Jump LinksInfotainment: Just About PerfectI can't image a worse place for Dodge to showcase its newest so-called muscle car, the 420-horsepower Charger Sixpack R/T. Yet here I am, freezing my brotherhood of muscles off during the waning days of winter at the Team O'Neil Rally School, nestled in the Appalachian mountains of northern New England.Getting there required two hours of driving on crusty roads riddled with snow and frost heaves, capped by a muddy miles-long sprint to the Team O'Neil gates where I was slated to toss the newest two-door and four-door Charger through a forested, snow-covered rally stage. You know, exactly the kind of driving muscle car people enjoy.If this sounds like a fish-out-of-water story, you're not wrong. Dodge fancies its new Charger as an all-weather, all-season muscle car, and as these terrifically dirty photos show, I put that theory to the test. But amid all this mud and snow is a major plot twist: the worst place to drive the new Charger Sixpack just might be the best.Christopher Smith / CarBuzz / ValnetFirst Drive events provide our initial impressions of a vehicle in a restricted environment under certain time constraints. Keep an eye on CarBuzz for our comprehensive Test Drive review which will follow soon. What Is It? You've already met the Dodge Charger Sixpack, and we've already driven the hottest version in its sleekest form. That would be the two-door Scat Pack, but now it's time for the R/T four-door to share the spotlight. Dodge calls this version its "volume model" with a starting price about five grand below the high-output Scatty.Whether you access the back seat through two doors or four, the interior dimensions are identical. The wheelbase is identical. The interior layout is identical. And the Charger is not a small car. This thing is just a few inches shorter than Ford's old Crown Victoria, and a fair bit wider, too. That basically places the new Charger, whether you choose R/T or Scat Pack, in a category by itself.2026-dodge-charger-sixpack-rt-first-drive-24 Exterior Looks: Badass From Every Angle I fear there's so much static from the "brotherhood" about the new Charger not having a V8, that people fail to see that it looks amazing. The big hood has a satisfying power bulge. The roof sweeps into a delicious fastback. The front and rear lights are throwbacks to 1968. Yeah, the Sixpack branding on the hood is a little cheesy, but it's something you'll forget about after just a few miles behind the wheel anyway.None of this ambiance is lost with the R/T model. Though technically the entry trim (for now, anyway), it gives up nothing to the Scat Pack save for some wheel options and badges. It's just as wide, just as aggressive, and the four-door version equalizes the proportions for a more natural look. The Charger's exterior is straightforward yet distinctive, unburdened by contrasting angles and excessive vents. And the four-door version might be the best-looking of them all.2026-dodge-charger-sixpack-rt-first-drive-29 Interior: Big Space, Bigger Attitude As with the exterior styling, you lose absolutely nothing going from Scat Pack to R/T. The 10.25-inch standard driver display (16.0-inch optional) and the 12.3-inch center screens are still there. The retro-themed dash that thins out on the passenger side is the same, and the colored 270-degree "Attitude Adjustment" lighting arcs around the dash and doors in the best possible way. It exudes a muscular vibe without gimmicks. It's Dodge, for better or worse. I firmly fall on the side of better.Christopher Smith / CarBuzz / Valnet The big whiff here is a lack of physical controls. There is a bank of "buttons" below the center screen, but they are haptic touch beneath a strip of plastic, so you get no sense of what you're pushing unless you're looking at them. These are basic climate functions, too, so you'll be hunting for them on a regular basis. To make up for this is an honest-to-goodness shift lever for the eight-speed automatic transmission, and it's a throwback to the old pistol grip. Too cool.If you can overlook the button issues, the Charger R/T's interior does not disappoint. The seats are comfortable and there's a surprising amount of space in the back seat for legit adults. You can climb in there pretty easily, too, and there's even more space further back. The rear hatch opens to reveal 127% more cargo capacity than the old Charger. This car has real everyday practicality, whether carrying people or things.2026-dodge-charger-sixpack-rt-first-drive-21 Infotainment: Just About Perfect The 12.3-inch landscape display is the only screen choice, and it's positioned perfectly for easy access. It's big enough to read at a glance and access without undue distraction, but it doesn't overwhelm the dash. It will take you a bit to suss out all the various settings and applications, though performance nerds will love (and appreciate) the various gauge readouts in the Performance Pages.Dodge Uconnect 5 is the standard OS here, and you have standard wireless CarPlay/Auto should you prefer using your phone. Alexa integration is an available upgrade, as is TomTom integrated navigation. Careening through the rural roads of northern Vermont, the native nav system never missed a beat. It also shows up on the driver display and optional heads-up