Dodge Hellcat Charger: The fastest Sedan in Production
The Charger SRT flaunts it’s massive 485-hp 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 paired with its adaptive suspension. Complete with street, sport, and track modes. The power is awesome, but the ride quality is harsh in any of the settings, and the steering lacks feedback. Topping the horsepower charts with 707 hp from its supercharged 6.2-liter V-8; it’s the most powerful production sedan on Earth.
In Late December I had the pleasure of taking a 2016 hellcat charger out for a weekend in Los Angeles. Thanks to Turo I was able to pick this car up and review it all weekend with ease. I took the Car from Long Beach all the way down to Malibu, as well as through the streets of downtown Los Angeles to see if this sedan was truly the beast everyone says that it is.
First impressions: The car looks amazing. I was able to get my hands on a white with black accent charger, the owner had tinted the windows and it gave it an amazing look. Personally, the challenger is a little too boxy for me, the charger does a great job in keeping that fast and clean look, while having the practicality of four doors. The exhaust note is fantastic, I’ve heard many of these with full exhaust and they sound terrifying, stock they do the job, but it is nice to know you could always add to it with a few modifications.
Comfort: This is probably the where some of the cons of the charger come into play. While the car has great room and insane cargo space, technically it is in the sedan category and when you place it against the other sedans in this price point ( BMW 5 series, Alfa Romeo, Audi 6 series) the interior, as well as comfort, doesn’t really compete. But then again who buys a 707 horsepower car for comfort? Ride quality is decent, the suspension could be softer. Especially in touring mode and eco mode. Stiff with not much feedback would be the best way to describe It.
Drivability: Aside from the slightly rough suspension. The car is nice to drive, thats noted. You have power on tap when you need it and the transmission does a great job on the smooth shifts while cruising around town. Mpg is pretty bad, most of the weekend I averaged around 13mpg, granted I didn’t drive it conservatively, it was still much worse then the z06 I recently drove. The other downside I have about the car, is that it is a legitimate boat. When driving the car on the freeways you have to be cautious of the space around you, because you really do have a lot of car to carry around. Around corners the car felt as big as it looked, wasn’t very tight and you didn’t have the confidence that you would in a coupe such as the corvette Z06.
Power: The power in the charger Is phenomenal, you can get the car moving into the 100s before you can count to ten. My biggest issue with this much power was that the car had a very hard time putting it to the ground. Although with some larger tires this could be fixed, the car does lack the ability to grip the street. note to futures drivers of the car, do not attempt to floor it on an onramp, you will stand still and you will spin tires until you let off the gas.
Overall: Overall I had a blast with the hellcat, the difference between this and other muscle/supercars is the fact that it is a sedan. You can load up a few passengers and go for an awesome drive. This can’t be said for coupes with two seats. I think that was my favorite part about this car. Not only could you put down the peddle and get moving, but you could do it with a car full of people. Which.. depending on how you look at it, could be extremely fun, or extremely dangerous…Il let you decide.
