: 1,800-Mile Road Trip Test

EV Swap: Mustang Mach-E To Charger Daytona

Long-Term Owner Review: Charger Daytona Scat Pack

Drop Top Customs Developing Dodge Charger EV Convertible

Production Dodge Charger EV Unveiled With Full Specs

Our R/T’s multilink suspension along with serious rubber gave it a taut but supple ride with forgiving feel over potholes and speed bumps – no head tossing, and no hard rebound. Around town, the car was agile, even though we felt its weight. It was quite neutral around corners, the front/rear bias was just fine for quick maneuvering.

Pushed harder, there was a hint of understeer. And when we really pushed it in steady-state cornering, the G-meter showed a solid 1.5Gs, with minimal body roll and good control bar a bit more understeer when powering through, but not hard to handle. The brake pedal had a nice immediate bite and great control of its 15-inch front/14.2-inch rear vented disc brakes with nice Brembo calipers up front, so stops were quick, short enough and controlled with minimal nose dive and no fade, even after some serious use. And that G-Force display claimed a serious 1.5Gs of stopping power.

A base Charger R/T starts at $51,995; ours added some options like the $4,995 preferred package with ventilated front seats, heated front and rear seats, digital displays, power hatch and more; $2,995 handling package with hi-back bucket power seats, line lock, rear spoiler, 20-inch tires, Brembo calipers and performance suspension; plus a $1,395 glass roof and a few more options for a final price of $65,365.

Bottom line: Clearly still a Dodge Charger, just one that’s gone to finishing school for shape, ride and handling. The Hurricane 6 has good power across the band, but I wonder what that 550-hp Scat Pack, or the 670-hp EV Scat Pack would feel like – or a HEMI???

2026 Dodge Charger R/T 5-door Specifications

Vehicle type – all-wheel-drive 5-passsenger sports sedan

Base price – $51,995 ($65,365 as tested)

Engine type – Twin-turbocharged DOHC inline six

Displacement – 3 liters

Horsepower (net) – 420 @ 5,200 rpm

Torque (lb-ft) – 469 @ 3,500 rpm

Transmission – 8-speed automatic w/paddle shifters

Wheelbase – 121 inches

Overall length – 206.6 inches

Overall width – 79.8 inches

Height – 58.7 inches

Front headroom – 39.3 inches

Front legroom – 42 inches

Rear headroom – 37.1 inches

Rear legroom – 33.1 inches

Cargo capacity – 22.8 cu. ft./37.4 cu. ft. w/rear seats folded

Curb weight – 4,816 lbs.

Fuel capacity – 17.5 gallons

Mileage rating – 17 mpg city/20 mpg highway

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