Dodge Challenger Hellcat is the most powerful ever
For the past two days I’m at the Suzuka circuit for a drag race. I’ve tried my Nissan Silvia S15 and my Ford Focus RS, but victory eludes me. The urge to win led me to my garage and there I found the almost-forgotten Dodge Challeger R/T. Presto, I won the race with a considerable margin and unlocked the next level. Allow me to explain: I’m talking about the sleepless night I spent on the game, Real Racing 3 (RR3) on my phone. The default game in every petrolhead’s mobile device explains a lot about what American muscle stands for.
Fast forward, today’s big news for auto enthusiasts is the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. The news popped up on my desktop right during my customary RR3 session before work, exactly when I was driving a Dodge. The Hellcat will be the most powerful car bearing the Challenger name from the Brampton, Ontario plant. The Hellcat is the first Dodge factory-supercharged 6.2-litre V8 belting out over 600bhp. The regular 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT (without the ‘Hellcat’ suffix) will churn out 485bhp and 644Nm of torque, a jump of 15bhp and 6.8Nm over the outgoing model. Power will be transmitted to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission or TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic with paddle shifters.
Both the the SRT variants also gain a new ‘Drive Mode’ feature. This allows the driver to modify the driving experience by controlling horsepower, transmission shift speeds, steering (Challenger SRT only), paddle shifter response (automatic transmission only), traction and suspension. Apart from the pre-configured modes including Sport, Track and a Default setting, the Custom mode allows the driver to set up the car according to the desired style. Interestingly, the Challenger SRT Hellcat gets two individual keys in black and red. The black key is for reduced output while red one is to unleash the full, yet-to-be-disclosed power output.
An intake inspired by the hood on the Viper launched in 1996 takes prime position up front. The bonnet scoop is flanked by a set of extractors. The new vertically-split grille and a large front splitter sum up the changes up front. The Challenger SRT rides on 20inch tyres while Hellcat edition gets 20inch forged “Slingshot” wheels with a matte black finish. The Hellcat also gets bigger brakes with 390mm Brembo two-piece rotors with six-piston calipers.
Price? Dodge is tight-lipped on this and will only release this information just before launch, which is expected in the second quarter of 2014.
Dodge isn’t expected in the Indian market anytime soon, but I’m anxious about when the Hellcat will make it to Real Racing 3. It’s 6 o’clock. Time to burn some rubber, virtually.
