For the Lingenfelter Holiday Toy Drive and Open House, Kristen Lingenfelter collects a Corvette-full of toys. 

Henry Payne, Detroit News

The Lingenfelter Collection will unlock its doors to the public for its sixth annual Holiday Toy Drive and Open House from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday in Brighton. Bring a toy for a needy tot and see Santa Claus, the Grinch and Ken Lingenfelter’s famed assortment of 160-plus collector cars — including a room-full of historic Corvettes.

It’s a collection built on Lingenfelter Performance Engineering’s mod shop down the road in Wixom, which for decades has slaked muscle-car enthusiasts’ thirst for higher horsepower General Motors Co. products like Chevrolet Corvettes, Camaros, and Cadillac V-Series monsters.

It’s a thirst that is increasingly shared by the market’s biggest segment: truck customers.

GM pumps out 30,000 Corvettes a year from its Kentucky factory, but that pales next to over 1.2 million in ladder-framed-based trucks and SUVs. Badges include the Silverado, Sierra, Yukon, Escalade, Suburban, Tahoe, Colorado and Canyon. Many of those customers want more muscle from their trucks too. The same goes for aftermarket mod shops for Ford (Roush, Saleen) and Ram trucks (Hennessey).

Truck mods now make up a healthy 20% of Lingenfelter’s business.

“We’re having a blast with our truck development, and there’s a lot of fun involved with that, too,” Lingenfelter said in an interview. “We supercharge the majority of them, but there’s lots of levels of horsepower. You can get some accessories that go with it, (and) business is great.”

A visit to the Lingenfelter.com website reveals a Chevy Silverado pickup and full-size Chevy Tahoe SUV sharing equal billing with a mid-engine Corvette C8 on the home page.

Accessories for the truck/large SUV models include such toys as superchargers for 5.3-liter and 6.2-liter V-8 engines making 545 and 650 horsepower, respectively. Customers can also outfit their trucks with, say, Borla S-Type Classic Racing Howl exhaust to wake your neighbors in the morning.

“Superchargers have always been, from my perspective, the best way to go forward with trucks,” said Lingenfelter, who has run the mod shop since 2008. “We had to get through some encryption in the engine management system just like the Corvette C8, but we’ve got some good engineers.”

Those engineers, to Lingenfelter’s delight, have also figured out how to stuff a 7.0-liter, 427-cubic inch V-8 behind the driver’s ear in the eighth-generation Corvette C8.

“I couldn’t resist — 427 and Corvette just go together,” Lingenfelter said of the legendary engine metric that has graced everything from previous-generation ‘Vettes to AC Cobras to the 1966 Ford GT40. “Our development guys put together a 427 as a result. We’ve had it on the chassis dynamometer and it makes about 1,200 horsepower.”

A Lingenfelter 427 Corvette C8 prototype will be on display Saturday at the Collection — and a lot more horsepower besides.

Henry Payne, The Detroit News

“Our main product has alway,s been Corvette. The center hall of the collection is all Corvettes, and there’s some really unique cars in there,” said Lingenfelter who sits on the board of the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Corvette toys include the first V8-powered ‘Vette, the 1954 so-called “Duntov Mule.” The nickname comes from Zora Arkus-Duntov, the engineer who first made the sports car legend. You’ll know it by its open cockpit and rear-mounted shark fin for stability at speeds over 160 mph. There’s also a 1963 Corvette split-window and a 215-mph Greenwood Corvette GTO race car.

The 40,000 square-foot space contains three bays and a shop full of swag like T-shirts, hats and other wearables. Other notable models in the collection include Ferraris, Camaros a two-door Chevy Nomad wagon, a V8-powered 1974 AMC Gremlin (dressed in Levi’s jeans interior), nitrous-fed 2007 NHRA Nationals-winning Dodge Charger Funny Car dragster, and the 2006 Pontiac Solstice sports car that played the character “Jazz” in the 2007 sci-fi movie “Transformers.”

