While attending Roadkill Nights 2026 Media Day, I had a chance to sit down with Dodge CEO Matt McAlear and talk about the 2027 Charger SixPack Super Bee, which made its first public appearance during the legendary automotive festival. I talked to McAlear about the choice to make the Super Bee a balanced performance car rather than a dedicated drag racer and we asked some questions that are on most people’s minds – will we see a manual transmission in the new Charger and where is the Hemi V8?
The Dodge boss provided some hope for those who are waiting on a V8 with a clutch pedal, but the promise of a Hemi at some point didn’t prevent a whole lot of negativity from members of the Mopar community who will accept nothing but an eight-cylinder engine at this point. While I own and love both Hurricane and Hellcat-powered vehicles, I am also ready to see a Hemi-powered Charger in showrooms, and we have included some quotes from diehard Mopar fans who want a new Hellcat and want it now.
Why Isn’t the Super Bee a Focused Drag Car?
The 2023 Dodge Charger Super Bee was designed to offer the best performance on the drag strip, so when the teaser video for the 2027 models showed a starting line Christmas tree covered with bees, it seemed like a safe bet that the newest Super Bee would also be engineered to perform best in a straight line. However, with monster Brembo brakes and adaptive dampers that provide better cornering than the dampers on the Scat Pack, the new Super Bee is not a drag racing-focused package. I asked Matt McAlear why this Dodge Charger Super Bee is not built just for quarter mile dominance.
“One of the things that we wanted to push the limits to, with after we launched the 420 horsepower and 550 horsepower with the RT and the Scat Pack, is we wanted to take that track capability to the next level. It started with cooling, and we needed a new front end to open up to get the cooling that we needed. We have 50% more cooling to the engine,” McAlear explained.
“And then we said ‘Ok, well, if we got more cooling, let’s up the horsepower now.’ So we went with two twin 55mm Garrett turbos. We got 600 horsepower. We expanded the torque range. We got torque reserve. We come in on the low end at 3,000 all the way up to 5,900. So were able to put more power down. We even improved the 0-60 to 3.6 seconds, which is faster than the original 707 horsepower Hellcats,” McAlear said.
“Then we had to stop the thing, so we put massive 16-inch rotors with 6-piston front and 4-piston rear (calipers) – three times better brake fade resistance on the track. It was kind of the best of both worlds. We put some additional aero up front with the huge splitter to keep this thing planted,” he continued. “With this wheelbase, it is a heavy car but surprisingly, with all of the improvements that are made with the adaptive damping suspension, this has incredible capability on the track, but we still have line lock and launch control for tearing it up on the drag strip as well. So we continue to push the boundaries. We’re excited to bring this one step forward and it absolutely is worthy of the Super Bee badge. The most power-dense muscle car ever at 200 horsepower per liter.”
Why Isn’t the Super Bee an SRT Model?
Next, I asked McAlear why the new Dodge Charger SixPack Super Bee doesn’t wear the SRT badge. The SRT team recently got back together and with the level of changes to the Super Bee compared to the Scat Pack, it seems like it could have some SRT DNA, but the Dodge boss explained that the Charger lineup has not yet reached SRT levels of performance.
“We’re not there yet. This is the most powerful Dodge and we’ve always said that the SRT badge will be the most powerful, the best performing that we can do,” he said. “And this platform, this powertrain…there’s still more. And SRT is hard at work and we’re coming. But you know, we are happy with this one being a Dodge.”
Where is the New Dodge Charger with a Hemi?
At one point in the interview, I asked McAlear if a Hemi had ever been considered for the 2027 Dodge Charger Super Bee, to which he quickly answered “no.” Later in our discussion, I asked if he has any update on new Hemi cars.
“Obviously we still have the Hemis in the Durango. We have the 5.7 standard. We have the 6.4 in the RT. The RT 392 is still the most horsepower available in the segment under $50,000 or in the industry under $50,000,” McAlear said. “We still have the Hellcat in the Durango as well. We are pushing the limits of the inline six. There’s a lot more to come and we haven’t even scratched the surface yet with what we’re working on for SRT. So we got exciting stuff in the future.”
Despite the lack of a firm commitment from McAlear, based on the progress of the SRT team with getting Hemi engines into the Ram 1500 lineup, I truly believe that we will see V8-powered Chargers sooner than later – likely during the 2028 model year, if we don’t see some late in 2027.
Is There Any Hope for a Manual Transmission?
Towards the end of my talk with Matt McAlear, I asked if there was any hope of seeing a manual transmission in the modern Dodge Charger, even know take rates are typically pretty low. For those hoping for a three-pedal car, his reply is a promising one.
