Topic: Test Drive: 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat

[JacobBlack]

Scoops... what kinda price could I get for a Charger RT Scat Pack?   
Jazz Blue Pearl please.

Today is one of those days the appeal of a "stupid V8" is real high...

Save your money. Buy a motorbike

[Weels]

^
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Those things will kill ya' man. 

[Jaeger]

Great review of a wonderfully ridiculous vehicle.  But.... 5 stars for exterior styling???    Did that big V8 shake some screws loose?  Are you really saying exterior styling doesn't get any better than ..... this?

[Kris78]

Great review of a wonderfully ridiculous vehicle.  But.... 5 stars for exterior styling???    Did that big V8 shake some screws loose?  Are you really saying exterior styling doesn't get any better than ..... this?

I think he included the ridiculous tire smokin' burnouts as part of the styling. Which is entirely appropriate. 

[Fobroader]

Wtf are with all the complaints about the interior.....its all there. Its a 700hp car you can fit 4 to 5 people into and it has a big trunk.....so again, 700hp and its functional enough to use as a family car. At $70k this is a hell of a rocket to show your tailights to those snooty German performance sedans, AMG who/M what.

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[JacobBlack]

Wtf are with all the complaints about the interior.....its all there. Its a 700hp car you can fit 4 to 5 people into and it has a big trunk.....so again, 700hp and its functional enough to use as a family car. At $70k this is a hell of a rocket to show your tailights to those snooty German performance sedans, AMG who/M what.

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Yeah but those taillights are sooo ugly...  *




*I kid, I kid

[evil_twin]

Wtf are with all the complaints about the interior.....its all there. Its a 700hp car you can fit 4 to 5 people into and it has a big trunk.....so again, 700hp and its functional enough to use as a family car. At $70k this is a hell of a rocket to show your tailights to those snooty German performance sedans, AMG who/M what.

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No question.  The Hellcat(s) are unbelievable for their (relatively) modest price.  They honestly don't need to change a thing as, I agree, who really cares about the interior in this package?

Mine was more a general comment that it is unbelievable to me that a company as big as Chrysler, with what I presume is a huge design team, can't come up with something better than what they've done in the Charger/Challenger.   They don't need to spend more money and compete with luxury rides, just give something that looks better.

Subjective I know, but c'mon....look at it!  It's ridiculous. 
[/end rant]

I'd still love a Hellcat.

[tooscoops]

hey evil twin, before this refresh, it won a wards top ten interior in the year it could ('11... seems to only be possible in the year of launch), the designers won some award at the interiors expo, it's twin, the 300 has won two top ten awards in the last 5 years... it does seem to get some love... but it is designed to be easy to use which can sometimes seem "low rent"... at least that's how i find the chrysler interiors from the last 5 years or so, when compared to the luxury brands...

[rrocket]

I'm sick of black wheels...

[Snowman]

Wtf are with all the complaints about the interior.....its all there. Its a 700hp car you can fit 4 to 5 people into and it has a big trunk.....so again, 700hp and its functional enough to use as a family car. At $70k this is a hell of a rocket to show your tailights to those snooty German performance sedans, AMG who/M what.

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Its a 100% traffic light drag car and there is nothing wrong with that.  Most people who have +$70k to send on a sedan are not looking for that.

[Benhaze]

Wtf are with all the complaints about the interior.....its all there. Its a 700hp car you can fit 4 to 5 people into and it has a big trunk.....so again, 700hp and its functional enough to use as a family car. At $70k this is a hell of a rocket to show your tailights to those snooty German performance sedans, AMG who/M what.

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk

No question.  The Hellcat(s) are unbelievable for their (relatively) modest price.  They honestly don't need to change a thing as, I agree, who really cares about the interior in this package?

Mine was more a general comment that it is unbelievable to me that a company as big as Chrysler, with what I presume is a huge design team, can't come up with something better than what they've done in the Charger/Challenger.   They don't need to spend more money and compete with luxury rides, just give something that looks better.

Subjective I know, but c'mon....look at it!  It's ridiculous. 
[/end rant]

I'd still love a Hellcat.

Boy do I disagree with you. And you need to take a step back before making such a judgement about any design in general.

I am going to make a parallel example to explain my point. I find Toyota hybrid cars are some of the least attractive automotive designs in my opinion and could too state how come a company like Toyota  with a huge design center can come up with something so ugly but I would never make that judgement. Hybrid customers like and want something a little funky saying I drive a hybrid good for the planet and Toyota clearly nail it as sales of their hybrid sales are showing.

Same thing for Chrysler: it completely nailed it with the Challenger and Charger. Their design (especially the Challenger) is the most true to its origin of all pony cars and yet Chrysler was able to make it modern and fresh. Chrysler Design Studio absolutely deserves kudos for this.  US sales are showing how much it is a success for the intended customer base. It might not be your cup of tea but it does not mean it is a design failure because you don't like it.

