3.03.2020

Leader of the Pack: The 2020 Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack Plus

Front 3/4 view of 2020 Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack Plus
The 2020 Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack Plus.
More than 50 years ago, Dodge made one hell of a racket in the performance car world with what it called the "Scat Pack".

1969 print ad for Dodge "Scat Pack"


For those of you who have only heard the term on nature walks, "scat" has other meanings, including a form of jazz singing, and the slang usage that applies here, to go quickly.



Engine in 2020 Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack Plus

And that is the entire reason for the 2020 Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack Plus to exist.  Going quickly.  That engine?  It's a 6.4-liter Hemi V8.  485 horsepower. 475 pounds per foot of torque.  Zero to 60?  Car and Driver says it took them 4.1 seconds.  I'll trust them on that because putting your foot to the floor in one of these is like waving red meat under the nose of a sleeping lion.  All of a sudden, there's a monstrous roar and the rest is a blur.

Rear 3/4 view of 2020 Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack Plus

This car is really nothing short of a miracle.  The 1969-70 "Scat Pack" was supposed to be the end of an era.  Insurance surcharges, emission controls and the rising cost of fossil fuel all conspired to kill the muscle car by the early-mid 70s.   And yet, here it is.   Admittedly, performance cars of all types and brands have blossomed in the past 20 years.  But it's been Dodge that has managed to take one of the last remaining old-school four-door sedans and turn it into a fire-breathing monster.

Grille badge on 2020 Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack Plus

Tail badge on 2020 Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack Plus

"392 HEMI" badge on 2020 Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack Plus

The "392 HEMI" badge is a throwback of its own---to the days when engines were measured in cubic inches instead of liters.  And it's also an example of how far we've come.  In Scat Pack One, the Hemi was 426 cubic inches. It made only 425 horsepower.

The closest engine in terms of size back then was the 383.  And that was only good for 330 horsepower.  Both those are gross horsepower figures---net wasn't imposed until later, so lop another 75-80 horsepower off the 426 and 383---maybe 350 and 265.  That makes a real-deal 485 horsepower out of 392 cubic inches a very big thing.

It also makes the 2020 Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack Plus a full second quicker to 60 than the legendary 1970 Hemi, even though the 2020 is the heavier car.  And, thanks in part to an eight-speed automatic transmission with four drive modes (Automatic, Custom, Sport and Track), the Charger gets an EPA-estimated 15 miles per gallon city, 24 highway. 

The 1970 Charger Hemi?  Nine miles per gallon.  Maybe eight.  Ten with a tailwind.

Rear seat in 2020 Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack Plus

Front seats in 2020 Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack Plus

Front seat detail in 2020 Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack Plus

Plus, the Charger (and most other muscle cars from 50 years ago) was good for pretty much one thing---speed in a straight line.  The 2020 Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack Plus handles.  It stops.  It's not my favorite machine for carving up twisty roads in the Sierra foothills, but that's more about having too much power on tap and too little space in which to indulge.  The suspension and steering bits are spot on.

The other remarkable thing is price.  $39,995 is where it starts.  That includes the Hemi, the 8-speed automatic, and all this:

Line Lock Launch Control                                     
Launch Assist                                               
Anti-Spin Differential Rear Axle                             
High Performance Suspension                                 
Brembo® 4-Piston Fixed Caliper Brakes                     
Active Exhaust                                               
Advanced Multistage Front Air Bags                           
Supplemental Front Seat Side Air Bags                       
Supplemental Side-Curtain Front and Rear Air Bags           
ParkView® Rear Back-Up Camera                             
Electronic Stability Control                                 
Tire Pressure Monitoring Display                             
Remote-Start System (N/A w/Manual Transmission)             
Tire Service Kit                                                                                         
180-MPH Primary Speedometer                                 
8-Way Power Driver Seat                                     
Heated Front Seats                                           
Performance Steering Wheel                                   
Heated Steering Wheel                                       
Leather-Wrapped Shift Knob                                   
DUB Plate Interior Accents                                   
SRT® Performance Pages                                   
Steering Wheel Mounted Shift Control                         
SRT® Configurable Drive Modes                             
Uconnect® 4C with 8.4-Inch Display                       
SiriusXM® with 1-Year Radio Sub Call 800-643-2112         
SiriusXM Guardian™ Connected Services w/1-Yr Trial       
6-Premium Alpine® Speakers                               
Apple CarPlay®                                           
Google Android Auto™                                     
4G LTE Wi-Fi Hot Spot                                       
Media Hub (2 USB, Aux)                                       
A/C Auto Temperature Control w/Dual-Zone Control             
Front and Rear LED Map Pockets     

Instrument panel in 2020 Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack Plus
   
Animation in 2020 Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack Plus

Track Mode indicator in 2020 Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack Plus

Performance display in 2020 Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack Plus

Performance display in 2020 Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack Plus

Infotainment and HVAC in 2020 Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack Plus

Our tester also had some extra-cost options:

Scat Pack Widebody - 21V         ($6,000)                                    
Widebody Package                                                           
Brembo 6-Piston Fixed Front Caliper Brakes                                 
Performance Shift Indicator                                                
Body-Color Fender Flares                                                   
Leather Flat-Bottom Steering Wheel                                        
Widebody Competition Suspension                                            
Adaptive Damping Suspension                                                
305/35ZR20 (107Y) All-Season Performance Tires                             
Pirelli Brand Tires                                                        
20-Inch x 11.0-Inch Devil’s Rim Aluminum Wheels    

2DV Plus Group            ( $1,995)     
Scat Pack Logo Nappa/Alcantara Seat                                        
Ventilated Front Seats                                                     
Black-Edged Premium Floormats                                              
Rear Seat Armrest with Storage Cupholder                                   
Illuminated Rear Cupholders                                                
Automatic-Dimming Exterior Driver Mirror                                   
Blind-Spot Indicator with Memory/Power/Heat Mirrors                        
Premium-Stitched Dash Panel                                                
Power Front Driver and Passenger Seats                                     
Heated Second-Row Seats                                                   
 4-Way Power Lumbar Adjust Driver / Passenger Seats                         
Driver & Passenger Lower LED Lamps                                         
Front Overhead LED Lighting                                                
Exterior Mirrors Courtesy Lamps                                            
Memory for Radio, Driver Seat and Exterior Mirrors                         
Automatic Adjust in Reverse Ext Mirrors                                    
Power Tilt / Telescope Steering Column                                     
Blind-Spot and Cross-Path Detection  
                                      
Driver Confidence Group      ($795)                                         
 Bi-Function HID Projector Headlamps
                                        
305/35ZR20 Front and Rear 3-Season Tires   ($695)                            
Red Brake Calipers  ($595)

Front view of 2020 Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack Plus
                                                   
Rear view of 2020 Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack Plus

With $1,495 destination charge, the bottom line on the window sticker reads $51,570.   That is a screaming deal and only a few hundred dollars more than the Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack Widebody that we reviewed in late 2018.  

Our take?  Each is better than the other.  Depends on whether you need two doors or four.  Now, scat.