Review: 2021 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody

In a world of EVs, CUVs and SUVs—oh my, the 4-door Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye is not-so-quietly disrupting the perception of what the family sedan looks, acts, and sounds like—and that's a good thing. When it comes to disrupting the family vehicle industry, this iconic sedan is in good company. The Stellanis Corporation with its stable of car companies has shown over the past 30 to 40 years that it is not afraid of disrupting the norm of what the family grocery-getter is.

You could start with the late and great Lee Iacocca's company saving K-Car in 1981; and then he came up with the Caravan and Voyager in 1984. Then in the 90's, you had the cab-forward Dodge Intrepid and Chrysler Concord; and the 2000's saw the redesigned Chrysler 300 and Dodge Magnum station wagon making waves. Today, you have the reinvented Pacifica that absolutely destroyed the stereotype of what a minivan is. So why not add the Dodge Charger Hellcat to the long list of family car disrupters? I'm sure Mr. Iacocca would have approved of my idea.

Definition of Family Sedan

If we were to sit down with a focus group and ask them to describe in detail their definition of a family vehicle, I'm sure the list would look a bit like this:

1. It must be safe to drive and also safe to ride in.
2. It must be comfortable for daily commutes.
3. It has to get decent gas mileage.
4. It has to be roomy to accommodate the family at all stages from car seats to teenagers.

Fastest Elephant in the Room

If this review was about the Charger SXT, the GT, or even the R/T, many of the people who are sitting in the focus group example have no problem envisioning these sedans being great family cars. Ah but I'm not reviewing those sedans; I'm reviewing the most powerful and fastest mass-produced 4-door sedan in the world, the all new 2021 Demon-possessed Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody.

Power Band Specs

Engine: Supercharged 6.2L HEMI high-output V-8
Horsepower: 797
Torque: 707 lb.-ft.

Top Speed: 203mph
0-60 mph: 3.6 seconds (That's Dodge Viper times)
¼ mile: 10.6 seconds, 129 mph

The TorqueFlite 8-speed automatic has a fully electronic shifter to resemble a traditional linkage transmission. For those times you are feeling racy, it also comes with die-cast, metal paddle shifters.

Horsepower Perspective

NASCAR: 750hp
World of Outlaw Late Model: 800hp+
World of Outlaw Sprint Car: 900hp+

The sheer horsepower and performance numbers of this Charger make it really difficult for some people to see it as nothing more than a pure muscle car throwback and not a unique family sedan that must be included with the great family car disrupters of the past.

Family Sedan First, Hellcat Redeye Second

Safety and Security

If you are a person that still prefers to drive a sedan for your family car, you will find the engineers at Dodge have worked hard to put safety and security at the top of the Charger list with speed and performance second. When you start doing your research, you will find the 2021 RWD Charger is one of the safer vehicles on the road earning a full 5 Star rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). When you pull both safety industry ratings reports you will see the highest rating comes from the all important frontal crash test, receiving a full 5 Stars or Superior rating. For a full list of safety options, you can click here and you will be redirected to the Dodge website where the safety options are discussed in greater detail.

Daily Driver

To qualify as a family friendly ride, a vehicle must be cost efficient. Again the 2021 Charger Hellcat will surprise a number of people when they dig into what the actual numbers are. The EPA has it rated for 12 mpgs in the city and 21 for the highway, but I was able to produce 16.6 in the city and almost 24 on the highway without even trying. How is a 6.2L HEMI that generates 797hp able to produce those type of MPG numbers you ask? It’s a little something called Multiple-Displacement System (MDS). The Readers Digest version of how the MDS works: it saves fuel and lowers carbon emissions by running on only four cylinders when engine loads are light. I wrote about it last year here in case you are interested how a small little engine fix in 2006 allows a 797hp vehicle get the type of MPG numbers it does. Unfortunately if you plan on being a bit of a rebel and own a Hellcat, you will be required to pay the governments gas guzzler no fun allowed tax, which makes no sense since the gas mileage is far better than a full size truck and 3 row SUV.

Charger is Designed for Ease

Because the base foundation of the Redeye Charger is a full-size family four-door sedan that it is designed for maximum comfort and room, getting into the vehicle or strapping a child into a car seat is super easy. There is also plenty of room as the family grows to seat 2-3 teenagers with their wireless devices connected to the WiFi hotspot that is included with the Redeye. For extra comfort for those long family trips the SRT Hellcat comes with the Alcantara interior package throughout which includes a D-shaped performance steering wrapped in Alcantara. The front seats are Laguna racing seats with high side bolsters and Redeye logo. All seats throughout the Redeye are heated, which means the children will arrive at school all warm and snuggly on those cold winter mornings.

38 is New 11

When you have 797hp of growling Redeye Hemi Hellcat blowing out the rear headers on the family sedan, you will need a high powered sound system that can produce the crispness and clarity you are accustomed to in any of the other top of the line family grocery getter sedans. The Redeye answers the sound challenge with a 276-Watt amplifier pumping through 6-premium Alpine speakers, so you can easily hear with crispness and clarity Molly Hatchet's Flirtin' With Disaster, Rush's 2112: Overture / The Temples Of Syrinx or Aerosmith's Walk This Way.

Other Standard Technology

Uconnect 4C w/8.4" Display
4G LTE Wi-Fi Hot Spot
Apple CarPlay and Google Android (for those special Spotify or Pandora jam lists you have built)

Summary

Let's be honest, nobody needs 797 horses of growling badassery for their daily driver, but the same could be said about a convertible that gets used maybe 5-6 times a year or a pickup truck that will dominate the Baja desert, but they are still built and sold. So why not make the daily chore of sitting in your kids school pickup line or taking a family vacation a little more enjoyable because the one thing I'm seeing being left off the focus group list, is fun.

The magic of the Dodge Charger is that it delivers all the performance of a true American muscle car while also being able to deliver a family of four or five, day in and day out, said Tim Kuniskis, Global Head of Alfa Romeo and Head of Passenger Cars—Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT, FCA-North America.

2021 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody

Base MSRP $69,995
Pictured MSRP: $88,160

Engine: 6.2L V8 Supercharged HO
Transmission: TorqueFlite 8-Speed Automatic - Fully electronic to resemble traditional linkage
Top Speed 203mph
MPG: EPA Rated 12 City - 21
MPG: My Drive City 16.5 City - Highway 23.6

Exterior Color: TorRed
Interior: Black with Alcantara, Suede and Carbon

Tires: 305/35ZR20 3-Season tires
Wheels: 20x11Warp Speed Granite

Redeye 2Bz Package:
Redeye Instrument Panel
220 Primary Speedometer
Redeye Decklid Badge
Redeye Grill Badge
Redeye Logo on Laguna Seat

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