The new Dodge Charger Daytona is here. It’s 100 percent electric but it’s by no means a quiet car. It uses what Dodge calls a Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust system to give the Charger a muscle car rumble. But what exactly does that mean? And more importantly, what does it sound like?
The Charger Daytonas presented to media during Dodge’s press event were kept silent, and while the official launch video includes some sound clips, they aren’t representative of the final product. That’s because Dodge is still trying to decide exactly what its new electric Charger should sound like.
“We’ve changed it 100 times,” CEO Tim Kuniskis confessed to reporters. He said the debate was still raging at Dodge as they evaluate all kinds of different sounds. But he emphasized it will be loud – as loud as an outgoing Charger Hellcat. And it won’t simply come from speakers pointed at the ground.
That’s where the Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust comes in. Obviously it involves speakers, as electric motors don’t make combustion-engine noises. But the speakers are installed in an exhaust-like chamber specifically designed to make noise, or more specifically, shape it. The exact design of the chamber is something Dodge hasn’t shared. But the combination of speakers and the chamber will give the Charger Daytona a slice of old-school Detroit V-8 attitude. Or at least, that’s what Dodge is hoping for.
Thus far, reactions to previous sample sounds have been mixed. When the Charger Daytona SRT EV concept first debuted, it featured a high-pitched sound that bore a striking resemblance to The Wraith – a 1980s B-movie featuring a young Charlie Sheen driving the “supernatural” Dodge M4S concept car. Another soundbite was released a few months later, revealing a deeper tone more like a V-8, but still clearly artificial.
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For those who simply want a quiet EV, Dodge says the sound can be turned off. For everyone else, you’ll be able to rev the Charger Daytona to your heart’s content at stoplights, car shows, drag strips, and in front of your neighbor’s house in the wee hours of the morning. Presumably, we’ll hear the car’s finalized soundtrack before it enters production this summer.