Organized by a group of retired Marines, the Toys for Tots charity is dedicated to collecting goodies at Christmas time and distributing them to needy families.

The Lingenfelter Collection shows off everything from Bugs to DeLoreans.

Henry Payne, The Detroit News

“We just asked our guests to bring an unwrapped toy or a donation at the door in any amount, and then we open up the collection for them to come and take a look around,” Lingenfelter said.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

Gaylord — The midsize Cadillac Lyriq SUV and compact Tesla Model 3 sedan are brand icons. The Lyriq redefined Caddy as an EV maker, the Model 3 made Tesla a best-seller.

Their performance trims — the 2026, $80K Lyriq-V and 2025, $56K Model 3 Performance — represent the state-of-the-art of two U.S. brands that are on the industry’s bleeding edge of modern digital electric tech.

You read that right: the bleeding edge.

The 2026 Cadillac Lyriq-V (left) and 2025 Tesla Model Performance are icons of their respective brands. The Lyriq is Caddy’s first EV; the Model 3, the market’s first EV best-seller. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

After decades of playing catch-up to European luxury brands, America boasts two models at the forefront of the premium market’s electric, autonomous trends. The Yanks come at the equation from different perspectives, but, as road trips from Oakland County to Charlevoix indicate, they arrive at the destination in a very similar manner. Here’s how they compare.

Hands-free driving

Tesla has been the lead stagecoach on the Wild West frontier of autonomous driving, and it continues to push the envelope. The Model 3 would have happily driven itself (its camera trained on me to make sure I was a good chaperone) from door to door on my 250-mile journey.

“Navigate to Charlevoix, Michigan,” I barked, and we were off. The Tesla exited my cul-de-sac, navigated a Telegraph Road Michigan turn, then accelerated up to speed onto I-75 North.

Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Since Full Self-Driving (FSD) became widely available to Tesla customers in 2022, it’s impressive how far the software has come in a short time. I used to put a “STUDENT DRIVER” sticker on the back of my car, so inconsistent was its habits. Like a 16-year-old novice, it would ghost brake on four lanes, edge out into traffic at Michigan turns, sometimes miss a red light.

No more. FSD has become more predictable. It has adapted sophisticated, human-like driving habits like: 1) slowing down in sight of slowed traffic rather than running up on it, and 2) executing right-on-red turns.

Cadillac’s Super Cruise actually beat Tesla to hands-free driving (both now go hands-free with camera surveillance) but has generally been more conservative, emphasizing passenger comfort. The Lyriq waited until I was on I-75 to go hands-free, then displayed a green light at the top of the steering wheel so I knew it was engaged. A blinking red light — complemented by a buzz to the seat — indicated when it was concerned my attention had wandered from the road (the Tesla’s self-driving avatar is a small blue steering wheel in the screen).

Both Caddy and Tesla changed lanes to pass cars — but Lyriq was much less likely to be a left-lane hog, courteously returning to the right lane after completing a pass. Off divided highways,  Super Cruise is increasingly available on secondary roads. On M-31 heading into Petoskey, for example, the Cadillac remained hands-free until giving up at intersections like the light at Bay Harbor resort.

The Tesla, by contrast, continued confidently on its way.

Driving dynamics

Hands-free driving is sci-fi stuff, but I still love to drive.

Twisted, two-lane M-32 between I-75 and Charlevoix is one of the best driver’s roads in Michigan, and I put the hammer down in both EVs. ZOT!

At just 4,054 pounds, the Tesla came off corners like a rocket ship, delivering 100% of its 554 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels. At a porky 5,980 pounds, the Lyriq’s girth is evident (as with its compact 5,192-pound Optiq stablemate). But so is Cadillac’s competition-bred performance engineering.

Downhill into a group of M-32 esses, the Model 3’s Brembo brakes seem ill-equipped to stop the rocket, unlike the Caddy’s firmer shoes. Even more noticeable is the Lyriq’s confidence on corner turn-in. The Model 3 feels less certain, like a doe trying out its new legs. Tesla has work to do.

