Dodge unveils the world’s fastest four-door sedan, the 2015 Dodge Charger Hellcat – 331kW/881Nm and a quarter-mile time of 11.0seconds at 331km/h.
THIS WEEK DODGE launched its new four-door Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, after the 6.2-litre supercharged V8 HEMI Hellcat engine debuted in the two-door Challenger. The fact this engine would be rolled out to other models was probably the worst kept secret in all of motoringdom.
Indeed, the HEMI Hellcat V8 makes 331kW and 881Nm which is enough grunt to propel it down the quarter-mile in 11.0-seconds flat, “making it the quickest, fastest, most powerful production sedan in the world, as well as the most capable and technologically advanced four-door muscle car in America,” according to Tim Kuniskis, president and CEO at Dodge and SRT.
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The engine is mated to a “beefy” new TorqueFlite 8HP90 eight-speed automatic transmission, and to ensure the engine doesn’t tear itself apart, it’s the first Dodge and SRT engine to feature a forged-steel crankshaft with induction-hardened bearing surfaces. The result is a crank so well-engineered it can withstand firing pressures of 110 bar (1595 psi) – the equivalent of five family sedans standing on each piston, every two revolutions. And its unique, specially tuned crank damper has been tested to 13,000rpm. High-strength, forged-alloy pistons, developed using advanced telemetry measurement, are coupled to powder-forged connecting rods with high-load-capacity bushings and diamond-like-carbon-coated piston pins.
According to Dodge, the supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI V-8 has premium-grade, heat-treated aluminum-alloy cylinder heads, which are optimized for superior thermal conductivity. And its die-cast aluminum rocker covers are HEMI Orange.
Standard on the Charger SRT Hellcat is the largest front-brake package ever offered in a Chrysler Group vehicle, which were first introduced on the 2015 Challenger SRT Hellcat, featuring all-new 390-mm (15.4-inch) Brembo two-piece rotors with six-piston calipers for outstanding heat management and thermal capacity and longevity.
But the Charger Hellcat isn’t a one-trick pony, it’s designed to be a flexible everyday car with option to tweak the “drive experience”, via five different Drive Modes which alter everything from horsepower, transmission shift speeds, paddle shifters, traction and suspension.
Drive Modes are pre-configured for Sport, Track and Default settings, while the Custom setting lets the driver customize the drive experience to their favorite settings: Custom — Allows the driver to personalize the vehicle’s performance; Sport — Delivers increased vehicle performance capability over the Default Mode; Track — Delivers maximum vehicle performance capability on smooth, dry surfaces; Default — Activates automatically when starting the vehicle; Eco — Maximizes fuel economy with a revised shift schedule, pedal map and second-gear starts.
Dodge says this Charger was inspired the second-generation Charger from the 1960s. Up front, the Charger SRT Hellcat gets a larger (than the standard Charger), power-bulge aluminum hood, which features a dedicated “cold-air” intake – a visual styling cue from the first Viper coupe built in 1996 – and dual air extractors to ensure effective removal of heat and reduced air turbulence in the engine compartment.
Filling the wheel wells are “Slingshot” split-seven spoke 20 x 9.5-inch, lightweight forged-aluminum wheels with either standard Matte Black or available Brass Monkey/dark bronze finishes. Two new 275/40ZR20 Pirelli P Zero tires provide performance for all seasons. At the rear, a single piece decked spoiler is painted in body color while the unique fascia and valence showcase the 4-inch round exhaust tips.
Pricing has yet to be released for the Dodge Charger Hellcat, and it’s unlikely it’ll be available in Australia unless you order one through a specialist conversion company, and we’ve heard a few of them have already placed orders for customers.
So, given most of us will never get the chance to drive the Charger Hellcat, we thought we’d give one lucky Practical Motoring reader the chance to win not-quite-the-next-best-thing… Yep, we’ll be giving away one black SRT hat at random to either a new or existing subscriber. So, if you haven’t yet subscribed to Practical Motoring’s FREE weekly newsletter then do so now and you’ll automatically be entered into the competition – We’ll close the competition at midnight AEST on 28th August (2014), and announce the winner in our weekly newsletter on the 29th August 2014.
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