In case you somehow missed it, Dodge let a big, loud and very red cat out of the bag yesterday when they announced the 2015 Challenger SRT Hellcat. The Hellcat is the epitome of what the Challenger can be, with more power, more grip, an all-new transmission and multi-mode suspension, among other things. There is no doubt it will appease the Mopar fans, but is it also enough to dethrone the Camaro as the performance king of the pony car segment?
The Hellcat is much like the standard 2015 Challenger, save for some performance pieces and of course, the new supercharged 6.2-liter engine. Dodge says this force-fed V8 is the most powerful eight-cylinder engine the brand has ever produced, churning out “over 600 hp” (SRT hasn’t confirmed exact power figures). Power will be sent through either a six-speed manual transmission or, interestingly, a brand new eight-speed automatic unit.
The latest Challenger also features a variety of driving modes which change the car’s shift speeds, power output, steering feel, traction control and suspension settings. Drivers can choose between three pre-set modes, Default, Sport and Track or a fourth mode with their own custom settings. It also gets wide 20-inch lightweight alloy wheels wrapped in Pirelli PZero tires and 15.4 inch- two-piece Brembo brakes.
As far as power goes, the Hellcat has the Camaro beat. However the Challenger is rather hefty at about 4,160 lbs, and that’s just for the standard car, Dodge has yet to release the official curb weight of the presumably heavier Hellcat. The Camaro ZL1 weighs 4,120 lbs, while the standard V8 SS weighs 3,908 lbs and the athletic Z/28 tips the scales at 3,837 lbs. So the Challenger, no matter how you slice it, is the heavier machine.
At the drag strip, the Hellcat might be able to clean up when pitted against the somewhat less powerful ZL1. However through the turns, we think this would end up being an interesting match up. The Hellcat has the bigger brakes and more power, but the ZL1 has GM’s trick Magnetic Ride suspension, which could be worth a second or two on the circuit.
We don’t think it would be much of a race if the Hellcat lined up against the Z/28 at the start line of a proper road course, but that isn’t quite apples-to-apples. A comparison test between one of the Chevys and the Mopar is bound to come out eventually, but in the meantime, let us know what you think about this latest offering from Dodge in the comments.
Comments
2013 GT500 would be a far better competition. Just saying. 662HP trumps it all and its in the same price range.
The Germans have proven that power to weight doesn’t beat good old engineering, and GM has proven to us many times that their engineers know what they’re doing.
only when the ignition key cylinder doesn’t switch to off, eh?
GM has the complete package with the Z/28. It is a case where less is more.
As for this car it was developed with the ZL1 in mind as when they were working on it the Z/28 was a great unknown in GM let alone at Dodge.
I think you will find that this car while great at the drag strip and even with improved handling will still fall short of the lap times of the Z/28
Like the Viper was to the Sting Ray and the coming Z06 this car will also be a day late and a few second short of a win at the track and just being the complete package.
The bottom line is Chryiat is behind on development and needed to refresh the interest in this dinosaur while GM and Ford roll out their new models this year and late 2015 as a 2016.
The fact is GM has shown that the new Alpha and the weight management has made the new CTS and ATS world class.
Less mass will do much more than just more power will ever do. More power does not improve handling and more power does not stop faster. GM will also show this in the coming Camaro where we will see things we never could have imagined 10-15 years ago from a regular Camaro.
” More power does not improve handling and more power does not stop faster.”
Absolutely correct, Scott. Yes power is a major factor, but it’s how it’s all put together; engine, transmission, rear end & suspension. Right now Camaro has it all. The Holden engineering team truly knows what they’re doing.
Yes it is the combination of things working together.
But less mass also increases performance in ways that all other items can’t It is just simple physics.
As for Holden yes they did good but they did not do it all. Chevy had a lot of input into this project and the Z/28 improvement as well as the ZL1 were all Chevy and GM in Detroit.
Written by a true Chevy affectionado to be sure. From a 2013 SRT 392 Hemi owner that has street raced many a ZR1, through 1st and 2nd its fairly even, but after hitting 3rd gear my SRT has the Chevy product choking on road dust…just saying.
Cool story bro, tell that to someone who will actually believe you.
Anytime someone says “From a 2013 SRT 392 HEMI owner”, you know the comment that follows is going to be complete and utter stupidity. Just saying.
