Nobody needs a nearly 800-horsepower muscle car to commute to work in the morning. Still, Dodge thinks you just might want one. In fact, Dodge has a whole line of new muscle cars ranging from the nearly practical to the totally ridiculous.
Introducing the Challenger Lineup For 2019
Introducing the Challenger Lineup for 2019
Dodge claims the SXT is America's lowest-price muscle car at just $27,295. Adequately powered by a 305-horsepower Pentastar V6 and an eight-speed automatic transmission, the SXT is a nice driving, riding, and looking car. We spent a week in one last year and found it to be a very nice cruiser.
Next up in the Challenger lineup is an industry first: the all-wheel-drive SXT and the more highly optioned GT model. These cars are still powered by the six-cylinder engine. Dodge personnel credit the Challenger's increased sales, especially where it snows, to the Challenger's available all-wheel-drive.
From there, Dodge amps things up a bit with the R/T. This car features a normally aspirated 5.7-liter Hemi V8 that is rated at 375 horsepower.
While another R/T model named the 1320 is aimed at grassroots drag racers, the model that really interests us is the R/T Scat Pack.
Still normally aspirated, this model is priced under $40,000 and geared squarely for the track-day market. A Tremec six-speed manual is standard, while an eight-speed automatic is optional.
With 485 horsepower on tap, this is a fast muscle car. While a bit pricey at $60,000, the optional widebody package includes seriously tough-looking flares, larger 305/35ZR20 tires mounted on 11" wide wheels, and six-piston 15.4" front and 13.8" rear Brembo disc brakes.
This package also includes SRT-tuned Bilstein cockpit-adjustable shocks and sport-tuned suspension. For the serious track rat, a rear seat delete is also on the option list.
From here, things get a bit crazy. The 717-horsepower, supercharged Hellcat in the widebody or narrow body configurations starts at $58,650 (plus the $1,700 Gas Guzzler tax) and can be ordered with the six-speed manual transmission.
The ultimate Challenger is the new Hellcat Redeye. Using a slightly detuned version of last year's 840-horsepower Demon engine, this insanely fast car is rated at 797 horsepower and 707 lb.-ft. of torque.
Available only with an automatic transmission, this 4,400-pound street car is said to reach 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds and turn quarter-mile times in the 10.8 second range. The price tag, considering the staggering amount of power and performance, is a rather reasonable $69,650 (plus the $1,700 GGT).
Driving These Cars On The Street
What is shocking is not how fast these cars are on the track, but how civilized they are on the street. We drove the R/T Track Pack and Hellcat Redeye versions on the rather marginal roads of Maine and New Hampshire.
The Redeye was a bit jiggly on the street, but the R/T was as comfortable as any other car its size. Surprisingly, in normal, spirited driving, you don't really notice or need the extra 200+ horsepower the Redeye provides. Apparently, when something is already overpowered, more doesn't really change things much.
In the corners, you can feel the 4,400-pound weight of the Redeye. The R/T is a couple of hundred pounds lighter, and that weight difference is more noticeable on back roads than the Redeye's extra power. Part of the reason is that the Redeye's extra 200 pounds is mostly on the nose of the car in the form of the supercharger and its plumbing.
Still, both cars get around corners amazingly well considering their heft. SRT lead suspension engineer Erich Heuschele and his team have done an incredible job working with Bilstein and other suspension partners in taming the Challenger chassis. If Erich's name rings a bell, it is because in his younger days he was quite the SCCA racer, chalking up many wins in Dodge Neons.
The R/T we drove was equipped with the delightful Tremec six-speed manual transmission. The lower gears are steep for breathtaking acceleration, while the top two gears are geared toward fuel economy. Because of this gearing, any passing done in fifth or sixth gear needs to be measured, as the acceleration is not as quick as you might expect. Drop the R/T into fourth and you can pass as many cars as you like as fast as you like.
Of course, this comment on passing was made after driving the Redeye. With 797 horsepower under your foot when driving the Redeye, every time you nail it to pass someone you cannot help but scream in glee and fear.
Driving These Cars On Track
After driving the rather rough, crowded backroads from Portland, Maine, to Tamworth, New Hampshire, we were treated to an afternoon at America's newest motorsports country club: Club Motorsports.
This track features perfectly smooth, new asphalt and what we were told is 250 feet of elevation change. The first half of the track is very like a hill-climb event.
While the hill portion of the track seems the perfect environment to test these cars' mettle, the question was would the second half, which is mostly downhill and hard on brakes, expose this portly duo's proverbial Achilles heel?
Again, surprisingly not so much. While the R/T and the Redeye especially tore through the hill-climb portion of the track like a kid tears through gift wrap on Christmas morning, this pair handled the downhill braking and curves with nearly equal aplomb.
Sure, you can tell that these cars weigh nearly twice as much as a Miata, but honestly, they make really fun, high-horsepower track cars.
In widebody form, there is so much tire and wheel under these cars, especially with some nannies left in place, that they were easy to drive fast.
Turn in is crisp. Brake dive is minimal, and corner exit is easy to control with any common-sense use of the throttle.
And of course, the short straight is where the Redeye really shines. We saw speeds approaching 130 mph before having to stomp on the confidence-inspiring Brembos to negotiate a rather tight left-hander.
While we are not sure the cars we used were equipped with stock brake pads, we saw no signs of brake fade despite our repeated lapping of this brake-heavy track.
So, Do I Want One Of These?
As our story's title suggests, the Challenger is a guilty pleasure, and yes, you should want one. These cars are bad-ass, especially in the widebody form that looks like an old Trans Am race car.
They are fast as hell, especially in V8 form, and they ride and drive as comfortably as a Camry in all but Hellcat trim.
From a fuel mileage standpoint, you might be better off with that Camry, but in six-speed R/T form, you can expect 15-20 mpg in town and a bit better on the highway.
Compared to anything from Germany, the Challengers are reasonably priced and presumably easily and inexpensively serviced anywhere in America.
While the Hellcat and Hellcat Redeye will garner all the media attention and be the ones to talk about at work or at the club, the one you probably really want is the R/T Scat Pack Widebody.
This car is everyday drivable, priced well under $50,000, and has 485 horsepower and tremendous brakes. And if you can afford the consumables (20" tires are much more expensive than 15" Miata tires), you could have a whole lot of guilty pleasure with this one. We know because we sure had one beautiful summer afternoon at Club Motorsports.
