Would You Buy A Cheaper Four-Cylinder Dodge Charger?

Dodge is widely believed to be working on the kind of Charger we all want, one with a V8 between the shock towers. The company even rolled out a supercharged Hemi-powered Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak at the SEMA show, fanning the flames.

However, logic says Dodge is also developing a version that’s actually attainable, and odds are it’ll have half as many cylinders.

Related: Stellantis Wants You To Forget The V6 With Its New Turbo Four

Why is that? Because Stellantis has just revealed a brand new 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine for the 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee and confirmed that it will be rolled out to other vehicles in the coming years. One might be the mid-size truck Ram is working on. But another very obvious home is the engine bay of the new Charger.

Called the Hurricane 4 Turbo, the new engine cranks out 324 hp (248 kW / 337 PS) and 332 lb-ft (450 Nm) of torque in launch trim in the Grand Cherokee, which makes it far more powerful than the 270 hp (201 kW / 274 PS), 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) 2.0-liter in the Wrangler.

And that might only be the start. Mercedes-AMG, after all, squeezes over 400 hp (406 PS) out of some of its 2.0-liter inline-fours, showing what’s possible with enough engineering nerve.

Smaller Engine is Key to Sales Success

Though Dodge hasn’t confirmed anything about a new base model Charger, it badly needs one to do the job handled by the ancient 300 hp (304 PS), 264 lb-ft (358 Nm) Pentastar V6 in the previous Charger and Challenger.

The Hemis and Hellcats might have got all the glory – and into most of the accidents – but the V6s massively outsold them, being popular with rental fleets and regular-income buyers who wanted the style but couldn’t stretch to a V8.

The base Charger for 2026, which arrives mid-year, is the 420 hp (426 PS) Hurricane 6-powered R/T that carries a $49,995 MSRP. It’s significantly more affordable than the sole surviving EV, the $75k+ Charger Daytona Scat Pack (Dodge dropped the more affordable Daytona R/T for 2026).

But that base ICE Charger is still out of the reach of many Dodge fans who remember that an entry-level V6 Charger SXT cost less than $37k in 2023, and know you can buy a 2026 Mustang Ecoboost for just over $32,000.

Also: The New Four-Cylinder Mustang Ford Built Just To Trigger Every V8 Loyalist

We’d guess a Hurricane Turbo 4–powered Charger to reach 60 mph (97 km/h) in the low six-second range, perhaps even quicker. That’s plenty for everyday use, though it won’t be rewriting any performance records.

The upside is weight: with the Sixpack tipping the scales at an embarrassing 4,816 lbs (2,185 kg), the four-cylinder version should feel lighter on its feet, braking and turning with more ease.

Four Cylinders, One Controversy

Sacrilegious as dropping a four-banger into a Charger might seem to some, it’s worth remembering that this wouldn’t be the first four-cylinder car to wear that name.

Back in the 1980s, Chrysler’s fifth-generation Charger was a front-wheel drive subcompact hatchback coupe in the mold of VW’s Scirocco and had various fours ranging from a naturally-aspirated 1.6 to a turbocharged 2.2-liter.

Would you buy a four-cylinder Charger if Dodge could bring it in under $40,000, or is the Hurricane Turbo 4 a step too far?

Dodge