On this blog, we have looked at the American/Canadian-made Dodge Charger many times before. However, when you’re in the market for a Charger, you’ll most likely also run into the question of whether or not the R/T Daytona or the Scat Pack is better for you. Let’s start with a quick answer:
The Dodge Charger R/T Daytona has a 5.7L HEMI V,8, which produces 370 horsepower, 396 lb/ft of torque, and a top speed of 155 mph. The Charger Scat Pack has a 6.4L HEMI V8 with 485 horsepower, 475 lb/ft of torque, and a top speed of 175 mph. The fuel economy is almost the same, with a combined MPG of 19 for the R/T Daytona and 18 for the Scat Pack. The R/T Daytona is $3,500 cheaper than the Scat Pack.
However, that certainly doesn’t tell the whole story. Below we’ve outlined the differences between the two trim levels in detail. We’ll talk more about the engine and its power output. We look at speed, acceleration, price, differences, and similarities in interior and exterior and fuel economy. Read on!
Also read: The Expected Mileage Of A Dodge Charger
Engine, Power And Torque
The Scat Pack is much more powerful than the R/T Daytona. The Scat Pack offers a total of 485 horsepower, whereas the R/T Daytona can provide the driver with a total of 370 horsepower. The same goes for the torque: the Scat Pack puts up 475 lb/ft, whereas the Daytona delivers 395 lb/ft.
These differences in power and torque are easily explained once you look at the engines of the different trim levels. The Daytona has a powerful 5.7L HEMI V8, which, by all means, is a very powerful engine. However, the Scat Pack has a 6.4L HEMI V8. Both of these engines are hooked up to an 8-speed automatic transmission with an overdrive.
Also read: Oil Type, Capacity And Weight Of A Dodge Charger
Speed And Acceleration
These differences in power also become clear when we look at the speed of the different trim levels. The Dodge Charger Daytona has a 0-60 time of 6.4 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph. The Charger Scat Pack has a 0-60 time of 4.7 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 175 mph.
Also read: Is The Dodge Charger A Sports Or Muscle Car?
Price
These differences in power naturally also come with a price difference. New the 2020 R/T Daytona had a price of $41,385, and the Scat Pack had a price of $44,985. When we go to Autotrader.com, it becomes possible to look at the depreciation of this car.
Only a few models of the Charger Daytona have been listed here, and we see that models with 30,000 – 40,000 miles on the clock currently have a sales price of $33,000 – $36,000. This indicates a depreciation of $5,000 – $8,000 in 4 years or 12 – 19,5%, which is really strong for a car in general. Normally cars that are 4 years old have already lost 40% of their value.
When we do the same thing for the Scat Pack, we see that there’s currently one model listed from 2017. This one has 87,000 miles on the clock and has an asking price of $38,970. This indicates a depreciation of around $5,000 in 4 years or 11%. Again, solid numbers for a used car make it seem that the Charger is a car that’s in demand.
Also read: Which Dodge Charger Is The Fastest? (List Of All Generations)
Interior & Exterior
To compare the interior and exterior of the different Charger trim levels, we took the 2018 R/T Daytona and the 2018 Scat Pack.
Let’s first talk about the similarities of the different Chargers. Both the R/T Daytona and the Scat Pack have 198.4 inches in length and are 58.4 inches high. Both cars also have the same tire size in the front and the back: 20 x 9 inches. The fuel tank is the same in both trim levels and carries 18.5 gallons. In both cases, the Charger can tow a maximum of 1,000 lbs. You can read more about it in a blog post we wrote earlier: Dodge Charger Towing Capacity.
The cargo volume of both cars is the same, too, with 16.1 cubic feet. Laminated glass and LED brake lights are standard in both trim levels. The same goes for body-colored door handles and exterior mirrors.
There are, of course, also differences. The R/T Daytona only has an option for a brazen gold/black interior, whereas the Scat Pack has options for a black and ruby red/black interior. The brakes also differ. The Scat Pack has 13.8 inch Brembo brakes in the back and 14.2 inch Brembo brakes in the front. The R/T Daytona doesn’t have Brembo brakes, and those are 12.6 inches in the back and 13.6 inches in the front.
Visually the trim levels also have some (optional) differences. The Scat Pack has options for a lip spoiler, a black grille, and front fog lamps, whereas the R/T Daytona has none of these.
The weight of the trim levels, of course, differs. The R/T Daytona weighs 4,264 lbs. whereas the Scat Pack weighs 4,400 lbs. The ground clearance of the R/T Daytona is 5.4 inches, whereas the Scat Pack is lower and has 4.6 inches.
Also read: What Gas Does A Dodge Charger Take?
Fuel Economy
In terms of fuel economy, there are, of course, also noticeable differences. The Dodge Charger R/T Daytona from 2018 with a 5.7L HEMI V8 has an average combined MPG of 19. In the city, this MPG drops to 16, and on the highway, this increases to 25. The 6.4L HEMI V8 in the Scat Pack has a combined MPG of 18 with a 15 MPG in the city and a 25 MPG on the highway.
Source
- Caranddriver.com/scatpack
- Shopallcars.com/daytona
- Motortrend.com
- Autotrader.com/daytona
- Cars.com/daytona
- Cars.com/scatpack
- Fueleconomy.gov/charger
Hi! My name is Stefan; I’m the owner and lead writer at TheDriverAdviser.com.
I’m an active writer on this blog myself, as well as a novice car mechanic. For the really technical stuff, I find writers with experience as a mechanic or who have studied mechanical engineering.
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