display.2026-dodge-charger-sixpack-rt-first-drive-22 Powertrain & Driving: A Happy Heavyweight Finally, we get to the real difference between R/T and Scat Pack. The R/T's twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter Hurricane I6 is the standard-output version, producing 420 hp to the Scat Pack's 550 hp. Less power is always a bummer, right? Here's another plot twist: the R/T is wholly satisfying and better than the Scatty for real-world driving.When I first rolled onto the R/T's throttle, I thought Dodge gave me a ringer. The Scat Pack is terrifically quick, but its peaky power plant hesitates with a hint of turbo lag before bursting into acceleration. The R/T feels completely different; it dumps a heaping of low-end power in your lap without any lag. Breathe on the skinny pedal and the R/T responds right away. It feels more muscular than its high-output brother.Christopher Smith / CarBuzz / Valnet I asked Dodge about this. The SO engine uses smaller turbos versus the HO mill, and the engine is tuned for better low-end power. As a result, you get all 468 pound-feet of peak torque at 2,500 RPM. With the eight-speed automatic on standby, you have all the torque pretty much anytime you want it. In Sport mode, the R/T is an absolute hoot on twisty back roads. And if the frost heaves get too 'heave-y', the suspension is more compliant in Auto mode. It's still a bit on the rough side, but the Charger is gentle enough for comfortable road trips.The only time you miss the high-output engine is when you really want to stretch the Charger's legs. The R/T doesn't have the same high-end pull that keeps you pinned to the seat through 100 mph, but make no mistake – the R/T isn't slow. Dodge says 60 mph happens in 4.6 seconds, and it will turn a quarter-mile in 12.9 seconds. And on a muddy New England road, it goes from mild-mannered sedan to opposite-lock hero even quicker. Thanks for that, all-wheel drive.2026-dodge-charger-sixpack-rt-first-drive-19To showcase the Charger's AWD system, Dodge took us to the Team O'Neil Rally School for some general automotive tomfoolery. Spoiler alert: for all its power and tech, the new Charger is not a rally car. It's big, it's heavy, it generally prefers to plow straight ahead, but that doesn't mean it isn't fun. With Sport mode engaged and all the stability assists turned off, it's happy to drift sideways until the wheels come off. Especially if you disengage the front axle and go into RWD mode.What did surprise me, though, was the effectiveness of the Charger's Snow/Mud mode. By the time I got to Team O'Neil's skidpad, it had devolved from snow to pure ice. With the Charger's full suite of stability and yaw systems engaged, the car actually turned on a surface too slippery for a person to stand. It's extremely reassuring to know that, should you find yourself in a truly dangerous situation, the Charger can minimize the risk.2026-dodge-charger-sixpack-rt-first-drive-2 Verdict & Pricing: A Legit All-Season, Family-Sized Fun Car And that is exactly why Dodge chose the most unlikely place to showcase this car. Not so long ago, this would be a cool, fast, fair-weather driver for someone single or married with a kid. Now, it's still a cool, fast, fun car, but it has no problem dealing with Mother Nature's worst. It can be as mild or wild as you dare.Now sit down, because here's the biggest plot twist of all. This cool all-season Charger R/T Sixpack could even replace your generic two-row family SUV. Seriously, hear me out.Christopher Smith / CarBuzz / ValnetRear-seat passengers have 37.2 inches of legroom - that's just one inch less than a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Open the hatch, and you'll find 22.7 cubic feet of storage behind the back seats – over 5 cubic feet more than a Durango with all its seats up. It has all-wheel drive with a snow mode that works exceedingly well in slippery conditions. And its starting MSRP of $51,990 ($49,995 before adding the $1,995 destination) falls right around the average new car price. It's not cheap, but it's easily in the range of typical SUV buyers.I'm not saying the new Charger is an SUV, but it's certainly not your traditional muscle car, nor is it a typical sedan or a coupe for that fact. It's not a Mustang competitor despite what people might think. It's bigger than a BMW 8 Series, bigger than the Audi RS 7, and way cheaper than both despite having a similar performance profile.The reality is, there's nothing that compares to the Charger Sixpack right now - not at a $50,000 price point anyway. Moreover, it's nothing like the Charger that came before. Dodge is really trying to rebrand this car, drawing in new customers while trying to convince the Hemi heads to give it a chance. And you know what? Spending a winter's day driving on back roads and rally stages is a really good way to prove that point.2026-dodge-charger-sixpack-rt-first-drive-12So forget what you know about the old Charger. This new one is a completely different animal: It has an intimidating presence, but it's not intimidating to drive; it doesn't have to hide from bad weather; it doesn't have to play second fiddle to your boring SUV. In four-door R/T guise, it can even be your year-around family car - it doesn't have to compromise.And it can be the fun vehicle, too. No Hemi required.