Charging

Tesla’s integrated charging network is the brand’s secret sauce, and it continues to impress.

Navigation not only charted my course to Charlevoix, but told me I would need to charge in Gaylord for five minutes to arrive with 7% of charge. Just 7% of charge?

Henry Payne, The Detroit News

“Set arrival energy,” read the Tesla display so I could target whatever percentage I wanted (I like 25%) so I have enough juice to do stuff when I arrive at my destination rather than hunting for another charger. Dependent on a third-party charging network, the Cadillac can’t offer this feature, nor can it guarantee charger destinations will, um, work.

The Lyriq-V initially charted my course to Charlevoix with zero charging stops — but once on the road adjusted that prediction and routed me to Bay City’s Electrify America charger. Right next to the Tesla chargers. Both chargers were busy, and with eight stalls — twice the EA number — Teslas didn’t have to wait as long.

GM has access to Tesla chargers, but not to the rival’s older, so-called, V2 chargers found in Bay City. Cost? The Tesla chargers averaged 36-39 cents per kWh — the EA chargers 56 cents.

On multiple trips, Model 3 — likely due to its improved drag coefficient of 0.22 (the Lyriq is still an impressive 0.28) — also seemed more efficient at high speeds. At 80 mph, the Tesla only lost 5% of range. The Caddy? About 35%.

For perspective, Tesla energy cost is comparable to a BMW M340i X-Drive at $4 a gallon premium gas, while Lyriq would cost about 25% more.

Design

It’s remarkable that the Lyriq-V’s drag coefficient is as good as it is. The brand has leaned into its storied design history with its boldest looks since the 1960s. The Lyriq (and other Caddy EVs) have swagger.

If the Tesla is a soap bar built for speed, the Caddy is a rolling Fox marquee sign built to get noticed.

That premium look extends to the interior, where the Lyriq is lathered in luxury, including 33-inch screen that sprawls across a dashboard peppered with jewel-like air vents and a center console anchored by a bling-tastic rotary screen controller. The Tesla? It’s so smartphone simple that everything is run through the center 15.4-inch screen. Even the air vents. A rotary controller? Fuhgettaboutit.

So luxurious is the Lyriq’s wardrobe (and those of (and sister Optiq, Vistiq and Escalade IQ) that Cadillac doesn’t consider Tesla a competitor and claims it is the best-selling premium EV brand. That’s silly given Tesla’s similar price points and market share.

But it does speak to how differently these two brands have approached the EV space. For Tesla, the Model 3 ushered in a complete reimagining of the auto industry from performance to autonomy to design. Its owners aren’t just drivers, they are guinea pigs in the experiment.

For Cadillac, on the other hand, EVs are a chance to recast itself as luxury leader. Just as Cadillac defined luxury in the early 20^th century, so does Lyriq & Co. intend to establish a new standard of the world in autonomy and interior comfort.

Are you a pioneer with a taste for adventure or an arbiter of fine things? The difference may decide whether you drive Tesla or Cadillac.

Next week: 2025 Detroit News Vehicle of the Year

2026 Cadillac Lyriq-V

Vehicle type: Battery-powered, all-wheel-drive, five-passenger SUV

Price: $80,090, including $1,395 destination fee ($85,785 Premium as tested)

Powerplant: 102 kWh lithium-ion battery with single rear or dual electric-motor drive

Power: 615 horsepower, 650 pound-feet torque

Transmission: Single-speed direct drive

Performance: 0-60 mph, 3.3 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed, 131 mph; towing, 3,500 pounds

Weight: 5,980 pounds

Range: 285 miles on full charge

Report card

Highs: Cadillac presence; confident handling

Lows: Porky; third-party charger dependency

Overall: 3 stars

2025 Tesla Model 3 Performance

Vehicle type: All-wheel drive, five-passenger sedan

Price: Base $56,630, including $1,390 destination charge ($64,630 as tested)

Powerplant: Lithium-ion battery pack mated to dual electric motors

Power: 510 horsepower, 554 pound-feet torque

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 2.8 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed, 155 mph

Weight: 4,054 pounds

Range: 298 miles on full charge

Report card

Highs: Autonomy leader; confident charging experience

Lows: Numb handling; questionable steering wheel ergonomics

Overall: 4 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

Phoenix — Nissan’s luxury brand, Infiniti, no longer offers the Q50 compact sedan. But no worries, the Nissan Sentra SR will do the trick.

