For Those Of You With A Hellcat

I plan on buying an R/T Scat Pack in the somewhat near future, depending on how business goes the second half of the year. I was not even considering an auto transmission, I am wanting to buy a car to actually drive. I am not into drag racing, but I am sure I will end up at the track at some point. I enjoy a stick, but now I am wondering if the 8 speed auto might be a good way to go

We have one kid, with maybe another one in the future. Out of the Mustang, Challenger and Camaro, I am going with the Challenger for the extra space. For the price point, I think it is the best way to go.

Anyway, for those of you with the Hellcat with the 8 speed auto, is the paddle shifting mode fun, or is it just blah compared to an actual stick? I need to drive it to be sure for myself, but I am just curious if it is a true manual mode, or if it's like dummy shifting where the car will upshift for you at a certain point.

 

These cars are awesome. The power is intoxicating. Although they are heavy the design is so good you do not feel it. The weight and the long wheelbase make the car feel stable.

I chose the manual and the feel and smoothness of the transmission is world class. The automatic is a bit quicker according to the dealership

As you can see from my profile I am fortunate to own many cars. This is my favorite! The interior is so spacious it will fit your whole family or in my case every one I know. The only downside is the Hellcat makes my generation 5 Viper feel slow. This is true, not a attempt at a joke.

Good luck whatever you buy

Lee

 

Thanks for the insight, I appreciate it.

 

Shifts are decent but slow to respond to the paddle inputs.

 

The Charger and Challenger are the same car with different bodies, so if you are looking for a little more room, go the 4 door Charger version.

I had a 2006 SRT 8 Charger for 3 years, and it was an absolute blast !

 

I concur for the most part. I also have a 6 speed.
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charger doesn't have as many options, as far as I could tell when building online, like some of the packages.

I'm just wondering if the paddles give you a true sense of control. I really like the 6 speed but I may end up with the auto to simplify life, we may have a 2nd kid on the way.

I appreciate everyone's input

 

I ended up buying a Scat Pack Challenger. I thought about the Hellcat(and will probably still end up with one) but thought it made more sense to get the Scat as I plan to rack up some miles on the car. I only considered the 6 speed, all options except sunroof and Plum Crazy Pearlcoat. I always wanted to order a Cuda or Challenger back in the day with a wild Mopar, High Impact color. It took a while to find one that I wanted as the Plum was only offered at the beginning of the year. I ended up going out of state for mine.
The car is a blast. I too, have many cars and this Challenger is comfortable, sounds great and is perfect for a run to Vegas with four normal sized adults-with room for luggage! It has an amazing amount of tech, built in "drag start" mode, G-force indicators(part of the Super Track Pack Performance Pages), a good sound system and much more.
The paint quality is outstanding-did you hear that BMW(orange peel)? The alcantara sport seats have heat/air and lots of adjustability. It motors down the road with ease at triple digits and returns reasonable fuel economy.
While it is no Porsche(or Camaro for that matter) in the corners, it doesn't embarrass itself either.
My friend was so impressed he went out a picked up a Scat Pack Charger(apparently a pretty rare package on the Chargers). He wanted the four door as he has kids. He got the auto and it works very well and also allows for the adaptive cruise and a different version of launch control.

 

Steve - thanks for the initial review.

I need a new DD and am considering a Golf R - but every time I see a Challenger go by, it turns my head. I have always loved hatchbacks. But that big coupe makes me lustful.

I am going to test drive a scat pack on Friday. My only concern is the size. I tend to like smaller cars. Am also going to test an SS and GT (just so the big 3 are all covered). I am not considering the Charger because I want a 6 speed.

Thanks again!

 

Its a big car, but on the open road that's a good thing. If you live on Angeles Crest Highway, you may prefer the Camaro or Mustang. I bought mine purely because of the direct connection to heritage-looks,Hemi and color. I've been pleasantly surprised by the handling and braking. Mopar also offers many options to increase the capabilities of both and believe it or not, there are a fair bit of Challenger owners that take them to the road course.

 

Steve great post. I love mine for the power, interior room and sound. You said it perfectly about the handling. It is not a sports car but the handling is good.

Enjoy your car.

