2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat

[Challenger Hellcat News]

Make room, Beelzebub, there's a new demon-prince pony car in town, and it's from the people who once brought you a real Demon. This Challenger brandishes numbers to shame the mightiest Mustangs and *Camaros. Known in this mortal realm as the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, its 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V-8 conjures up a tire- and soul-melting 707 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of panty-bunching torque, played to a tune composed entirely of flatted fifth notes.

The pony-car business is by nature a game of one-upmanship, so it was inevitable that someone would eventually top the 662-hp Ford Mustang GT500. We just didn't expect the 700-hp threshold to be crossed so soon. The Hellcat brings 45 more horsepower than the last Mustang GT500, 127 more than the Camaro ZL1, and, in what could be viewed as an act of internecine warfare, 67 more horsepower than the Viper's V-10.

Make room, Beelzebub, there's a new demon-prince pony car in town, and it's from the people who once brought you a real Demon. This Challenger brandishes numbers to shame the mightiest Mustangs and *Camaros. Known in this mortal realm as the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, its 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V-8 conjures up a tire- and soul-melting 707 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of panty-bunching torque, played to a tune composed entirely of flatted fifth notes.

The pony-car business is by nature a game of one-upmanship, so it was inevitable that someone would eventually top the 662-hp Ford Mustang GT500. We just didn't expect the 700-hp threshold to be crossed so soon. The Hellcat brings 45 more horsepower than the last Mustang GT500, 127 more than the Camaro ZL1, and, in what could be viewed as an act of internecine warfare, 67 more horsepower than the Viper's V-10.

Two key fobs come with the Hellcat. The black one, the "valet" key, is the archenemy of fun. It restricts output, caps revs at 4000, locks out first gear (from the optional automatic transmission), and puts the ESC in full-on mode. It also disables the paddle shifters, launch control, and drive-mode functions, effectively reducing the 'cat to a hissing tabby.

Firing up with the red fob, however, grants full access to the underworld. Push the dash-mounted start button and the 6.2-liter V-8 barks like Cerberus, its deep exhaust accented by a subtle whine from the supercharger. Combined, they produce a visceral and foreboding effect, the automotive equivalent of dropping the needle on a well-worn vinyl copy of The Stooges' Fun House. Cowland tells us there was prolonged internal debate over how loud to let the blower wail. The quiet vote lost.

Pulling onto the 4.7-mile oval at Chrysler's Chelsea proving grounds, the exhaust takes a solo, its pitch rising with engine rpm. The volume, however, is predicated not only on rpm, but also the valves plumbed into each leg of the dual exhaust tubes, nearly three inches in diameter. The electrically actuated valves are tuned to operate in concert with the engine calibration, ultimately arriving at the fully open, fully fortissimo position.

Power rolls on in a linear fashion, pulling hard without exhibiting spooky or twitchy torque reactions. One hundred miles per hour comes up in less than nine seconds, the eight-speed automatic sifting through gears all the way to 150 mph. (A six-speed Tremec 'box with a larger clutch will also be available, but our drive was limited to the automatic.) Pushing just a tad harder reveals plenty of power in reserve and a competent chassis to handle it, so somewhere north of 150 we do the only sensible thing and switch on the A/C and ventilated seat. Four laps later, the temperature gauge hasn't budged.

A subtle trimming of the wheel wells was necessary to fit the standard 186-mph-plus-rated 275/40 Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season tires on 20-inch forged aluminum rims. Swapping them for the same-size P Zero summer rubber as on our test car is a highly recommended option. The front brakes get updated to 15.4-inch, two-piece rotors and six-piston Brembo calipers.

Launching the Hellcat at the strip is an exercise in restraint; anything more than half-throttle and the rear Pirellis just fling rubber globules like beads from a Mardi Gras float as the car disappears in a veil of smoke. A Dodge engineer, who said he'd taken "hundreds" of passes in the car, reported knocking out a quick 11.2 as meas*ured by the drag strip's timing equipment. On street tires, mind you. Activating launch control via the dedicated console button reels in the wheelspin but also hurts the ET. Though it's perfectly calibrated to keep stoplight heroes from embarrassing themselves, even a well-trained feline will bite, as Siegfried & Roy can attest.

Those without a drag strip at their disposal can still get a look at the Hellcat's otherworldly capability by digging into the Performance Pages feature, which offers the tools to record zero-to-60, zero-to-100, lap times, reaction times, g-forces, and eighth- and quarter-mile runs. It'll also tell you critical operating parameters, such as real-time horsepower and torque, boost pressure, air-intake and fluid temps, oil temp and pressure, and more.

Early estimates peg the Hellcat's weight at roughly 4500 pounds, about 188 more than a similarly equipped SRT with the naturally aspirated 6.4-liter Hemi. The Hellcat is the only Challenger to use hydraulic power steering. Like all SRT Challengers, though, the Hellcat comes with a "Drive Modes" control that alters horsepower, transmission, traction, and suspension settings. And you can dive into the custom settings and dial up your own preferences a la carte; the computer will store them for easy access later.

Lacking the sharp reflexes of the Camaro ZL1 and the hair-trigger insanity of the Mustang GT500, the Hellcat shows best on the street, with its gobs of tractable power, a comfortable interior, and its full-size Hot Wheels styling. Just make sure to keep your rosary beads in the glove box.

Text Soure: Car and Driver