Twin 12.5-inch digital instrument and infotainment displays in a 15-inch hoodless screen. Chromed climate vents. Wireless Android Auto and charging pad. Eighteen-inch machined wheels. Stitched leather steering wheel. Fashionable black front fascia and rear diffuser.

I pulled into a service station in my Bluestone Pearl Nissan and a local pulled me aside as I rounded the pumps.

JAMES LIPMAN, James Lipman

“Excuse me, but what is that you’re driving?”

“The new 2026 Nissan Sentra.”

“It’s gorgeous.”

“It’s $26,000.”

“Even better.”

If you’ve been on Mars for the last 10 years, you would have missed the tech ‘n’ design transformation of the compact car class into the best bargain segment in the industry. Not just the hot hatches that readers of this column know I adore, but sub-$30,000 bargains with technology and design that once was exclusive to luxury cars like Infiniti, BMW, Audi.

Cars like the Hyundai Elantra, Kia K4, Mazda3, Subaru Impreza and Honda Civic. Sadly, Motown badges like Focus and Cruze long ago left the playing field. In SUV Nation, small sedans have separated themselves from the average ute box with eye-catching design. Add Sentra to that list.

Always a bargain buy, the wallflower Sentra has upped its game for 2026 with a premium wardrobe makeover.

Styling is subjective and my design tastes lean iPhone simple — Mazda3, Tesla Model 3, Porsche 911. My Sentra SR’s signature blacked-out grille lean in the other direction like the Hyundai Elantra N. The Sentra comes at you with attitude — the expressive design sweeps rearward with a McLaren-like (yes, McLaren) blacked-out greenhouse, distinct shoulder line, horizonal taillights and black diffuser. That’s a lot of makeup.

The Sentra saves simplicity for its powertrain. HRRRRRRGGGHHHH!

I flattened the throttle pedal and the ol’ nail, 2.0-liter four-cylinder awoke and we merged into afternoon traffic on the Arizona-101. No turbos here. Or even a higher-output 2.5-liter, 181-horse option like Subie Impreza offers.

You shall have 149 horsepower and 146 torque and you shall like it. That’s half the power of a luxury offering like the discontinued Infiniti Q50. In the digital era, powertrains are the biggest difference between mainstream and premium models.

Even in its mainstream class, Sentra’s four-banger is a reminder that Nissan is about value. While competitors like Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Toyota and Volkswagen offer multiple engine options, transmission choices and performance models with racy badges like N, Type R, GTI, GR and Turbo, Nissan sticks to its bread ‘n’ butter.

Nissan’s NISMO badge (see the Z) is there for the taking, but Sentra stays in its affordability lane. Nissan says its broad, 25-54 year-old 50% female/50% male customer wants a tireless gerbil wheel rather than a weekend track beast.

Not that the Sentra is somnolent.

Compact sedans are inherently athletic with their low center of gravity and lightweight chassis. Nissan engineers complemented the 3,153-pound bantamweight with independent front-and-rear suspension and increased chassis rigidity. I flogged Sentra over north Phoenix’s state Route 202, where it proved a playful companion.

Even the continuously variable transmission was smooth. CVTs are the bane of enthusiasts, their sound the auto equivalent of nails on a chalkboard. DROOOOONE! But, like so many things, electronics has made them bearable — like the Sentra with its subtle upshifts. Paired with cabin sound-proofing, the CVT is OK IMO.

