‘21 DODGE: CHARGER SRT HELLCAT REDEYE

What’s that, you say – got a bit of Redeye? Got the medicine for that right here – ‘21 DODGE: CHARGER SRT HELLCAT REDEYE – and it will vaporize those Pirelli P ZEROs in a heartbeat, blogs Dan Scanlan.

‘21 DODGE: CHARGER SRT HELLCAT REDEYE

The prescription is in this ‘21 Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye – 797 horsepower, with 707 pound-feet of torque and an insane supercharger shriek in what Dodge calls the most powerful, fastest mass-produced sedan in the world. No, we didn’t test its claimed 203 mph top speed – but I did take some of that Redeye medicine – watch video @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx6Jyz_PVIQ

There’s a 6.2-liter V-8 under a functional hood scoop; the huge 2.7-liter supercharger the largest in a production car with 14.5 psi boost pressure compared to regular Hellcat’s 11.6 psi. It redlines at 6,500 rpm vs. Hellcat’s 6,200 rpm, fed via two dual-stage fuel pumps vs. Hellcat’s one to gulp 1.43 gallons of 93-octane per minute when pushed.

We pushed it in Sport mode and saw 60 mph in 4.2 seconds, and 100 mph in 8.4 seconds, with wheelspin as the Redeye put it all down more or less straight. Use Launch Control after setting your optimum rpm, and engine torque management optimized wheel slip and smoothed high torque spikes to stop rear wheel hop. We hit 60 mph in 4 seconds, and 100 mph in 8.2. The eight-speed automatic snapped off brutally quick upshifts in Sport, the HEMI wailing and growling a battle cry. We nailed .8Gs on launch, passing power a mere whisper of throttle and banshee wail away, plus razor-sharp downshifts with throttle blips.

‘21 DODGE: CHARGER SRT HELLCAT REDEYE There are also Auto, Custom and Track drive modes, the last offering full power, firmest shocks and steering feel, quickest shifts, less traction control and paddle shifters on. Sport is more traction control, full power and steering feel and firm ride. Custom lets the driver mix Street, Sport or Track for transmission, suspension and steering, plus select 500 or 797 horsepower. Auto presets power and transmission to Eco (500-horsepower), shuts off paddle shifters, sets traction control in Street, but lets you set steering feel in any mode.

Just so you know, Eco’s no wimp – our 3,500-mile-old Redeye still hit 60 mph in 4.5 seconds with some wheelspin, more than quick enough for daily use, with supercharger scream and exhaust snarl. And for those with wilting wallets thinking of gas prices, Eco also netted us an average 15-mpg on highway runs.Sorry to say, it rained a lot when we had the car, so we didn’t hit what Dodge says this big, comfortable, five-passenger sedan can do – 60 mph in the mid-3-seconds, and 100 mph in just under 8!

The Hellcat Redeye has some tricks up its Widebody sleeves. The TorqueFlite 8HP90 eight-speed automatic transmission has 160-millisecond upshifts and rev-matching downshifts via upgraded torque converter. There’s a Power Chiller that diverts chilled coolant to the heat exchangers in the supercharger, since cooler blower means more power. A cool-down feature minimizes heat soak when the engine shuts down, engine fan and low-temperature coolant pump running to lower supercharger/charge air cooler temp. And there’s Line Lock to hold front brakes while rear rubber warmed up.

It’s all packaged in a Widebody Charger with 3.5 inches of added fender flares to fit wider (11 vs. 9.5- inch) P305/35ZR20-inch Pirellis on deep-dish 14-spoke alloys, with adaptive shock absorbers on independent short/long arm front/5-link independent rear suspension with stabilizer bars. Set in Auto with Street suspension, the ride was taut but supple, with quickly damped bumps. The mix of firm and comfort was my daily go-to. Switch to Sport and you feel every bump with hard-edged rebound over potholes. The ride was almost livable, damped quickly with tightly controlled buffering. Custom mode allowed me to set suspension and drivetrain in Sport, yet keep Street traction control. Track let me feel every bump and crack, too harsh for daily use, but certainly controlling the big sedan’s motion.