Best

Lee

 

I bought the A8 tranny first. Fast, kinda boring to drive. Paddle shifters work well and quickly. I traded it for the stick. I prefer the manual, and its a blast to drive around. First and second pull pretty well in the scat pack, third and higher are noticeably slower.......

So in that car, I think the A8 is a better choice. (shifts quickly and you can keep it in the right rpm band easily) The hellcat is a monster with either tranny!

The interior is nice and the car handles well despite what some say. Its not an f-car, but it will stomp most of them in a straight line anytime. Nice comfortable cruiser with a big hammer. Good luck and happy hunting, S

 

Thanks, Lee. They really are more enjoyable than they have a right to be!

 

Thanks gor your input guys. I'm still a ways out, but I haven't been less excited as time goes on. I was intitially set on the Mustang, but after realizing there is a likelihood of a second kid, and that fact that I don't care for the mustangs interior made it a no brainer.

Camaro is my first choice, but at 6'3 with broad shoulders and 2 kids in the future, it's not possible.

I think the challenger will work fine. It was a turn off in the beginning because of its size, but at this point it's my saving grace. I even briefly considered a BMW M2, but that went away quickly. I need a V8, and the scat pack interior is far more appealing than any other in that price range

 

I got a new Golf R as one of our daily drivers. It has the Stage 2 APR kit on it which makes it very fast. It's on par with my new M3 which I also DD. The interior is very tasteful considering it's only a $40k car and has pretty much everything you need in a DD.

 

Cameron, I'd give more serious thoughts to the Charger because it's a sedan and it sounds as though you have another kid on the way. We had a 2-door when my oldest was born and for nearly 2 yrs thereafter. What a PITA to get that infant car seat in/out of the car. We sold the 2-door and bought a sedan as soon as we found out my wife was pregnant with our 2nd kid. It made a huge difference.

 

Manual for sure. More fun to drive, plus the resale seems to be higher for Hellcat and Scat Pack Challengers with three pedals.

Keep in mind that the automatic in the Challenger is not a DCT and will not shift much more quickly than you can. And come on, it's a muscle car - it practically begs for a manual!

 

My 2016 Scat Pack Challenger is a proper beast. Half cheetah. Half pack mule. The trunk is cavernous and the interior is nice and roomy. I recently dusted a 2014 Mustang GT off the stoplight at Woodward and 12 Mile with a cooler full of drinks and ice, 4 folded lawn chairs, a couple of blankets and 2 portable BBQ GRILLS in my trunk!

I opted for the A8 since my left knee has had enough of clutch work in traffic. I gave up my 2012 Mustang manual 6 speed largely because of that.

The SP Challenger is a delight. Stomping on the pedal produces an audible growl that makes you grin like you got away with something naughty. And the push into the seat is like the car is pissed at you for no reason at all. Come this winter I'll slap on a set of Blizzaks and wheels and go on about my business.

All that power and room and I scored it for less than 38k.

God bless America.
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What was the MSRP? I had heard that SP's pull close to sticker?

 

2016 Dodge Challenger Scat Pack's current MSRP is 38,995

Forgo the leather interior, the front camera, the premium audio and find yourself a relative who works for FCA so you can get their discount code and you're in business.

 

Heck of a deal. I paid a bit more because I wanted the optional forged wheels, the Alcantara seats(cooled and heated), the optional audio and some other goodies. As I consider it a GT car I wanted the goodies.

 

I don't know if it works on a SP, but I joined TreadLightly at the $100 level. 30 days after joining you can request an affiliates control number, which gives you AT LEAST 1% under dealer invoice on most FCA products. I purchased a Wrangler Rubicon using this and it was a piece of cake. I actually got a much better deal than that because my understanding is that FCA reimburses the dealer like they sold it at factory sticker. So if you and dealer split the difference it can put a vehicle 3-5% under invoice. Helluva deal, and easy.

 

Interesting.... I found an orange SP near me at a small dealer. I may go look at it next week.

 

I'm liking the SP more and more. We drove ours to the Monterey Historics-up Highway 1-it handled very well, the Plum Crazy Pearlcoat paint was applied as well as most of the Ferrari's we were parked next to and more than one sportscar was surprised at how quickly we caught them. Good times.
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