Charger Hellcat Redeye: Beautifully Insane & Insanely Beautiful
Family First, From Dig to ‘Soft’ Launch
The Charger Redeye comes standard with the supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V8, like it’s regular trim brethren. However the Redeye’s supercharger runs more boost. Since being upgraded from 2.4 to 2.7 liters, it went from 11 pounds to nearly 15 pounds. Suffice to say, you may want to keep your traction on.
Let me first concede that while I am not a huge fan of overly torque-y vehicles, this Charger Hellcat is maddeningly quick to launch with as much of torque (707) as there is horsepower with regular Hellcats.
Yet, I can’t get enough of it.
You can make this car as sadistically-brutal or easy going as you want it to be, thanks to the SRT button directly underneath the volume button. You have drive modes: Track, Sport, Custom, and Auto. The car defaults to the auto selection at startup (which has 797 HP on by default, and transmission and traction restricted to “Street”).
You can only truly “customize” your drivetrain in “Custom” mode, where you can set individual components (transmission, traction, steering and suspension) to “Street,” “Sport” or track configurations. With track being being the highest designation.
I’m not the biggest fan of the SRT screen, but the dedicated hardware button is always a plus, even if it seems to take forever sometimes for the software to launch on the UConnect screen.
I always find myself frequently switching between driving modes when in a Hellcat. However while being in auto, it doesn’t take long to get used to take off (although to the first-time muscle car user, this may take time).
The gas pedal isn’t nearly as heavy, and the transmission will get you up to cruising gear pretty quickly. The experience is tamer here, but the 797 crank horses still makes this car a speed demon. Even without aggressive throttle mapping.
Still, Almost Too Much Torque for the Wheels
Let’s be earnest right away–this car needs an AWD configuration.
If there is any vehicle in the SRT lineup that needs all the wheels on deck in motion, it is indeed this one.
We know that Dodge typically uses higher-ratio, numerically-lower limited-slip differentials (2.62 in this case) in its Hellcat range. However, don’t let that number fool you. This may start an argument, but the amount of torque in this vehicle makes that number nigh irrelevant.
Even with ECS on, you can still pretty handedly overcome traction control. You don’t even need to be at a dig to have your backend get away from you, thanks to 797 HP. But like a well-behaved feline, this cat can be just as tame as a Honda Accord, if you so desire. Perfect for not scaring the living s*** out of your wife and kids early in the morning (unless they like that kind of thing).
And of course, all the horsepower pretty much negates all the of gas-saving qualities a higher-ratio rear end gives you. But the point of opting for such a diff, at least in case of the automatic Chargers and Challengers, is to try to limit as much wheel spin as possible without sacrificing too much low-end off the line.
Clearly, it has marginal success. For Mopar aficionados, this is a standard and fun part of the experience. For everyone else, mashing the gas pedal alone is the easiest way to satisfy the ever-hungry id. Chirping your tires in fourth gear is a bonus.
To be fair, the Redeye also does better than the regular Hellcats on the quarter-mile by nearly four-tenths (10.6 sec vs 10.96 sec).
Charger Redeye: Street Dominant, Trip Worthy
For most of my experience, I kept the driving mode in custom with the trans and steering in Track with suspension in Sport. Yes, I like it a little a rough.
Going on a bit more about the driving modes, Track is the most aggressive, and you get the most power to the wheels. The Pirelli Three-season 305/35Z/20 tires offer rather decent traction in Auto mode, and provide some usable grip while sprinting from a roll. On Street mode, this Redeye basically turns into a grippier, more balanced Scat Pack (and yes,
That isn’t to denigrate the experience of Scat Packs or R/Ts, as they have their own niches. But when you swap that toggle into 500 HP mode, the core experiences between both become blurred. In a good way, of course.
Getting back to the 797 horse brigade, Sport traction seems to offer the most balanced experience for street maneuvering and minor pulls here and there. However, throttle discipline still applies here. Don’t get too squirrely on the gas or Charger Redeye will get away from you, even from a roll (and yes, that is the famous USS Midway in the background)
Active Damping, Suspension
Hellcat Redeye, like the Hellcat Widebody, six-piston Brembo brakes atop of the 15.7-inch rotors in the front, and 4-piston units on the 13.8-inchers in the back. With an average weight in the high 4500-pound range, you’re going to need to go big. Not to mention having a high front-weight bias.
Thanks to the upgraded suspension and Bilstein shocks, the Charger Redeye feels as nimble as a feline around corners and bends. Each lane switch feels exhilarating. And when you have that much horsepower, you feel confident in passing any vehicle on the road.
Steering, on the other hand, is a bit of a mixed bag. When the Chargers got power-assisted steering for the first time in 2019, it was no doubt a blessing. Yet still, the steering feels incomplete, despite being more accurate than in previous years. And while setting the steering to “Track” tightens it up considerably compared to the loosey-goosey “Street” mode, it still feels lax compared to other cars in the same class.
Nonetheless, the ergonomics of the steering wheel itself feel very comfy. Yes, it is rather big. And while the size screams “grand tourer” visually-speaking, it is much sportier than you think.
Final Thoughts on the Charger Redeye
In general, Challenger and Charger Hellcats are excessively-powered behemoths that lots of people either want for the performance or for celebrity. Or both.
In this case, does a $92K four-door with godlike power on the public road worth the money? I’d say yes, but only about $80K of it.
You don’t need the Carbon / Suede Interior Package ($1,595). Carbon fiber looks nice up close, but at a glance, it just doesn’t not jump out at the eye enough to warrant the spend. The suede-lined roof is definitely a plus, however.
You also don’t need a sunroof ($1,995). It’s nice in the beginning but once that breaks, it can be costly to repair. And as much as I like the look, I just can’t tick the Satin Black Wrap package ($3,495), as you can get your hood, roof and trunk wrapped for a considerably less at a shop.
Conversely, I actually like the $8,600 Customer Preferred 2BZ (quick-order) package. The power chiller that comes with it is worth it, and it noticeably changes your top speed on the fly. Sure, my ideal 2021 Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye seems a bit boring, but I admire the grassroots nature of American Muscle, and it’s served me well thus far.
What do you all think? Good buy, or goodbye? Let us know in the comments.
Photos & Video for Dodge Forum by Derin Richardson
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