Hung out with the Mopar crew and a couple of Hellcats at a Mopar show this week end. I brought my Vanishing Point Challenger and we even lined them up for a gear or two(private road, no other cars). The Hellcat is pretty amazing and sounds great. Completely docile around town until you get on it. My car has 600HP and weighs about 3500lbs, Hellcat 707 @4300. Very close match up from a roll. No contest from a standing start. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I think this car is genius, really. I bet the incremental cost for the powertrain and other bits is very small compared to the price bump, economies of scale make this car cheaper than a DIY hotrodder, you get a factory warranty, and the public looks at the HP and top speed numbers and goes gaga. I have considered one, but bet I'd get tired of the really stupendous weight that makes the car actually very little if any faster in a straight line than my C67Z06 and worse at everything else. But I can sure see the appeal and might change my mind. Bright green for me!
That is also my concern. While my 14 Shelby is not a lightweight curve cutter, I am not sure the difference would be that great and I would grow tired of it.
I think the Hellcat would most closely compete with the Caddy, of the vehicles in your garage. I'm actually more drawn to the usability of the Charger Hellcat (although I don't think that will come with a manual...?)
I'd have to agree. Also have a 2014 GT500. It's no lightweight - though not crazy heavy by modern car standards - but it is "light" compared to the Hellcat. With 500-600 lbs more to tote around, the Hellcat just can't possibly be as nimble as the Shelby, which can be made a bit more nimble with some suspension mods (e.g. Boss 302) and taking some weight off the nose by replacing the heavy lead acid battery with a Li-ion. On the plus side with the Hellcat, at least it has some usable interior space. The back seat of the Shelby is t-i-g-h-t. I have 2 teen boys and they groan whenever they have to get in the back seat for more than 15 minutes at a time.
It was never meant to be "nimble". Plenty of other options exist for that. It is simply a throwback to the days when manufacturer's were engaged in all out war to create massively powerful vehicles. I've driven the Hellcat-its incredible that a vehicle of this nature can even be built today. It is fast by any standard and it pulls like a train. It can roast the big Pirellis in nearly any gear and sounds amazing. As an added benefit, it is a good GT car that can eat up the miles on an Interstate in comfort and style. The fuel economy isn't even as bad as you'd expect. All this combined with a nicely upgraded interior, very good in-car tech packages and a rapidly building iconic status, makes for a bargain IMO.
Challenger Hellcat is the f12 of American cars. In other words, a very (VERY) fast GT car. Think of it in that context and the big beast starts to make more sense. I am trying to talk myself OUT OF ordering a 2016..with the Laguna Leather.
The weight is undoubtably there, but on the street is that really that much of an issue, the brakes tires and suepsion cover it over. I guess it depends on the roads. The sheer size and width of a challenegr is more of a challenge than the weight on a winding two lane. For open roads, big highways and strips that seem to be the predominant american road enviroment I dont see too much drawback to this car. A small nimble lotus is far more comporomised being focussed for pretty much only for backroad twisties. I guess a small sedan like the e46 M3 covers the gaps between the two. In any event plenty of challengers sold each year, so somewher peopel are not put off by the size. Other than on a track, is the weight really an issue with a car like this, however you look at it there are more brakes grip and go than can unreasonably be used on the street and you can take 3 friends along. On a backroad, probably any challenger is going to be work, like herding a beast.
Didn't say that it was meant to be nimble, just noted that it can't be as nimble as the lighter Shelby - a car not known for nimbleness. Man, that was a lot of nimble for one sentence. It does sound pretty nice. Engine has a sweet sound as it revs up. Fwiw, I'd be really surprised if the fuel economy is anywhere near as advertised. Ford advertised 24 mpg highway for the Shelby. Best I've ever seen was 20.5 mpg all highway, trying to be careful, no traffic. But then again, gas mileage isn't exactly priority #1 for buyers of these cars.
I guess neither are nimble, the shelby is really front heavy too, but it is smaller and narrower, making it more useable on certain roads, the challenger more comfortable and spacious. Both are probably an extreme drive which is their real appeal.
Yup, weight distribution is 57.5/42.5%. So, it's a "bit" front heavy. Great reason to move the battery to the trunk or substitute for a Li-ion though impact would only be ~1% shift. I think the Mustang GT is a more reasonable 52.5/47.5%. That supercharger and associated hardware etc is heavy. Truth be told, I think my wife would've preferred that I held out for the Challenger Hellcat given the added room and extra comfort. The Shelby is cramped and the Recaros aren't bad, but not super comfortable for long trips. But then again, I'm the only one in the car 95% of the time.
Cool machine, and despite the weight distribution I have seen them tearing up the track. The ones I saw ran massive hoosiers on the front wheels. Fast car, have fun, if you can dont let the women dictate your drive, they have really different priorities.
Challenger gets all the press but i think charger is cooler. Fastest 4 door ever made. Maybe fastest ever to be made. Its like driving the michael jordan statue inscription
Highway to Hell(cat): Owner wrecks 707-hp Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat one hour after buying it | MotorSportsTalk 1 less after 1 hour of blissful ownership....
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car and driver has 4 door 200mph charger vs cts v on cover of latest issue. haven't read it yet but still amazes me that we produce these 2 monsters and no one else in world does
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xbtZUS3Vww Its laughable that this Fatcat has over double the power of a Subaru and yet still gets creamed by it. Its testament to its outdated engineering and highly inferior dynamics from the so called "Street and Racing Technology" (I know they can do better like the Viper but they didnt). I want to like this SRT but apart from its abysmal handling it also looks exactly like a 2015 Dodge Dart. Frankly, after spending for the SRT the last thing you want to be mistaken with is a low budget fleet Dodge Dart. http://fastestlaps.com/tracks/willow...of_willow.html 2013 Audi RS7 Sportback Time: 1:24.30 Power(PS) /Weight: 560 / 1895 2013 Mercedes CLS 63 AMG S-Model Time: 1:24.70 Power(PS)/Weight: 585 / 1870 2014 Chevrolet SS Time: 1:25.71 Power(PS)/Weight: 421 / 1800 2014 Subaru WRX STI Time: 1:26.12 Power(PS)/Weight: 309 / 1545 2013 Jaguar XFR-S Time: 1:26.49 Power(PS)/Weight: 550 / 1987 2015 Dodge Charger SRT HellCat Time: 1:26.87 Power(PS)/Weight: 717 / 2070
weight can't hide...Subie is almost 500 kilos (over 1,000 pounds!) lighter. also given the lap times are for Streets of Willow, small chance they weren't using the same configuration...there's dozens of little changes (chicanes and so forth) to the layout there that could make a difference. but I'm inclined to believe lighter weight and AWD overcome gobs of horsepower, especially at Streets.
Agree, and the car simply has too much power to put down effectively. Again the car was never meant to be a track day weapon and yet many fail to see this simple fact. It does appear that they are selling very well so kudos to Chrysler for building this monster. It is what it is-a heavy car meant for the street-and it sounds amazing .
I love the Hellcat but there's no way in hell I'd buy one as a track day car. (frankly I wouldn't buy a Mustang or Camaro for that role either)
Agree. They are great cars to have shyts and giggles with but IMHO there are better choices as far as track days are concerned.
