BRUTE FORCE

WATCH | Dodge Charger Hellcat Redeye is world's new fastest saloon

Hell on wheels: the four-door American brute uses a potent supercharged V8 to reach 327km/h

03 July 2020 - 11:50 By Phuti Mpyane
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Line Lock engages the front brakes to hold the Charger stationary while you fry the rear tyres for heating up or plain hooliganism.
Line Lock engages the front brakes to hold the Charger stationary while you fry the rear tyres for heating up or plain hooliganism.
Image: Supplied

The Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye has been unleashed as the world's most powerful saloon. With outputs of 594kW and 959Nm it's the world's most muscular mass-produced four-door, and also the fastest, with a 327km/h top speed.

The quarter-mile mark arrives in 10.6 seconds at a speed of 207km/h.

The Charger is powered by the latest supercharged 6.2-litre V8 Hemi engine that has also served in the two-door Dodge Challenger Hellcat coupe and Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk.

Dubbed “Hellcat”, this motor debuted back in 2014 with an unprecedented 527kW and 881Nm on tap.

In its latest guise the Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye guise is boosted to 594kW and 959Nm with the aid of a larger-capacity supercharger, and strengthened connecting rods and pistons among other tweaks.

There’s also adaptive damping Bilstein suspension with drive modes that include Auto, Sport and Track. Six-piston Brembo brakes do the stopping and the car features a Launch Control programme.

More fun can be had with the standard fitment of Line Lock, which engages the front brakes to hold the Charger stationary while you fry the rear tyres for heating up or plain hooliganism.

The source of all the fuss is a 6.2-litre supercharged Hemi V8 with outputs of 594kW and 959Nm/
The source of all the fuss is a 6.2-litre supercharged Hemi V8 with outputs of 594kW and 959Nm/
Image: Supplied

Though rated with a fuel consumption of 9.3l/100km, Dodge says at full throttle the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye consumes 5.4l/min, enough to empty the fuel tank in less than 11 minutes.

The war paint is typically Dodge, with the Hellcat Redeyes featuring widebody kits and fenders hiding fat 20-inch lightweight carbon black wheels shod with 305/35ZR20 Pirelli rubber, and a newly designed and functional performance bonnet.

Inside the race-inspired cabin are standard Laguna leather seats with an SRT Hellcat logo with silver seat and console stitching, light black chrome accents and a Gunmetal SRT Hellcat instrument panel badge, red speedometer and SRT Hellcat Redeye logo on the key fobs.

Dodge products are no longer on sale in SA and thus the fastest saloon remains a US-only unicorn. 

- Additional reporting by Denis Droppa


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