Dodge Charger Hellcat – What Were They Thinking?
- October 31, 2014
- Dodge, New Model Introductions, On The Road: Driving Impressions, Technology & New Features, More Categories...
- Posted by George Peterson
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One of the benefits of writing about cars is that you get to drive some insane stuff occasionally. The most recent insanity is the 2015 Dodge Charger Hellcat an insanely fast 4-door sedan that Dodge actually displayed with two child seats in the back showing that it can be a responsible family hauler as well as a berserker. And berserker it is.
Powered by a 707-horsepower 6.2L Supercharged HEMI V8, the Hellcat is a range-topping $64,000 handful. Dodge staged the review of the new 2015 Dodge Charger out of Washington DC and offered on-track driving at Summit Point Motorsports Park in West Virginia. On a chilly, drizzly day, taking the Hellcat out on the rural roads around Summit Point allowed only about 20% of what the car is capable of. Punching it on a clear straightaway spooled up torque that pushed the car sideways. Careful, careful, it felt almost as if you were idling and the car wanted to surge ahead. You always knew that there is more there that can be used.707-horsepower
Multiple Keys Can Tone Down Hellcat for Valets Dodge knows that in the wrong hands 707-horsepower can be abused so they have two keys and three horsepower modes. Red key gets you unlimited use of its 707-horsepower. Black key gets you about 500-horsepower – still a lot for your teenage son or the valet. The answer for that is a valet mode accessed through the vehicle system that reduces the power to around 200-horsepower so they can’t get in too much trouble.
Something for Everyone in the Charger Lineup With the 707-horsepower Hellcat out of the way, a serious, serious car, the happiest Charger is the 292-horsepower Pentastar V6 with all wheel drive. This lower level sedan is a delight to drive. Nimble and forgiving in all the ways the Dodge Charger Hellcat is not. Simply, the new Charger lineup seems to have something for everyone from happy and pleasant starting around $28,000 for the SE or SXT models with the Pentastar V6, to a $32,000 370-horsepower 5.7L HEMI V8 in the R/T, to a $40,000 R/T Scat Pack with a 485-horsepower 6.4L HEMI V8, to the monster Hellcat with the 707-horsepower HEMI V8 at a fully loaded price over $60,000.