The 4,600-pound Charger had a 57/43 percent front/rear weight distribution, with stickier and optional three-season rubber. With warmed-up wide rubber on a rare dry day, the Redeye was more angel than demon. It felt planted, secure and eager to tackle a turn with almost no body roll on exit ramps. Apply power and it stayed neutral. Power it carefully through a turn and we pulled 1.08Gs lateral. The tail could hang out a bit under throttle in a turn, but catchable and playable in the dry, a quick flick of the wheel to get it in line again.

A mid-bump turn, even in super-firm Track mode, didn’t seem to affect its course. In the rain, set in Eco drivetrain with Street traction, a tad too much throttle could still goose the tail out in a turn, even with only 500 horsepower. Steering was direct and talkative in Eco, very firm in Sport, and icily on target in Track, with no play. With six-piston Brembo front calipers clamping 15.7-inch discs, and 13.8-inch rear discs grabbed by four-pistons in back, the pedal offered precision feel high up. We got solid stops with minimal nosedive and indicated 1.11Gs on the display. Even after repeated high-speed stops, no brake fade.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx6Jyz_PVIQ

The shape is still the same seventh-gen Charger after a 2015 facelift, albeit with wide fenders, Redeye badges with glaring red pupils and Hellcat insignias. The well-integrated Widebody flares neatly encase the Pirellis to give this Charger a planted look. The hexagonal black grille has a new slit dead center so more air gets in the radiator, plus an air box opening near the wheel liner to give an 18 percent greater air-flow rate than the Hellcat. The new hood scoop also lets more air into the engine.

Inside, pretty much the same Charger we’ve known for years. The SRT logo glows red on the steering wheel bub, while carbon fiber frames the gauge package. The sculpted leather seats up front get embossed Hellcat logos, and were comfy, with power adjustments, heating and cooling.

The steering wheel has the usual voice command, cellphone, cruise control and info display buttons up front. There’s a red-faced 220-mph speedometer and 7,000-rpm tach, with color 7-inch info screen configurable to show digital speedometer, engine power and torque, turbo boost, turbocharger/intercooler/engine gauges, G-force and more. You can display 0-to-60 mph and 0-to-100 mph times, plus quarter-mile, lap and top speed.

The main 8.4-inch Uconnect touchscreen offers navigation, smartphone, backup camera and the rest. It also shows Performance Pages that often took a while to boot up, but showed real-time acceleration, braking, G force, engine gauges and more. Drive modes are done here, plus launch control, although it takes a tap or two to activate. It’s still a clean and nicely designed look and feel, if a bit dated, with plenty of room for four and stuff.

‘21 DODGE: CHARGER SRT HELLCAT REDEYE Chargers come in six flavors, from base RWD SXT with V-6 starting at $26,320, up to our ‘21 DODGE: CHARGER SRT HELLCAT REDEYE SRT basing at $74,090. It also had the $8,600 2BZ package with 220-mph speedometer, power chiller and Redeye badges; $1,595 carbon fiber; suede interior accents, $995 navigation, $1,095 Warp Speed Granite alloy wheels, $595 orange brake calipers and $695 for 3-season HP Pirellis, for a total $87,665.

Yes, there’s other four-doors out there with 600 horsepower or so from BMW and Mercedes, or two-doors like a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 with 650 horsepower (60 mph in 3.5 seconds), Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 with 760 horsepower (60 mph in 3.3 seconds), or the Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock with 807 horsepower (60 mph in 3.25 seconds). But this Widebody Hellcat Redeye can give family or friends the ride of their life, with luxurious front and rear seating and luggage!

Check out the ‘21 DODGE: CHARGER SRT HELLCAT REDEYE and the latest and greatest Motown Muscle @ https://www.dodge.com/dodge-muscle.html