Oddly, my sporty Sentra SR Sport didn’t sport shift paddles to add to the fun. But the interior is otherwise thoughtfully engineered with a row of climate vents and healthy console room. Steering-wheel ergonomics are a personal obsession, and Sentra features thoughtful, if not class-leading, tools. Driver aids are raised buttons so I could find them with my fingers without diverting my eyes from the road — consider the right-spoke scroll wheel for navigating the instrument display or left-spoke toggle for adjusting adaptive cruise control.

Speaking of ACC, Nissan’s value-mobile is generous with standard features.

No matter which trim you get — starter $23,645 S, volume SV, SR, premium SL — you’re guaranteed ACC and blind-spot assist — two safety essentials often charged a la carte in luxury vehicles. Climb further up the trim tree and Sentra offers premium features like Bose audio, 360-degree camera, blind-spot intervention and leather seating.

I’d recommend the SR model for its aforementioned wardrobe — plus standard goodies like wireless charging and wireless Android Auto/Apple CarPlay.

The latter made it easy to navigate Arizona’s tangle of highways and surface streets on a busy workday. As much as I’d like an earth-pawing, high-horsepower Elantra-challenging Sentra NISMO, technology is what makes 9-to-5 commutes comfortable.

That comfort is augmented by one of the roomiest interiors in class. The compact class traditionally offers compact rear legroom (Corolla, Mazda3, VW Golf), but recent-gen models like Civic and Elantra have grown legroom to rival midsize cars.

Sentra has class-leading front legroom as well as rear comfort for six-footers. I folded my giraffe frame into the back seat and sat behind myself with knee-room to spare. In back, the trunk opening has been enlarged and now offers best-in-class low lift height. Good for hauling in, for example, Mrs. Payne’s giant suitcases.

Here again, Sentra cedes territory to competitors by not offering a hatchback version. Buyers will want to divert to the Kia K4 hatchback and Impreza hatch for that option. Neither does Sentra offer an all-wheel-drive variant (Subaru), stick shift (Mazda3), or sippy hybrid (Civic).

Sentra is a meat and potatoes recipe. Now, for 2026, plated with premium presentation.

Next week: Tesla vs Cadillac

2026 Nissan Sentra

Vehicle type: Front-wheel drive, five-passenger compact sedan

Price: Base $23,645, including $1,245 destination charge ($31,945 with Premium Package as tested)

Powerplant: 2.0-liter inline-4 cylinder

Power: 149 horsepower, 146 pound-feet torque

Transmission: Continuously variable automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 8.2 seconds (Car and Driver est.); top speed, 125 mph

Weight: 3,153 pounds

Range: EPA est. mpg, 30 city/38 highway/33 combined; range, 471 miles

Report card

Highs: Affordably upscale; standard features galore

Lows: Polarizing fascia; lack of drivetrain/performance options

Overall: 3 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

And then there were nine.

The North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year awards unveiled the 2026 model year finalists Thursday with three contenders in each category. Finalists for Car of the Year are the Dodge Charger, Honda Prelude and Nissan Sentra. The Ford Maverick Lobo, Ram 1500 Hemi and Ram 2500 will fight it out for Truck of the Year. And for Utility of the Year — by far the largest category of new vehicles hitting the market — jurors will consider the Hyundai Palisade, Lucid Gravity and Nissan Leaf.

Finalists were announced at the opening of the 2026 Los Angeles Auto Show, and the winners will be crowned at the Detroit Auto Show on Jan. 14.

Fifty jurors (including the author of this article) from U.S. and Canadian media outlets selected the finalists after testing 30 nominees across all categories, 19 of them SUVs. Of the nine finalists, two are electric. Nominee average price is $46,248 with the $96.5k Gravity the most expensive model and the $23.4k Sentra the cheapest.

“These finalists show the wide range of choices that consumers have in the marketplace,” said Jeff Gilbert, president of NACTOY and automotive reporter at WWJ Radio (950 AM). “Our jury of distinguished auto reporters has come up with a great selection of fantastic vehicles that truly reflect the best of the best.”

