SRT stands for ‘Street and Racing Technology’, an appropriate tag for the Challenger SRT Hellcat, since this new king of the muscle cars is equally at home on the road, track or 1/4-mile drag strip.
The 6.2-litre V8 that powers the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat is based on the larger displacement 6.4-litre, 492 hp engine of the Challenger SRT 392.
But where the SRT 392’s motor is naturally-aspirated, the Hellcat’s bent-crank V8 dances to the beat of a twin-screw supercharger.
About 90-percent of the engine internals are modified and strengthened for improved efficiency and long-term reliability. The resulting 707 hp and 881 Nm will catapult this rear-wheel drive muscle car to 100 km/h in only 3.7 seconds, and on to a top speed of over 320 km/h.
The driver can choose the six-speed manual or the HP90 eight-speed automatic transmission, which features steering wheel paddle shifters and a ‘Rev-matching’ feature. This automatically blips the throttle on downshifts for extra acoustic fireworks. The rest of the time, a deep, rumbling NASCAR grade V8 soundtrack emanates from the Hellcat’s ‘Dual Straight-through’ two-inch diameter exhaust system.
The aggressive new nose, the most obvious external distinguishing feature of the Challenger flagship, was not designed solely for aesthetics. As the forced-aspirated high-performance engine of the Hellcat requires significant amounts of cooling air, “form follows function” was the guiding light here.
Behind the big intakes, four large radiators/intercoolers keep the water, oil and charge-air temperatures in check. The design of the air intakes and the ducting required aerodynamic optimisation, and the driver’s side parking light was replaced by an Air Catcher cold air ram intake.
The big wheel arches of the Challenger SRT Hellcat are filled to the brim by 9.5J x 20-inch SRT-exclusive matt black, multi-spoke ‘Slingshot’ alloy wheels, shod with 275/40R20 rubber.
Peer through the spokes of these attractive wheels, and you will see the biggest brakes ever fitted to a production Dodge. Made by Brembo, the 390 mm two-piece, vented front discs are clamped by eight-pot calipers, while four-pot calipers grab 60 mm vented discs at the rear.
The Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat comes with two different keys: one black and one red. The black key allows the engine to produce a civilised 500 hp, with the Vmax reigned in by the 4,000 rpm limit in top gear, while the red key unleashes the beast within. Additionally, all the performance limitations imposed by the black key can be overridden by entering a four-digit pin into the control system.
Customers of GeigerCars.de are spoiled for choice with wide range of paint and trim choices. The Dodge Challenger Hellcat factory colour chart provides a choice of eleven different body colours, with both muted and extrovert shades. Inside, high-quality Nappa leather with Alcantara inserts comes in black/black and red/black, while the more traditional Laguna premium leather option is offered in black or sepia.
A customisable 7-inch Driver Information display shows all the important readouts. There are three selectable drive modes and various other driver selectable settings that offer a total of more than 125 customisable configurations.
Available from GeigerCars.de of Munich for a base price of 86,000 euros including German taxes, the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat comes with a very high standard specification, and is great value for money compared to the far less powerful European cars in its class.
Specifications, Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat
- Engine: supercharged V8 petrol engine
- Engine capacity: 6,166 cc
- Power: 707 hp / 520 kW at 6,000 rpm
- Torque: 881 Nm at 4,600 rpm
- Transmission: 6-speed Tremec manual transmission / 8-speed Torqueflite automatic transmission.
- Fuel consumption city/highway/combined: 20.1/ 9.7/ 13.6 L/100 km (Super Unleaded)
- Acceleration 0-100 km/h: 3.7 sec.
- Top speed: > 320 km/h
- Co2 emissions, combined: 318 g/km
- Energy efficiency class: G
- Emission Class: EURO 5
- Base Price: from 86,000 Euro
2015 GeigerCars Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat
Source: GeigerCars.de