the hottest versions of ford mustang and chevrolet camaro
looks like: the 2018 challenger srt hellcat and r/t scat pack with cool new twin-snorkel hoods and other details, plus the scat pack gets an aggressive widebody option
drivetrain: 797-horsepower, supercharged 6.2-liter hemi v-8 (hellcat redeye) with eight-speed automatic transmission; 717-hp, supercharged 6.2-liter hemi v-8 with six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic (hellcat); 485-hp, 6.4-liter hemi v-8 with six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic (r/t scat pack); 372-hp, 5.7-liter v-8 with six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic (r/t); 305-hp, 3.6-liter v-6 with eight-speed automatic (sxt, gt).
hits dealerships: late 2018
dodge has unveiled 2019 model-year versions of its challenger srt hellcat and r/t scat pack muscle cars. the biggest news is a new variant called the srt hellcat redeye, whose demon-inspired, supercharged hemi v-8 makes 797 horsepower under its new twin-snorkel hood. dodge just built the last of its drag-strip-optimized challenger srt demon limited editions, but it now has revived a version of its used engine and performance upgrades for the more readily available hellcat redeye.
related: charged up for the 2019 dodge charger? we have all the deets
at the same time, dodge detailed a slightly more powerful version of the challenger srt hellcat and new features and options for the r/t scat pack, its more affordable muscle option that starts around $40,000. all three coupes will get a new two-snorkel hood inspired by 1970s dart stinger and demon muscle cars. those three challenger variants can be ordered without a rear seat to cut weight and are also available with the flared-fender widebody package introduced on the 2018 hellcat, which allows wider 20-inch wheels and tires.
the new power and features should make these buffed-up challenger coupes even more formidable and grin-inducing off the line, even if their weight and size could continue to hamper them on a road course versus the rival ford mustang and chevrolet camaro, as we found with the scat pack in 's 2016 muscle car challenge.
these updated challenger models will be at dealers in the fourth quarter of this year.
2019 challenger srt hellcat redeye
the hellcat redeye is all about an upgraded supercharged hemi v-8, which breathes more fire into the high-performance hellcat package. it promises to be a near-demon version of the hellcat, but with better street manners than the drag-strip-optimized demon. like the standard hellcat, it also will be available in a challenger widebody version that adds fender width for bigger wheels and grippier tires.
the redeye's 6.2-liter hemi v-8 gets a bigger supercharger than the regular hellcat (2.7 liters versus the hellcat's 2.4 liters) with 14.5 pounds per square inch of boost, and it puts out 80 more horsepower to bring the total to 797 (you'd think dodge could have tweaked the redeye for a few more to break the 800 mark) and a brutal 707 pounds-feet of torque.
the v-8 also has such demonic upgrades as toughened connecting rods and pistons, improved lubrication, an upgraded valvetrain and two dual-stage fuel pumps. and it benefits from a standard srt "power chiller" that diverts air-conditioning refrigerant to a chiller unit to lower the intake air temperature, plus a bigger induction air box that draws air from the new hood. a driver-side "air catcher" headlamp and an inlet near the front wheel liner bring in air, too. the redeye hemi is mated only to a performance eight-speed automatic.
dodge says the widebody version will do zero-to-60 mph in 3.4 seconds and a quarter-mile in 10.8 seconds at 131 mph, while the regular (narrower) version does a quarter-mile in 11.1 seconds, also hitting 131 mph. both redeyes' top speed is 203 mph. floor it and you can burn up 1.43 gallons per minute of fuel, but dodge also estimates its mileage in normal highway fuel use at a less cringeworthy 22 mpg.
2019 challenger srt hellcat
the new aluminum hood has twin snorkles and vents, helping to add 10 hp to the hellcat for a new 2019 rating of 717 hp, along with a brutish 656 pounds-feet of torque (up 6 pounds-feet) from its supercharged 6.2-liter hemi v-8. but you still can have it with a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic transmission.
it's also available in regular and widebody versions, which deliver only slightly less performance than the line-topping redeye. dodge puts the hellcat widebody's quarter-mile at 10.9 seconds at 127 mph and the regular hellcat in 11.2 seconds at 125 mph. top speeds are 195 mph and 199 mph, respectively.
standard performance features on the 2019 challenger srt hellcat models include an adaptive suspension, brembo brakes, electric power steering, launch control, an improved-for-2019 launch control system, a launch assist system that uses wheel-speed sensors to automatically control wheel hop, a drag-racing-style "torque reserve" system that lets the supercharger hold more boost at launch, a larger induction air box, and a line-lock system that holds the front brakes but frees the rear wheels for burnouts.
srt driving modes selectable on the 8.4-inch multimedia screen let the driver adjust horsepower, steering feel and transmission, traction and suspension settings among street, sport and track modes, as well as a do-it-yourself custom bundle of settings. also available on the screen are srt performance pages, which illustrate performance data.
the 2019 hellcat interior will have standard houndstooth-pattern cloth performance seats, and three leather and upholstery options are available. the interior also has silver contrast stitching on the seats and console, as well as black-chrome trim. it still includes a leather-wrapped, flat-bottom steering wheel and red gauges that bookend a 7-inch display.
2019 challenger r/t scat pack
as the group's budget brute, the 2019 challenger r/t scat pack also gets the new twin-snorkel hood. and dodge will now offer it with the widebody package, including flared fenders for wider wheels and bigger tires (plus it just looks hot). under that new hood, the 485-hp, non-supercharged 6.4-liter hemi v-8 produces 475 pounds-feet of torque and works with a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic (r/t scat pack), which carry over from 2018.
the 2019 scat pack also has standard illuminated "air catcher" headlamps that feed additional air behind them, plus brembo brakes, launch control and srt driving modes.
the widebody version is 3.5 inches wider and includes pirelli p305/35zr20 tires. the package on the r/t scat pack also adds an srt-tuned chassis with stiffer front springs, larger front and rear stabilizer bars and adaptive shock absorbers. and the widebody gets a more aggressive front bumper and rear spoiler. compared to the regular scat pack model, the widebody version will be 0.2 second faster in the quarter-mile, dodge says, hitting the mark in 12.1 seconds at 112 mph.
the exterior gets scat pack bumblebee badges on the fenders in addition to the challenger script and r/t logos on the grille. inside, scat pack bee logos are embroidered into the seatbacks, and there's a new dark finish on the dashboard and center console plus new trim accents on the steering wheel, shifter and instrument cluster.
and the rest ...
today's attention was on the top of the challenger muscle lineup, but dodge and srt did note some performance improvements for the 2019 challenger r/t and rear-wheel-drive, v-6-powered gt models. they include standard super track pak features such as a performance suspension, upgraded steering, 20-inch wheels, a paddle shifter for the automatic, performance hood and front bumper, and houndstooth-pattern sport seats.
optional on them for 2019 is a performance handling group with upgraded brakes and suspension. the gt also gets brembo brakes, wider wheels and a larger rear stabilizer bar. on the rear-drive gt, the group features four-piston brembo brakes (front and rear), wider black noise wheels and a larger rear stabilizer bar for improved driving experience and reduced understeer. the r/t adds upgraded springs and stabilizer bars plus bilstein shock absorbers, as well as an optional performance plus package with a limited-slip differential and track-ready 20-inch forged wheels with pirelli p-zero tires.
meanwhile, the v-6 challenger essentially carries over its used engine ; it will also be available for 2019 with the same 3.6-liter v-6 (305 hp, 268 pounds-feet of torque) in sxt and gt trim levels.
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