Only One V8 Makes Sense For The New Charger, Says SRT Boss
If you were hoping the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 would return, keep dreaming
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by Michael Gauthier
The head of SRT has dropped hints about a new V8 Charger.
Tim Kuniskis says the 5.7-liter V8 no longer makes sense.
Dodge’s turbo inline-six is more powerful than the V8.
SRT is back and its leader, Tim Kuniskis, recently unveiled the 2027 Ram 1500 SRT TRX. It’s notable for a number of reasons including being powered by a new Hellcat engine.
The supercharged 6.2-liter V8 develops 777 hp (579 kW / 788 PS) and 680 lb-ft (921 Nm) of torque. That’s 75 hp (56 kW / 76 PS) and 30 lb-ft (41 Nm) more than the old TRX as well as 60 hp (45 kW / 61 PS) and 24 lb-ft (33 Nm) more than the previous Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat.
More: Dodge Opens Orders For New Charger R/T That Costs $10K More Than Old Hemi
Those are healthy improvements and there’s little doubt the engine will eventually spread to other models. The Dodge Charger is a prime candidate and Kuniskis recently admitted as much.
Speaking to Road & Track, the executive said “The only way it makes sense to charge for” a V8 in the Charger is to “go all the way up to a Hellcat.” This stands in contrast to the strategy at Ram, where the 5.7-liter V8 sits alongside the twin-turbo 3.0-liter Hurricane inline-six.
Split Strategy Between Brands
Complicating the matter is the fact that the 5.7-liter V8 only makes 395 hp (295 kW / 400 PS) and 410 lb-ft (555 Nm) of torque. That’s significantly less than the Hurricane’s outputs of 420 hp (313 kW / 426 PS) and 468 lb-ft (634 Nm) as well as 550 hp (410 kW / 558 PS) and 531 lb-ft (719 Nm). The latter figure also beats the 6.4-liter Hemi V8’s rating of 475 hp (354 kW / 482 PS) and 470 lb-ft (637 Nm) of torque.
While Dodge could probably offer all these engines in the Charger, if they really wanted too, it wouldn’t make much sense. As Kuniskis explained, dealers would effectively throw up their arms and say “I can’t stock all this. I’m going to now pick and choose the ones I want to sell.”
