The 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Weighs How Much?

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2015 Dodge Challenger SRT with the HEMI® Hellcat engine

Many of the critics of the modern Dodge Challenger – including plenty Mopar fans here on DodgeForum.com – have long voiced an issue with the hefty curb weight of the brawny muscle car. Many Dodge lovers had hoped to see some weight reduction with the new 2015 Challenger, but that was not meant to be, as the redesigned 2015 Challenger weighs pretty much the same as the 2008-2014 Challenger.

Once we saw what the 2015 Dodge Challenger looked like and after we learned that the top of the line SRT Hellcat Challenger would have 707 horsepower and 650lb-ft of torque, many people wondered how much the most powerful American production car ever would weigh. Well, the specs are pretty much all out for public consumption and in addition to being the most powerful Challenger ever – the Hellcat model is also the heaviest Challenger ever.

2015 Dodge Challenger SRT with the HEMI® Hellcat engine

When fitted with the new 8-speed heavy duty TorqueFlite automatic transmission, the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat tips the scales at 4,439 pounds while the 707hp beast with the 6-speed manual transmission is actually heavier – weighing in at 4,449 pounds. For comparison, the current (2014) Challenger SRT 392 with a manual transmission weighs 4,160 pounds and the 470hp models with the automatic transmission weigh 4,203 pounds. In other words, the 2015 Challenger SRT Hellcat weighs between 236 and 289 pounds heavier than the 2014 SRT 392 models.

For those wondering, the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT 392 weighs in at 4,240 with the 6-speed manual transmission and 4,251 pounds with the 8-speed TorqueFlite automatic. These weight ratings make the 2015 model about 80 pounds heavier than the previous comparable models with a manual transmission, while the automatic models “only” gained 48 pounds for the new model year.

2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Supercharged (left) and Dodge Challeng

The good news across the board is that while the 2015 Dodge Challenger is heavier than the outgoing models, the 707hp Hellcat Hemi makes it the most powerful and the quickest muscle car ever while the SRT 392 models get a slight bump of 10 horsepower to make up for the added weight.

The Dodge Challenger has always been the heaviest car in the segment but it has also always had big power to get all of that weight moving. For 2015, the Challenger has never before seen levels of power that will quickly make anyone forget about the added weight.

 

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com


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