And as Fobroader I don't understand all the complaints about the interior. Please put your behind in one before trashing it. The switch gear quality may not be up to Audi and M-B standards but Uconnect front and center of the instrument panel is far better than any infotainment system Audi has never come up with. The digital display between the gauges has also a better rendering and more features than any other brands save for the new Audi TT and upcoming A4. Crap I wish Cadillac would have an instrument cluster as nice as what about any Charger has...

[mixmanmash]

I'd love to buy one of these used down the road, unbolt that supercharger and bolt on a pair of Borg Warner EFR turbos and supporting mods...  Should easily make a 1000HP+ on pump fuel.

Or I guess I could just get a used SRT8 and do the same mods. 

[Jaeger]

while at least you do get the point of the car snow, to say it's design is decades old and neon-like is a bit beyond just exaggeration. while this interior choice (the cheapest you can get in the hellcat) isn't my favourite, it is a hell of a lot better than many... sure if you compare it to a luxury car in that price point, it might seem like a less awesome place to sit, but this focuses on powah... and it is still a nice place to be... those who think otherwise seem to be in the minority considering the awards the interiors have won.

anywho, fun review! i do admit that it is a shame there is no manual (on any level), but they don't sell big manual sedans here... plus, the auto is faster... and apparently can handle the power better. so it's not all bad news.

not sure what more to say... i'd go b5 blue... and tint those windows...

Evil isn't saying he doesn't like the Hellcat(s). He likes  them. I like them. Everybody likes them and they're a sales success. They're awesome BUT, that interior is horrid. I speak for myself but I'd rather trade 200 horsepower for a reasonable interior.

I know that's not what this car is about and 3-5 years ago I'd be all for it but if I wanted a 4 door performance car at this price range I'd probably go with the M3, C63, ATS-V or that class. Hell, the big CTS V-Sport or GS F-Sport is roughly the same price. Sure, you won't be the redneck hero, but you're going to have a way better car on a day to day basis.

I think Evil is just offering up this kind of opinion as a counterpoint.

Agreed.

[JRM]

I'm sick of black wheels...

+1

[Fobroader]

I'd love to buy one of these used down the road, unbolt that supercharger and bolt on a pair of Borg Warner EFR turbos and supporting mods...  Should easily make a 1000HP+ on pump fuel.

Or I guess I could just get a used SRT8 and do the same mods.

I like the way you think.....  While you are in there might as well drop in a 6 spd manual out of Challenger....

[mixmanmash]

I'd love to buy one of these used down the road, unbolt that supercharger and bolt on a pair of Borg Warner EFR turbos and supporting mods...  Should easily make a 1000HP+ on pump fuel.

Or I guess I could just get a used SRT8 and do the same mods.

I like the way you think.....  While you are in there might as well drop in a 6 spd manual out of Challenger....

Lol, I'd probably have to take the manual trans out of the Challenger, and convert it to a dog box with straight cut gears to handle the torque.  Not to mention one hell of a clutch.

[jyarkony]

I'm starting to get tired of all the Hell Cat reviews.  Why aren't there more R/T Scat Pack reviews that average people could actually afford to buy?

When the new Ford GT350 comes out does this mean we won't see another GT review for a year plus?

Note that I'm not saying the Hell Cat isn't a good car or that I'm not interested in it, just that I've read about it a million times already but only a couple of lesser models in their lineup.

Autos.ca JUST did the Charger V6 AWD.  It doesn't get much more pedestrian than that.

http://www.autos.ca/car-test-drives/day-by-day-review-2015-dodge-charger-v6-awd/#day1

Yeah I read that, I just want some Scat Pack goodness is all I guess.

We got you covered, JohnnyMac!

Scat pack was assigned long ago (but it's a Challenger Scat pack, not Charger, I think), but the author 'mistakenly' booked the Charger Hellcat instead... Sure, Justin, whatever... but yeah, it's coming, and believe you me, we always make every effort to review every vehicle and trim available on press fleets, and try to get multiple perspectives on more popular (in sales and in audience response) vehicles and trims (and 911s - don't hate me).

for the rest, here is something I forgot to embed in the review....

https://instagram.com/p/4XnaX6gHLR/

wasn't the best job of capturing the exhaust note, but it's something.

[Treeman]

So, in 20 years, which will be worth more on the auction circuit:

BMW 5 series, with aggghhh, a 4 cyl turbo
MB E350
Lexus GS 350
Hyundai Genesis 3.8
Kia K9
Cadillac (whatever)

or...

Hellcat

I rest my case.

Tree

[Treeman]

A dinosaur for sure...

Just like, umm....

Hemi Cudas
427 Cobras
Shelby GT-500s
Corvette 427 Split Windows

Just saying'...

[Treeman]

I think that preaching to the choir is the best way to ensure a highly receptive audience.

And I don't in any way dispute your choice of the Challenger Hellcat (6 speed) as the real future classic.

It's just that this piece was on the Charger, so my initial comparison was against current 4 door sedans.