“We’re always trying, we’re looking at it. Never say never,” he offered. “It’s something that my team and myself are always looking at trying to find a way. It’s not an easy path forward but never rule it out.”
At this point in the automotive technology timeline, self-shifting cars are quicker in the quarter mile, so for most forms of racing an automatic is the better option. However, a manual transmission makes for a more engaging, interesting driving experience and many fans of small-engine performance cars, such as the modern Toyota Supra, find the manual transmission models to be more fun. The Charger SixPack could benefit from the addition of the third pedal as well.
The Community is Getting Restless
When the current generation of the Dodge Charger was introduced as an electric-only vehicle, it enraged many people in the Mopar world. They demanded a vehicle with a combustion engine, so Dodge introduced the SixPack models with the 420- and 550-horsepower Hurricane I6 engines, but many of those same skeptics of the Charger EV were just as disinterested in the Hurricane engine. They want the Hemi, they want it sooner than later, and based on rumors being spread on YouTube, the people who aren’t happy with the powertrain options in the new Charger were fully expecting to see a Hemi under the hood of the new Super Bee. When that proved to not be the case, the anger against the new Charger flared up once again.
Over the past year, I have heard and read plenty of negative comments on articles from Dodge fans who are not happy with the new Charger. After the debut of the new Super Bee, I asked a few of them if they would like to share their views and their replies are below, as typed by the people who provided the quote.
“While I am not a Hurricane hater, no matter how good it is, a 6 simply cannot satisfy one of the key senses that are integral to automotive enjoyment…SOUND! I own a Viper and that’s another car that’s hard to make sound good, but the 6 is even worse (almost impossible). It’s kind of like grabbing what you think is a shot of tequila and realizing it’s just water. It might be the best water and satisfy every bit of thirst you have, but what is a muscle car without a corresponding exhaust note? The SRT4 has a better exhaust note than the new Hurricane, no matter how much power and performance the Hurricane has. I’d drive one all day but it will never satisfy all of the senses the way I want it to.” -Jim, Dodge Viper Owner
“That should never have been a “main or talked up” release in my opinion. You want a major release to grab the market’s attention not make you the laughing stock of the muscle car world. I’m ok with them putting the 6 cylinder in the cars. But why push it like it’s a muscle car option. Leave it in the base models like always. As a life long Mopar muscle car enthusiast. I can confidently say we want true Detroit muscle in our muscle cars. We want the rumble of a big V8. The tire blistering torque and screams of huge superchargers when we hit the loud pedal. My first car was a 1971 Plymouth Duster. It’s got a 416 cubic inch small block in it that will have any muscle car lover grinning from ear to ear with the tap of the throttle. (Still own). Or my 2000 plus HP Hellcat that will scream down the 1/4 mile in the mid 7 second range. We are the target of who you are selling to!” – Robert Powell III, Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Owner
“Love it in my ram 1500 it’s quiet and pretty responsive. I drove a sixpack charger and it didn’t feel very “muscular” or “aggressive”, all the things that the brand preaches. It’s lack responsiveness and the turbo lag is noticeable in a “muscle car”. Would a V8 be better that’s tbd. The 5.7 would feel like an absolute dog as charger is a land yacht. The 392 would be interesting but it would need to be making more power for it to feel quick. The 6.2SC makes sense and that’s the V8 I can see going in the car. The others are more of a stretch. I don’t think we see a 426 or this rumored 5.2 liter V8. In my opinion, that’s all snake oil. Unfortunately due to decisions made in the past they have to undo some things to make any V8 work. Then again people will be up in arms when the V8s offered are the same and won’t have any meaningful changes made.” – Marc, Dodge Challenger Scat Pack and Ram 1500 Owner
“Dodge let their American souls be bought out by a EuroTrash heap called Stellantis. They rolled out a hideous vehicle & called it a Charger, in which they offered 1 3 liter engine & an EV, but no V8. They turned their backs on the loyalists, doubled down on their “sunk cost fallacy”, their stock has plummeted, & have now polarized anyone who has/had loyalty to Dodge. Quite simply, Dodge went woke, now they’re going broke. May you reap what you sow.
Simile: Dodge removes all paint colors except Gray & Grey. You can buy a new Dodge, but you can’t get it in Plum Crazy (purple), Go Mango (orange), Sublime (green), Pitch black (black),TorRed (red) and Panther Pink (pink). All historic color choice removed, no options. No historic engine choices, just EV or I6? Happy? Didn’t think so.” – Mike Goodrich, Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Owner
