2020 Dodge Charger Widebody First Drive: Bigger Is Better

Racing with the Hellcat

My second test session was in a 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, specifically the one painted B5 Blue and outfitted with the features of the Daytona 50^th Anniversary Edition package.

While this car had 10 extra horsepower, the brakes, suspension, wheels, tires and steering bits are all tuned the same as they are with the non-Daytona Hellcat. Also, many of those handling bits are shared with the R/T Scat Pack widebody, so I expected all of the widebody Chargers to have relatively similar handling characteristics, but with a little more weight over the front end and a whole lot more power.

Frankly, while the Hellcat has more weight up front than the Scat Pack, the handling characteristics of the two are nearly identical. The Hellcat might take a little more effort to turn in with the added weight, but unless you are literally testing them back-to-back, or if you are a professional racer who can detect tiny differences, the widebody Chargers offer the same basic handling abilities. Like my first test session, I was stunned at how well the 4,600+ pounds Dodge super sedan handled the turns, comfortably slowing for the tight turns and scooting through the sweeping turns with ease.

The biggest challenge with the 2020 Charger SRT Hellcat with the standard widebody package is still traction, as applying too much throttle in a turn, or when coming over a rise, will cause the supercharged model to quickly spin the tires. This forced me to be a bit more delicate with the throttle, particularly in sweeping turns or when digging out of a tight turn, but as was the case on the street, the wider tires allow you to make better use of the available power.

Thanks to the extra horsepower, the Hellcat Charger saw higher speeds on the straightaways, so the brakes were pushed even harder, yet lap after lap, session after session, the big sedan smoothly slowed down from high speeds to make the tightest turns.

As the day went on, I made more laps in the Scat Pack cars, followed by laps in the non-Daytona Hellcat Chargers. Many people asked if I could feel the extra 10 horsepower of that limited edition package, but in the road course racing situation, I didn’t find the Daytona to be noticeably stronger than the other Hellcat cars on the track. That being said, the Daytona package is gorgeous, from the unique B5 Blue paint and the silver wheels to the interior appointments, this is a great looking package that is sure to be the most collectable of the 2020 Chargers, but buyers shouldn’t expect the car to be considerably quicker, as we are only talking about 10 more horsepower.

In any case, with each lap of each session, I got more and more comfortable with the track and with the 2020 Dodge Charger widebody test cars, allowing me to better-realize their handling prowess on the twisty track. In the end, having tested standard-width Chargers on multiple tracks, there is no question in my mind that the Scat Pack and Hellcat widebody models offer better handling, braking and acceleration performance than the cars with the skinnier stock tires, but that isn’t just on paper.

The advantages of the Charger can be experienced in the real world by everyday drivers, so if you like the look of the widebody package and you want the best possible performance from your 2020 Dodge sedan, you will want to opt for the Scat Pack widebody or the mighty Hellcat. The modern Charger has been an impressive performance sedan since being introduced for the 2015 model year, but with the introduction of the 2020 widebody package, the big Dodge sedan gets noticeably better.

 Photos & Videos for DodgeForum.com by Patrick Rall

Join the Dodge Forums now!

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

Facebook   Twitter