2026 Dodge Charger SIXPACK Goes to Winter Rally School

The 2026 Dodge Charger is the first muscle car to come with standard all-wheel-drive across all models. While there have been Charger and Challenger models in the past with all-wheel-drive, they were not performance-minded models like the new Charger SIXPACK. Not only do the SIXPACK models offer far more power than previous all-wheel-drive muscle cars, but they also come with features such as Brembo brakes and performance suspension systems that lead to far greater performance capabilities.

To showcase the winter weather performance abilities of the 2026 Dodge Charger SIXPACK, the brand invited a group of media to travel to New England, where we spent a day driving the new Hurricane-powered muscle car to Team O’Neil Rally School. While at the Team O’Neill facility, their instructors helped us to experience the unique performance capabilities of the new Charger SIXPACK in their automotive winter wonderland.

A red sports car drives quickly across a snowy surface, kicking up snow behind its rear tires. Snowbanks and leafless trees are visible in the background.

The Team O’Neil Rally School Facility

During the warmer months, the Team O’Neil Rally School has a huge array of dirt track layouts that run through the woods, but come winter, the New Hampshire facility is literally buried in snow. The instructors explained that when snow begins falling early in the season, they do not clear it. Instead, they begin to drive on it, packing it down to create a hard, thick layer of snow over the dirt. As winter progresses and more snow falls, they use heavy machinery and a plow truck to form the snow into hard-packed banks along the narrow track while also progressively adding to the surface over the dirt.

A red car driving fast on a snowy road kicks up a large spray of snow, with a forest of leafless trees in the background under a clear blue sky.

As we have gotten later into the season, that hard-packed layer has been exposed to the sun and some warm air, turning some sections into solid ice. In fact, there were portions of the facility where four-wheel-drive trucks with all-season tires had gotten stuck and had to be pulled out by a truck with proper snow tires.

A red sports car drives on a snow-covered road surrounded by snowbanks and leafless trees under a clear blue sky.

In fact, the icy hill leading into the facility was so slick that rear-drive vehicles would have a difficult time just getting into the parking lot of Team O’Neil Rally School when we were there. However, we showed up with a fleet of 2026 Dodge Charger SIXPACK 2- and 4-door models, in both 420-horsepower R/T and 550-horsepower Scat Pack trim, prepared to have a very good time. While the previous generation Charger (or Challenger) R/T or Scat Pack would have struggled just to reach the parking lot, the latest generation of the fabled muscle car comes with standard all-wheel-drive – leading to year-round high-performance fun.

A red car drives quickly down a snow-covered road in a forested area, kicking up snow behind it. Bare trees line the road, and sunlight filters through, creating a crisp winter scene.

SIXPACK Hits the Track

Our time at Team O’Neil Rally School consisted of three areas – a large, open skid pad, a slalom and a small rally course through the woods. Before heading into the woods, an instructor from the legendary rally school spent time making sure that we all knew how to handle the 2026 Dodge Charger SIXPACK on the slippery surfaces.

A red sports car drifts on a snow-covered road, kicking up a spray of snow, with trees and snowbanks in the background.

The skid pad area was technically flat, but considering the fact that it is snow and ice packed over dirt and rocks, it is not like driving around an icy parking lot. There are slight changes in elevation which change the weight distribution of the 2026 Dodge Charger SIXPACK, forcing us to constantly adjust our steering and throttle input.

Also, while sliding around the large circle, there were points where we would go from deeper, choppy snow to clean, smooth ice. That transition to and from a surface with absolutely no grip required us to react quickly when the car suddenly changed how it was sliding, with the instructor providing input on how we should be using the steering and throttle to keep the Charger sliding cleanly around the large circle.

A red sports car drives on a snowy road, kicking up snow behind it. Tall snowbanks line the roadside, and leafless trees are visible in the background.

We each spent upwards of 10 minutes drifting around the big, open area – some longer – until we proved to the instructor that we could handle the 2026 Dodge Charger SIXPACK on the slick surface during periods of forced oversteer and when facing sudden changes in grip. We then moved onto the slalom area, where we were instructed on how to control the car when making directional changes on the loose footing, including braking hard for a tight turn. This provides a similar experience to the rally course through the woods, except there is plenty of runoff space in case the student loses control. There is no room for error on the rally course.

A red sports car drives fast on a snowy road, kicking up snow, surrounded by snowbanks and bare trees in a winter landscape.

For the slalom exercise, we began at a stop with the 2026 Dodge Charger SIXPACK, accelerating hard toward the first in a series of cones. Making sure to brake while pointed straight, we weaved the Charger SIXPACK between the cones, quickly putting power down on the slick surface thanks to the advanced all-wheel-drive system to accelerate to the next cone. That line of cones created a tightening slalom that was met by a tight turn. If you approached and entered that tight turn correctly, you could whip the rear end around before blasting back toward the starting point through a series of cones that were spread out to allow for more speed.

A red car skids and kicks up snow while maneuvering between orange cones on a snowy road, surrounded by leafless trees and snow-covered hills in the background.

Once we had proven that we knew how to safely get through the slalom course, braking, steering and applying throttle to get the 2026 Dodge Charger SIXPACK around the slippery, open course, we headed back to the final stage of our experience at Team O’Neil Rally School – an actual rally course.

A red car drives quickly around a snowy, curved road, kicking up snow behind it. Bare trees line the road, and sunlight casts shadows across the winter landscape.

The rally course on which we spent the last of our time at Team O’Neil Rally School was essentially an oval that has some turns where the straights would be. We started with the 2026 Dodge Charger SIXPACK at a stop, accelerating to the first turn, which was an easy right that was followed by a long, sweeping left.

A red sports car drives quickly on a snowy road, kicking up snow with its tires. Bare trees and large snowbanks surround the road under a clear blue sky.

We then headed up a hill, through a series of tight turns and around another sweeping left that had just enough angle to it that we had to take it slowly rather than drifting around it like we did with the far end of the track. We then accelerated down the short straightaway before heading back into turn one.

Our time at Team O’Neill Rally School was a ton of fun, but more importantly, it showcased the all-wheel-drive advantage of the 2026 Dodge Charger SIXPACK over pretty much every muscle car ever. Also, while the new Charger is a larger car than the previous Charger, it still handles well enough on snow and ice to tackle a rally course that is designed for compact racecars – making it clear that this new muscle car is far more than just a straight-line performer.

A red car drives quickly through a snowy, winding road, kicking up snow with bare winter trees visible in the background under a bright sky.