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Dodge has gone insane, and we mean that in the best way possible. While the car market has withered, the Charger and Challenger have thrived. In the past 10 years, sales are up 70 percent. It’s starting to seem like the money guys at FCA have given the SRT boys carte blanche to do whatever their collective 16-year-old brains want.

For starters, you’ll be able to get a 797-hp Hellcat called the Redeye using a slightly detuned version of the Demon 6.2-liter supercharged V8. It will get a Widebody version (3.5 inches wider overall, 20×11-inch wheels), as will the R/T Scat Pack. The “regular” Hellcat gets a slight bump to 717 hp, because why not, and both Hellcats now get a new dual snorkel hood. The old Hellcat hood comes on the SRT and R/Ts.

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To make nearly 800 hp, or 840 in the Demon, the 6.2-liter V8 in the Redeye gets a bigger supercharger than the Hellcat’s, from 2.4 to 2.7 liters, more boost and a higher engine redline. It has two dual-stage fuel pumps, as opposed to the Hellcat’s one, and a larger airbox.

Now, in a physics-proving bit of statistics, the extra 80 hp in the Redeye gets you just one-tenth in the quarter-mile, 10.8 to 10.9 seconds, and 8 more mph (203 mph to 195).

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Inside, you can spot a Redeye by the 220-mph red speedometer and its light black chrome instrument panel badge. The keys sport the new badge too, as does the main infotainment screen.

Oh, and no manual in the Redeye, but the rest of the lineup continues with a six-speed option.

Power outputs are the same for the Scat Pack (485-hp, 475 lb-ft) and the R/T (375-hp, 410 lb-ft).

Speaking of, the R/Ts and GT rear-drive models now come standard with the Super Track Pak stuff, including a high-performance suspension, 20-inch granite crystal painted wheels, paddle shifters with the automatic trans, a more aggressive hood and front splitter, as well as bolstered Houndstooth seats.

Pricing hasn’t been announced, but Dodge did say the Scat Pack will stay under $40K. The Widebody option on last year’s Hellcat cost $6,000, so we’d expect the new combo to come in around that total. After the Redeye, that’s the one we’re most interested in.


What do you think about the new Dodge Challenger? Comment below.


By Jake Lingeman
Source: Auto Week