Dude, you ain’t beatin any ZR1s, not even the ’90s models. My buddy’s “392” can’t even pull on my 12 year old WS6 until we’re in third gear when his 100 hp advantage overcomes my 700 lb weight advantage. Even then he’s only barely pulling away. ZR1? Not even close! Say you beat Camaro RS or somethin.
DUH! Your right…I meant ZL1. (I tried a ZR1 and he ate my lunch…)
You are so full of it. The ZL1 smokes you SRT8 behemoth! Well the Camaro SS post the same numbers as your car does. Sorry but dodge is #3 in America by a long shot and always will be. Ford is our only competition and thank God they like to make cheap POS! The new mustang will be great against the old Camaro but once they make the new one with the string rays engine it in there is no way ford can keep up. The new Camaro will do 30 MPG and there is no way the new mustang will even beclose. Then there is dodge. In their own little world making huge heavy gas guzzlers and handle like crap.
I’m sure Mopar fans will love it and why not it’s a hot exciting machine but for me I’ll stick with Camaro. Reliability has been consistant.
The Challenger is a larger and heavier vehicle. I rented a V6 one for a week and drove it around the Southwest. It has a large and plodding feel to it. My Sonata felt waaay faster even though the Dodge has 300hp, due to the weight. Also the cylinder deactivation kicks in randomly and makes it hard to drive the car smoothly, especially in the thin southwest air. Plus the interior quality was questionable and the keyless entry fob died. I will say that the car attracted attention, especially in some of those quiet desert towns.
I would take the Camaro any day over the Dodge at any trim level.
GM Bias never ceases to amaze me. How many recalls this year again? Oh yeah, they broke their own record. real reliable. “Like a rock” I like what SRT is doing, besides the chally has always been larger than the mustang and cheaparo. Most of you couldn’t afford any of the cars you’ve mentioned and think cause you put a cold air intake on your silverado it’s quick. Douche bags.
Nice to see you are so unbiased yourself. LOL!
No car, especially GM made can compare in aesthetic value. That Challenger may loose by a millisecond to the whatever on the lap track, but it will break far more necks than the brick shaped camaro, not to mention dust that ass in a 1/4, which is the extent of most people’s racing anyways. Sure the zzzzzZ/28 will outrun the Chally at Laguna Seca; however, let me know when you make it to Laguna Seca…..
I like how people still fail to include the GT500 in conversations like these. Even mentioning that the 600hp HellCat will beat a Camaro off the line, but not even recognizing the GT500 as a contender with its weight advantage and 662hp 5.8L V8. It will definently manage to beat ANY Challenge put up against it, and in straight line speed, it will definently beat any Camaro put up against it aswell. (Has GM even made a 600+hp Camaro competitor?)
Its either hatred for Ford (and Shelby) or just plain ignorance. The Cheapest (For most part), Most powerful, and arguably the Fastest car out of the three has no place in this conversation apparently. Even though I thought you GM fans loved budget sports cars/super cars (See Corvette of any Generation.)
A normal person cant deny the power of the 2014 GT500, But apparently bias can.
The reason NOBODY brings a GT500 into the discussion is because except for top end speed, it’s not a contender. (no hate, I love the latest version).
It doesn’t have the suspension, nor rear tire to take advantage of any of it’s power except when chasing top speed.
Unfortunately except for when running on the autobahn it will get left by everything above and below it’s class. But it sure looks pretty though. And it does make a great hooligan mobile!
Is every ones leg wet in this pissing match yet?
While the Challenger is a great retro car and has a lot of power it is a compromise of a cut down 300 platform and has always paid the price in handling because of the mass. It is not a mistake or an issue if you like the car but that is just the way it is.
The 500GT is a neat car but kind of off the table as we move into the fall here as the new Mustang has a new performance model coming. The 500 has some short comings too but it is a nice car also.
The Camaro too was a reworked Zeta but they did make a little more effort to make it’s own. The penalty is it was still heavier than anyone would have liked but GM also had to work with what they had at the time too.
The bottom line is this is an argument no one will win as the criteria for each fan is a little different but all the cars are good cars in their own ways.
The 500 was king of the hill for a while and now the Z/28 is the best all around performer but as GM said it is not a drag car. It will lap right with the best sports cars but will fall off at the drag strip.
The Challenger and ZL1 are for the drag strip with decent road handling.
All these cars are like tools and each have a specialty that they each do.
