Video: 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Review

We're here with the 2015 Dodge challenger SRT Hellcat and it's 707 horsepower supercharged V8, is the most extreme Challenger that you can buy. Now a lot goes in to making that monster of an engine work with the rest of the Challenger. So let's take a look at what goes into the Hellcat and we couldn't make a Challenger Hellcat video without taking it to the track. The engine itself is 91% new compared to the 6.4 liter on which it's based, and there are a lot of different systems that go into supporting that much power. On the outside you have this new hood. Now it has functional heat extractors, and it's been off for a while and it's still pumping out heat. Down at the headlight level, the inboard driver's side headlight is removed and in its place is an air intake that goes straight to the engines air box. Down a little lower, there are no fog lights. Instead, it's just open grill space to get as much air as possible into the coolers and heat exchangers behind that grill. The brakes are the largest that Chrysler has put on any of its vehicles, at 15.4 inches with six piston calipers. That's even larger than the Dodge Viper. Now well over to the transmission choices, you have an eight speed automatic transmission and a six speed manual transmission. The six speed manual is taken directly out of the Viper, and eight speed Automatic is beefed up and it's the most stout eight speed that Chrysler makes. Out back you have, beefed up rear end an axle some components, and you have this exhaust. This wonderful, wonderful exhaust, that's two and three quarter inch dual pipes with an active exhaust system. And let me tell you, it is an experience unlike anything else out there. If the makers of Godzilla are looking for something new to sample for a monster sound, they got to get ahold of one of these. The Hellcat is as rock is fast and wild as you'd expect, but it's also extremely controllable and it can be very, very mild when you have all the modes dial down a little bit. Maybe it's a long wheel base or the 4,400 pound curb weight, but it never feels white knuckled or that you're not in control. And then when you do turn all of those modes down to eco and street settings, you can drive this thing like a V6. You can drive it all day long in the city, hit every pothole and be in complete comfort. But then you get out on the highway and you stretch its legs and just unleashed the 707 horsepower which is, very wild experience. The Hellcat's 8.4 inch touchscreen houses the command center for numerous power, transmission and suspension settings. The Hellcat has three pre-programmed driving modes, default, sport and track. But beyond that, you can customize each individual setting of the transmission, suspension and power output. In the custom setup, you can choose between 700 horsepower, 500 horsepower or transmission and track sport and street modes. There's also an eco mode that numbs down all of the settings and makes this just powerhouse as drivable as a V6 in heavy, heavy traffic. Now there's more information in the center dashboard. The digital display between the tech amateur and speedometer houses a lot of interesting information that people who are going to be driving on the track are going to want to see. Individual items like intake air temperature, inner cooler temperature, temperature of the transmission, oil temperature, there's just a huge amount of information available and it's available in the digital display and also set up as gauges in the performance pages of the 8.4 inch display. Now on top of that, you also have a diagnostic center here that can show you diagnostic trouble codes as they pop up if there's anything wrong with the car. Quarter mile times for the Hellcat are estimated by Dodge at a blistering 10.8 seconds in the quarter mile. But, with sticky drag radial tires. Now on street tires they say it should do 11.2 seconds. We're going to put that to the test. So let's head to the drag strip. We've been able to pull some mighty impressive the times in the Challenger Hellcat. Now 707 horsepower, may seem excessive and it is, but it works in the Hellcat. Anything less than ludicrous, and this thing just would not have stood out as the way it does.