Count the Sentra, Ram 1500 and Leaf as front runners.

In the car category, the Charger and Prelude mark the return of sexy, legendary badges. Detroit’s sentimental favorite will be the $51,990 Charger, reborn for ‘26 after the previous, V8-powered generation exited the market in 2023 chased by federal emissions regulations. The Charger Daytona EV replacement has been a misfit with muscle car buyers, so the new, gas-fired Charger (dubbed Sixpack after its high-horsepower, twin-turbo inline-6 cylinder engine) is well-timed for hungry customers and a change in Washington management. Dressed in a sleek, retro-‘60s, Coke-bottle wardrobe, Charger Sixpack also boasts a more refined chassis, interior and utilitarian hatchback.

For the first time since 2001, Prelude is back with a different mission. As its badge implies, the sporty, $43,195 coupe is a prelude to Honda’s future. The Japanese automaker is leaning into gas-electric hybrids and hatchback Prelude is a hybrid halo showcasing good looks, peppy drivetrain and an S+ Shift tech feature that simulates a gearbox in an e-motor-driven car that doesn’t have one.

Cool, but count Sentra the jury favorite. At a time when the average price for a new vehicle is over 50 grand, the $23,645 compact sedan is affordable without being cheap. While its 149-horse 4-banger won’t wow, its sleek looks and high-tech interior will. Twin, hoodless digital screens and wireless Android Auto/Apple CarPlay indicate Sentra punches above its weight.

The Truck Wars are dominated by Detroit brands with Ram securing two spots with its refreshed, light-duty 1500 and heavy-duty 2500 pickups.

Ram 1500 is the front-runner. Like sister Stellantis brand Dodge, Ram spiked its Hemi V-8 — the choice of most buyers — for the ‘25 model year, which led to a swoon in sales. The eight-holer (officially the eTorque V-8) is back for ’26 with a rebel’s yell.

Ram has stamped every V-8 model’s fender with the “Symbol of Protest” badge featuring a ram’s head atop a Hemi engine. Available in a dizzying array of trims, from work truck Tradesman to off-road Rebel to refined Longhorn, the Ram boasts one of the most refined interiors — and rides — in the truck biz. The Heavy Duty never lost its V-8 or diesel engines (spared by separate federal emissions rules) and brings Ram refinement to the big truck space.

The $37,625 Lobo adds a street performance trim to the Maverick’s XL, XLT, Lariat and Tremor lineup. Flexing a lowered chassis, stiffer springs and a torque-vectoring, rear twin-clutch, the all-wheel-drive Lobo is down to clown.

The SUV category should be a down-to-the-wire horse race between the three-row Hyundai Palisade and wee Nissan Leaf EV.

The electric Lucid Gravity is a mesmerizing first SUV from the creators of the Air sedan — perhaps the prettiest car on the market today. The three-row ute is a mix between supercar acceleration, minivan utility and Porsche Taycan interior style. Not to mention a frunk so big it sits two.

Gravity is also a nearly $100k luxury chariot. At half the price of Gravity, the Hyundai comes with major upgrades for 2026, including head-turning style and hoodless, digital display not unlike Lucid. It also gains an XRT Pro off-road trim so you can take the family beyond the asphalt.

The Nissan Leaf buries its nerdy reputation with a stylish, all-new model. Think the transformation of the nerd-to-swan Toyota Prius hybrid, which won the 2024 Car of the Year award. With a healthy 303 miles of range, Leaf is still affordably priced at $29,990. Leaning into the jury’s preference for affordability, the Nissan is the only EV available for under $30k — an important metric at a time when the $7,500 federal subsidy has disappeared.

The third generation of Nissan’s Leaf EV gets a facelift. Nissan

Along with the $23k, 500-mile-range gas Sentra, Nissan could grab two NACTOY trophies this January.

Awarded by a geographically diverse, independent jury of automotive journalists (not a single publication), NACTOY is recognized as one of the industry’s most prestigious baubles. Vehicles are judged as benchmarks for their segments based on factors including innovation, design, handling, user experience and value.

