The first time you start the engine of the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody it goes to your very soul. Like the first time you heard Keith Richards hit the opening chord of “Can’t Get No Satisfaction,” or the first Tom Brady perfect spiral or crossing the finish line in your first marathon. It is special, primal and… well, just perfect. A force onto itself.
Yes, this car is a monster, a real bad boy, our 28-year-old neighbor kept saying. But, it’s a bad boy with a gentle touch — and who doesn’t love that. It is, for instance, surprisingly easy to drive — as long as you keep its power in mind. Ah, yes, the power. Let’s just do some quick facts.
The Charger Hellcat Redeye packs a mind-boggling 797 horsepower and is the most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan in the world. It features a 6.2L V8 Supercharged HO engine with an 8-speed automatic transmission. It can hit top speeds of 203 miles per hour, making it the world’s fastest four-door muscle car and can go from 0 – 60 miles per hour in 3.6 seconds. The Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye features the same Widebody introduced on the Charger SRT Hellcat in 2020. Integrated fender flares add 3.5 inches of body width and new 20-by-11-inch lightweight Carbon Black wheels ride on wide Pirelli 305/35ZR20 tires.
After we absorbed those facts — and heeded the warnings of several friends to respect the power, we took the Hellcat on the road — slowly. But little by little we felt more secure. It has excellent braking and the electric power steering (EPS) allows for a comfortable responsive steering feel. Frankly it was easier getting out of parking spots than a good many smaller cars.
What is so refreshing about this car is that it doesn’t scream “I’m the baddest on the road and I can beat you!” It knows it. Unlike other sports cars or muscle cars that can attract a cop a mile away, this one’s design is subtle and, frankly, quite nice. The hood scoop is functional, allowing for efficient air flow, but streamlines and the dual air extractor, which look like two slanted mesh openings, remove the heat from the engine. The fender, grille and deckled badge definitely have a muscular feel but with flair. Its aggressive, modern Widebody exterior with fender flares is integrated into the front and rear fascias, which adds 3.5 inches of width over the wider wheels and Pirelli tires.
Inside the seats are deep and comfortable, much more so than in many sports cars with beautiful maroon leather with beige stitching plus heated and ventilated front seats available. Everything is well thought out and the 8.4-inch display was easy to read, had everything right up front and was clear and helpful. Again, in backing out, I had plenty of visuals needed to maneuver.
The sedan offers five-passenger seating and has a 60/40 split-folding rear seats and the trunk offers 16.5 cubic feet of space. Again, surprisingly for a muscle car, the Charger has up to 104.7 cubic feet of interior room for phones, wallets, sunglasses and, in today’s world, sanitizers. Again, this is a car that is family friendly with more than 80 available safety and security features, including Full-speed Forward Collision Warning–Plus, Adaptive Cruise Control–Plus with Full Stop and Lane Departure Warning with Lane Keep Assist.
The base price was $70,000 but we had another $8,000 in the preferred package as well as other optional items such as navigational and travel amenities, which brought the final price to $86,865. The miles per gallon is about 15, with 12 in the city; 21 on the highways and gas will cost about $3,250 annually.
Some have said the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody was “demon possessed.” Yes, it is fast — really fast — and it is the latest in a long and proud line of Dodge Charger muscle cars, but we enjoyed this car more than we thought. It was easy to drive, went over bumps and pot holes with admirable suspension and we were able to control the power and pure magnetism to make it a fun and memorable drive.
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