The all-new Dodge Charger Daytona is shaping up to be a major milestone in the electric muscle car era, but it lacks one key feature that many performance car enthusiasts have come to expect: line lock.
For Dodge fans, line lock—a feature that allows a car to lock its front brakes while leaving the rear wheels free to spin—is almost synonymous with muscle cars. In the newest electric Charger, it’s an essential feature to achieve the muscle car’s iconic burnout. Yet, the feature is not available on the base models of the Charger Daytona, leaving many to wonder whether this will change in the future.
Line Lock: A burnout tradition
Line lock is crucial for those looking to perform tire-smoking burnouts. Back in 2018, Dodge reserved this feature for its most powerful models, like the Challenger SRT Demon, but by the following year, it had trickled down to even the more budget-friendly Scat Pack trim. Now, Dodge has confirmed that line lock will be included in the 2026 SRT variant of the Charger Daytona.
This announcement comes as a bit of a surprise, considering rivals like Ford have made line lock available on less powerful models, including the EcoBoost-powered Mustang. While line lock is expected on the high-performance SRT trim, it remains unclear if lower trims like the R/T or Scat Pack will offer it in the future.
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What’s next for the Charger?
Dodge has big plans for the Charger Daytona lineup. While details about the future trims are still scarce, CEO Matt McAlear hinted that enthusiasts should look at the Charger’s history for clues on its evolution. The last-generation Charger and Challenger were known for having a wide range of variants, and McAlear has suggested that we could see similar diversity with the new electric Charger as time goes on.
Dodge
The upcoming electric SRT variant promises increased performance, while the introduction of the Sixpack, a gasoline-powered variant featuring the 3.0-liter Hurricane engine, introduces a mix of powertrains in the new generation Charger. McAlear was careful not to rule out the possibility of a V8-powered version of the Charger Daytona, leaving muscle car fans with hope that the V8 might not be entirely dead after all.
Final thoughts
While the Charger Daytona’s lineup is still growing, the first models have already started hitting dealer lots. Some buyers have been fortunate enough to find these new electric muscle cars at MSRP, although the long wait for availability means pricing could vary depending on location.
As Dodge dealers receive their first shipments, customers eagerly await the chance to take the Charger Daytona for a spin and test its performance. If the last-generation Charger is any indication, we expect the rollout of new trims to be a long process, but we’re excited to see what Dodge has to offer.
About the author
Elijah Nicholson-Messmer
Contributing Writer, Autoblog