Link here for more information about NACTOY: http://northamericancaroftheyear.org.

2026 NACTOY finalists

Car of the Year

Dodge ChargerHonda PreludeNissan Sentra

Truck of the Year

Ford Maverick LoboRam 1500 HemiRam 2500

Utility Vehicle of the Year

Hyundai PalisadeLucid GravityNissan Leaf

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

Ann Arbor — In the early morning light, I rotated my gorgeous red 2026 Dodge Charger Sixpack Scat Pack onto empty Huron River Drive. I floored the throttle and awakened the beast. WAAUUUUUGHH! All four paws translated 531 pounds of torque to the asphalt and I exploded toward the twisties — my fingers rifling through the gears with steering-mounting paddle shifters. WHAP! WHAP!

The Dodge Charger is back, unplugged and untethered.

After three dark years in the government woodshed, Dodge has restocked its stable with an earth-pawing, gas-fed pony car next to the electric Charger Daytona. The Daytona was an answer to a question customers weren’t asking: what if we made the best-selling V-8 muscle car electric? Dodge sales fell off a cliff.

Henry Payne, The Detroit News

If the four-cylinder Ford Mustang II was the symbol of 1970s “Malaise Era” regulatory excess, then the charged Charger is the symbol of the 2020s’ forced electric-vehicle push. It makes artificial V-8 sounds. It’s heavier than the Titanic. It jumped the shark.

But in reducing Stellantis NV’s exposure to government emissions fines, it served its purpose and helped rebirth the gas-powered Charger. The legendary Hemi V-8 is coming, but first: the 3.0-liter, 550-horse twin-turbocharged inline-6 cylinder Hurricane Sixpack. Sixpack as in the gateway drug to the hard stuff.

It ain’t too shabby.

I hammered the Charger Sixpack and Daytona EV Scat Packs across Washtenaw County’s rural roads. Based on a flexible chassis that can house gas and electric powertrains, the hatchback (more on that feature later) Chargers are beautiful to look at with their throwback, 1968-era fascias, Coke-bottle bods and digital interiors.

The Sixpack is six times better. The driving experience is more visceral, more alive, more genuine. Push the START button next to the naughty pistol-grip shifter and Sixpack growls menacingly. Start the Daytona EV and it roars to life. An electric roar? The sound is synthetic and its obnoxious volume only calls more attention to the forgery.

There’s nothing fake about the Daytona’s electric power, though. With a stump-pulling 623-pound feet of torque, the e-Charger slammed me into the back of the seat as I nailed it onto I-94. BRAWWWWWRRH! went the fake V-8 sound as I eclipsed (number withheld to preserve my license) mph.

But at 4,815 pounds, Sixpack weighs 20% less than Daytona, making it a lot more playful around the cloverleaf that prefaces the rocket launch into the four-lane. That lesser girth also means that, despite giving up 120 ponies to the 670-horse Charger Daytona, the Sixpack sports the same 1:8.7 power-to-weight ratio.

With 100% of torque available at launch, Daytona out-drags the Sixpack to 60 mph (3.3 seconds to 3.9), but the gas-guzzler is more fun everywhere else.

On an empty Huron Drive, I initiated launch control in the Sixpack by burying the brake pedal, then the accelerator. RPMs spiked to 3,000 and held — RRRRRGGGH — as I kept both feet in it.

Release the brake. Release the Kraken.

Like the EV, Sixpack comes standard with all-wheel drive to better harness the enormous power coming through its driveshafts. The Charger slewed right briefly on the cold morning asphalt before all four tires hooked up, launching me into fall splendor.

Sixpack offers $4,995 Customer Preferred Pack 22B, which includes goodies like wireless charging pad, ambient lighting, head-up display, auto windshield wipers, eight-way power seats, 360-degree camera, and a partridge in a pear tree.

Get it for the head-up display. It’s awesome.

