Challenger Hellcat Manual Gearbox Option Suspended in 2021

Challenger Hellcat is supposed to get the manual transmission back, but we don’t know when.

One of the key advantages that the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat has had over the Charger SRT Hellcat is the availability of the 6-speed manual transmission. The sedan is only offered with the 8-speed automatic, which is also offered in the Challenger, but for the early years of the Hellcat coupe, a 6-speed manual was the standard transmission.

Unfortunately, Dodge quietly removed the 6-speed manual transmission from the Challenger SRT Hellcat order bank during the late stages of the 2021 model year. Enthusiasts and fans of the brand were quick to notice, but it isn’t unusual for a feature to be removed at the end of a model year. What is odd is that when the 2022 model year went on sale, there was no 6-speed manual transmission for the Challenger SRT Hellcat. According to the folks at Road & Track, the brand plans to begin offering the manual transmission again, but they are not saying when.

Challenger Hellcat Manual Vanishes

It isn’t real clear why Dodge removed the 6-speed manual transmission option for the Challenger SRT Hellcat. When Road & Track spoke to someone from the brand, the representative stated that the lack of the manual transmission was temporary and that a revised calibration will allow the company to begin offering the Hellcat Challenger with the 6-speed manual. The fact that a revised calibration is mentioned leads us to believe that the manually-shifted Hellcat cars have issues for emission regulations. We are unaware of any owner issues with the manual Hellcat cars, so if the issue relates to an engine calibration, we would bet that emission regulations are at least part of the problem.

Seeing as how 2023 is expected to be the final model year for the current Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat – and seeing as how the brand is trying to sell as many gasoline powered muscle cars as possible while possible – we expect to see the manual transmission option return for the Hellcat Challenger in the near future. That being said, the take rate for the manual transmission is fairly low – dropping under 20% in recent years, and the 8-speed automatic offers better performance and better power-handling potential.

If you want to go fast stock or modified, the ZF 8-speed is the better choice, but those who want to row their own gears in a brand new Hellcat Challenger will need to exercise some patience.

Manual Transmission Options

The good news is that if you are more concerned about having a manually-shifted Dodge Challenger and less worried about Hellcat power, the R/T and Scat Pack models are both still offered with the Tremec 6-speed manual transmission. The R/T offers 375 horsepower and the Scat Pack delivers 485 horsepower, so they both deliver solid power with three pedals.

Other than the Challenger R/T and Scat Pack, the only Stellantis vehicles sold in the United States with a manual transmission are select Jeep models.

Ultimately, except for those drivers who insist on having a third pedal, Dodge is doing Challenger buyers a favor, delivering the quickest cars possible in the final years of the current era of Mopar muscle.

Photos: Stellantis

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Patrick Rall

"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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