The new Mustang will take this to the next level as will the coming Camaro as they both will give up little in brakes and power but each will have less mass and new suspension that will take better advantage of the large brakes and big power. The Camaro will receive the additional refinement investment Cadillac has already done.
As for Dodge the older car will go on for a while longer as Fiat is a little behind the others but they too will lose mass and at that point I expect them to be a more balanced car like the others will become.
I hope some of you guys reread some of your post as they are funny. I hope some of it was just in jest if not you had better get a grip and realize we have three decent cars that will only improve in the next few years.
As scott3 suggests, dry your legs gentlemen. My bias is mitigated, since I own all three Big 3, including a mid-year Sting Ray and Chevelle big block. I bought a 2009 Challenger R/T because it was just so damn good looking and it had a Hemi. When the Camaro came out afterwards, I never questioned it was a better car, but to this day it still doesn’t move me. The Challenger R/T is definitely waaaay too heavy, but it sounds good, turns heads, and is fun to drive. Race it? No way. GM/Chevrolet is doing a crack-up job with their new cars, the new C7 being a prime example. But having said all this, when I got my first look at this Hellcat, I started contemplating a visit to the Dodge dealer to discuss trading in my R/T. Only question is, stick with the Tremec 6 speed or try the new 8 speed with paddle shifters?
Really! Why are people acting like Mopar isn’t KING? Since day one of these pony wars the challenger was never a drag car,like in the 70’s! Dodge just wanted to go retro like the other automakers, an have the challenger a more drivers car. Since the MOPAR fans wanted more power, they had to produce the new HELLCAT for the MOPAR Fighters. So we can outright beat the BOW TIE GUYS, AND SLOWTANG dude’s at red lights or the drag strips………
So much bias here and so little history.
This is the segment of the market that I have loved and hated so much. The cars over the history have made it fun but the people involved with them have often made it a nightmare.
Too often we start getting in to my piece is bigger than your piece and we get left with many good cars getting missed in the arguments.
Also in the modern segment some get so hooked on the concept in their mind of what the car should look like and do that often we get only part of what we could really get in a car. The Retro thing is good to a point but it also limits the future of the models in so many ways. We are lucky the folks back in the 50’s-60’s did not think the same. While a 47 Chevy sedan was not bad we would have missed out on so many other new models and engines.
Remembering the past is good to a point but do not get so wrapped up in it that you forget the future. Also sometimes the past is hard to live up to. Whole the present Challenger is not a bad looking car the original was just right. I know they has to make the new one thicker due to the performance and regulations today but it has hurt the styling compared to the original. I am a GM guy but the 70 Cuda and Challenger were two of the best designs of the era.
No one is king here as competition does not leave a dynasty. They all have their good and weak points. Chevy always had the advantage of the simple and low cost of an engine that was easy to build and modify. Ford had the Shelby Legacy and the merits of a very well run racing program of the 60’s. Chrysler was the lower cost model that brought performance to many who could not afford the other cars. They may not have been as fancy or expensive but they were fast. Today because they sold less model than the others today their values are much higher in some cases.
I just wish that people would be more open minded and just enjoy them all. I loved my drives in a AAR Cuda and 69 1/2 road Runner just as much as any others.
While we need to learn and appreciate the history I do hope we cam move these cars forward and let them expand into what all they can be. I love the cars from 69-70 but how many version of the old cars can you do and no lose the generations to come.
One area so many here tend to forget. Back then the engine was the whole story and the car was just the package the engine came in.
Today the story is the whole package. Going, stopping and turning are the name of the game. Along with all the items inside the car today that is needed to sell them. The days of the gutted body shell with a big motor are overs.
Oh you see a few enthusiast say I will buy one but they are no longer enough in number to make it profitable.
And while Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV is doing a great job making their Dodge Challenger and Charger Hellcats KILL THEIR RIVALS, I want them to revive the Dodge Monaco and Chrysler New Yorker nameplates but as HIGH-END versions of the Charger and 300 with similar design dues to that of 1965. The Charger takes on Chevrolet’s SS and other E-segment cars, and the Monaco should take on the Caprice and other F-segment cars. I expect the Monaco to be in the US$70K-$80K range, and the New Yorker in the US$80K-US$95K range.
Sorry, the Caprice actually isn’t an F-segment car. The discontinued Crown Vic from Ford is another E-er. The Monaco, like I said, SHOULD BE A LUXURY CAR to take on Cadillac’s XTS, with at least 300 units per year.
Hellcat 60k. Z28 80k. Enough said