I pulled the downshift paddle and automatically engaged the eight-speed tranny’s MANUAL mode. WHAP! In fourth gear, I entered a tricky right-left uphill complex. The horizontal tachometer in the head-up display was in my direct line of sight. 3,000 RPM. WHAP! I pulled the paddle again into 3^rd gear and the engine screamed at 5,000 RPM.

I tore though the twisties, then upshifted to 4^th at 6,000 RPM — the gear indicator right there in the head-up display — on my way to the moon.

That’s visceral fun the EV can’t provide. Good as the Sixpack was, I still dreamed of what the new Charger would feel like with a good ol’ Scat Pack V-8 at the other end of my lead foot.

“Have you looked at the new Charger Sixpack?” I asked a friend who owns a V8-powered, 2022 Charger Scat Pack.

“Yeah, it’s good looking,” he replied.

“Going to get one?”

“I’ll wait for the V-8.”

I get it. And when the V-8 comes, it will benefit from the same major chassis upgrades that make Sixpack a joy. When last-gen Charger (and its Challenger coupe stablemate) exited the market in 2023, they took with them an aging, rear-wheel-drive platform that could barely contain its Godzilla drivetrains.

Three years on and the new, all-wheel-drive STLA Large Platform is 25% stiffer. This is still a big car — gaining six inches in length and two inches of width over last gen. Add AWD, hatchback and more legroom and SixPack is a significant 500 pounds heavier than its predecessor. And that’s BEFORE you put a V-8 boat anchor up front.

The upgrades are all worth it.

I’ve touched on the benefits of a stiffer platform and AWD to keep this rocket on the road. But when you’re not setting fire to asphalt like a 4,800-pound Road Runner cartoon, you’ll find the car’s new-found utility commendable.

Readers of this column know I’m a missionary for hot hatches like the VW Golf GTI, Golf R, Mazda3 Turbo and Honda Civic Type R as the market’s best all-around value: fun, utilitarian, affordable. The Charger Sixpack is the world’s biggest hot hatch.

And relatively affordable. At $56,990, my tester was $10K cheaper than a comparably-equipped, inline-6-powered, $67K BMW 540i xDrive (not to mention the $64K Charger Daytona EV) while offering better looks, utility, rear legroom and speed.

Open the rear deck and Charger will swallow a cart-full of luggage. Flatten the rear seats and add bicycles to your cargo. It’s a taaaall hatch but Dodge has thoughtfully put the automatic OPEN/CLOSE button on the left rear of the trunk for easy access.

The four-door model will be preferred by most Charger customers, but the rear seats of the coupe model I tested are plenty big too — unlike, say, Mustang rear seats that require removal of your legs. Rear passengers will also benefit from the $995 panoramic roof option.

 Cockpit ergonomics are typically superb for a Dodge product, with raised buttons on the steering wheel for adaptive cruise control, buttons on the back for volume/station changes. Drive modes hang below the left spoke so your hands never need leave the wheel.

So when you come up on a 375-horse BMW 540i on a cloverleaf, you can toggle SPORT mode and drag him off the exit.

As you blow by, be sure and shout: “The Charger is back, baby!”

Next week: 2026 Nissan Sentra

2026 Dodge Charger

Vehicle type: All-wheel-drive, five-passenger coupe and sedan

Price: Base $51,990, including $1,995 destination charge. Sedan an extra $2,000. $67,360 Scat Plus coupe with Customer Preferred Package as tested

Powerplant: 3.0-liter, twin-turbo inline-6 cylinder

Power: 420 horsepower, 468 pound-feet torque (R/T); 550 horsepower, 531 pound-feet torque (Scat Pack)

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 3.9 seconds (Scat Pack, mfr.); top speed, 177 mph (Scat Pack)

Weight: 4,815 pounds

Range: EPA est. mpg, 16 city/26 highway/20 combined (Scat Pack); 91 octane fuel required

Report card

Highs: Gorgeous hot hatch; AWD/head-up display/hatchback goodies

Lows: Gets pricey; no V-8 yet

Overall: 4 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.