A POV Look at the 2021 Charger Hellcat Redeye Widebody
When 717 horsepower isn't enough!
CAR SHOT FRONT
The Dodge Charger starts life as a fine family sedan with 292 horsepower V-6, 30 mpg, and a price of $30K. What we are looking at here is not it. Instead, this is the SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody, the most powerful mass-produced sedan in the world. And it is available now.
Text and photos by Chad Haire
ENGINE
The base Charger Hellcat cranks out 717 horsepower. But there will always be buyers who want more, and with the Redeye they get it. Under the hood, this 6.2-liter engine gets a supercharger increased in size from 2.4 liters/11.6 pounds of boost to 2.7 liters/14.5 boost. To feed this monster, two fuel pumps are issued instead of one. Redline has jumped from 6200 to 6500. The factory claims a 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds, quarter-mile in 10.6, and a top speed of 203 mph!
TIRES/WHEELS
Putting 800 horsepower under the hood is easy, but getting that power to the ground not so much. To assist in that chore, large 20x11 inch wheels and massive 305/35ZR20 3-season tires were provided. Getting those quick 0-60 times claimed will work on a smooth race track, but doing so on street-type pavement is difficult. Our best time never went quicker than 4.0 seconds due to wheel spin, even with traction and launch controls in operation. That is not to say the Redeye is slower than the standard 717 Hellcat at 3.7 seconds. From a rolling start above 15 mph, traction is solid, and the Redeye will pull away from about any vehicle that wants to race. But the driver must keep in mind they have a tiger by the tail here, and this is NOT a car for the inexperienced. Paying attention while driving this beast is vital!
CAR FRONT WIDTH
The Redeye is a huge vehicle, as in long and wide. Fitting this 4,600 pound monster in your single-car garage might not work.
GAUGE CLUSTER
Some attention was spent on the instrument panel, which is well designed and provides lots of useful information.
CONTROL PROGRAM
The steering, suspension, traction, paddle shifters, gearbox, and horsepower settings are controlled on the info screen. Track, Sport, Custom, and automatic modes are available. The system is well designed and easy to use.
POV
In spite of the massive tires, the Redeye is one of the smoother freeway cruisers on the road. Fuel economy is listed at 12 mpg in the city which can empty that 18-gallon tank in a hurry. But its highway rating is 21 mpg, and we observed 20 mpg which is outstanding for a 4,600-pound vehicle cranking near 800 horsepower.
EXHAUST PIPES
The exhaust pipes don't look very impressive, but the sound that comes out will get everyone's attention!
PRICE SHEET
The base price of $69,995 is a super bargain. However, these come loaded up with options as seen here, driving up the tab to $90K. That includes the silly government gas guzzler tax of $2,100. They feel it is only moral to drive a powerful car like this if they get a kickback.
EMBLEM
This SRT Hellcat emblem lets the world know you forked up $90K for your Dodge.
CAR REAR
The Dodge Charger Redeye Widebody is a fantastic car. It proves that Chrysler engineering is superior when they make the effort, and here they did. It puts all those more expensive import cars to shame.
For help keeping your truck running right, check out the how-to section of DodgeForum.com.