Next Gen Dodge Charger Could Gain a Twin Turbo 4-Cylinder and Lose 500lbs

While there hasn’t been any official information from the Chrysler Group on the next generation Dodge Charger, there has been a steady stream of insider information and casual comments about the next Charger, Challenger and Chrysler 300. The newest bit of insider information comes from the folks at Automotive News, who spoke with an obviously unnamed individual who offered up some information on the next generation Dodge Charger.

According to this insider, the base model engine of the next generation Dodge Charger will be the new “Hurricane” twin turbocharged 4-cylinder mill which will also motivate the next generation Jeep Wrangler. More importantly, the Automotive News insider stated that the engineering team is working to get the curb weight down around 3,500lbs, which would make it considerably lighter than the current sport sedan.

A 4-Cylinder Dodge Charger?
I am sure that more than a few of my regular readers are working to keep their heads from exploding at the thought of a 4-cylinder Dodge Charger. Many gearheads will insist that the Charger should only come with a Hemi engine, but in the ongoing effort to improve fleet fuel economy figures, a smaller, forced induction engine would help improve the fuel economy of the Charger lineup.

This Hurricane 4-cylinder will feature a twin turbo setup that will lift the output to roughly 300 horsepower, so this engine should offer similar horsepower to the current 3.6L Pentastar V6. Based on the output of other turbocharged 4-cylinder engines in this market, there is a good chance that the twin turbo 4-cylinder would offer a big torque advantage over the V6 and, more importantly, the Hurricane could offer significantly better fuel economy numbers than the Pentastar V6.

500lbs Lighter
Aiding in the improved fuel economy numbers will be the lighter and slightly smaller chassis of the next generation Charger, which will likely be based on the underpinnings of the new Alfa Romeo Giulia sport sedan. According to Automotive News, this new Charger will be around 500lbs lighter, with a base weight in the 3,500lb range. While the V8 models will be a bit heavier, this reduction in curb weight will have a positive impact on fuel economy across the range and, more importantly to many buyers, it will improve performance across the range.

Imagine the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat with 500lbs shaved away. That would be a 707 horsepower car with a curb weight dancing right around the 4,000lb mark. Still not svelte by any measure, but we are talking about a Charger sedan that could only weigh a few hundred pounds more than a Ford Mustang.

Still a Long Way Away
The only bad news from the Automotive News report is that, as we reported yesterday, this next generation Dodge Charger isn’t likely to arrive until 2020 or 2021. So, while the next generation Dodge Charger might be the best performing and the most efficient to date – we have around 5 years to wait.

Source: Automotive News