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The 2025 Dodge Charger is a controversial replacement for the brand’s tenured muscle car duo. On the one hand, the upcoming Charger ditches the LD-platform sedan body for a homage-style coupe physique. Conversely, the Mopar muscle car won’t offer the V8 that fans so desperately crave. That said, even without eight cylinders, the new Ford Mustang will have a hell of a time outrunning the range-topping Dodge Charger SRT EV.

Short of an upcoming Shelby, the Ford Mustang won’t outrun the 2025 Dodge Charger

Fortunately, the 2024 Ford Mustang keeps the V8 for its seventh-generation lineup. The S650 Mustang GT packs a 5.0L Coyote V8 with 480 horsepower. That figure isn’t a stranger to the Mustang nameplate; the S550 Bullitt and Mach 1 produced 480 ponies from their Coyote mills. 

Better yet, with the GT’s optional performance exhaust system, the Mustang adds six horses to its stable. Beyond the time-honored GT trim, Ford unveiled the Dark Horse, an all-new badge for the Blue Oval’s pony car. The Dark Horse also gets the Coyote treatment, this time with 500 horsepower on tap.

However, the Mustang library goes without a Shelby badge for 2024, meaning the Dark Horse is the most potent standard Mustang you’ll get (we’re not considering the upcoming GTD and its probable $300,000 price tag). Therein lies the 2025 Dodge Charger’s leg up on the existing Mustang lineup.

The Charger’s range-topper for 2025 will be a production version of the Dodge Charger SRT Concept and its 800-volt platform. Based on its 800-volt architecture, it will likely produce around 885 horsepower. Paired with eAWD grip, the next Charger SRT model won’t be getting passed by anything from the 2024 Mustang lineup. 

Of course, Ford has yet to unveil a seventh-generation Mustang with a Shelby badge. When we see another Shelby Mustang, it will split the difference between the model’s Dark Horse trim and the supercar-targeting GTD. 

A blue 2024 Ford Mustang GT parks in a harbor.
2024 Ford Mustang GT | Ford

You won’t get the orchestral V8 duel of the previous Charger and Mustang matchups

The next-generation Dodge Charger SRT EV will be fast. And Mopar fans can rest a little easier knowing that the ICE Hurrican inline-six-cylinder engine will most assuredly make its way into the Dodge coupe. 

However, as of now, Dodge and Stellantis haven’t unveiled any plans to offer a factory V8 Charger for the model’s next generation. The SRT-badged 2025 Dodge Charger might outrun anything in the Ford Mustang stable, but it won’t do so to the sound of a thunderous V8.

Source: Stellantis, Ford Media

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Erik Sherman

Erik Sherman joined the MotorBiscuit team as an Autos Writer in 2022. An admitted petrolhead and an avid motorcyclist, Erik has owned everything from classic cars to motorcycles to modern driver’s cars. Erik also has extensive experience with military and emergency vehicles, ranging from ambulances and fire engines to MRAPs and M-ATVs. Erik is an eager car and motorcycle reviewer with experience covering everything from sports cars to pontoon boats and jet skis.

Erik holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations (IRG) from the University of Texas at Austin and has studied Chinese, Energy, and European Politics at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. Erik’s background is unorthodox; he is a United States Marine Corps (USMC) combat veteran, water survival practitioner, and a former firefighter/EMT. Additionally, Erik is a regular volunteer and former instructor with the American Red Cross (ARC).