Dodge Forum Wreaks Havoc in Wine Country at Charger Widebody Drive
FCA’s Media Drive for the 2020 Charger Widebody lineup in Sonoma, California proves that the legacy LX platform still kicks major ass.
When most people think of Northern California, they think of either San Francisco or the Napa Valley, followed by fine wine and dining, ocean views, high fashion, and overall luxury. Sounds nice, right? What happens when you take all of those things and add about 7,000-plus raging horses and miles of empty roads? Enter the 2020 Charger Widebody.
Dodge Forum got an opportunity to pound some asphalt with the 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody and the Charger Scat Pack Widebody in Napa and Sonoma, October 8 -11. And it couldn’t have been a more perfect time to do so, as the skies were uncharacteristically clear and temps maintained a steady 70 degrees. More to the point, it was an excellent time to release the gobs of hellish horsepower entrusted to us for the next 24 hours.
Countryside Drive to the Bay
Setting up a homebase at the Archer Hotel in Downtown Napa, our first order of business was to schlep all the way over to the Sonoma Raceway for a briefing from the SRT teams finest. Then it was time to pick a Charger from the Mopar litter. There were eight cars in total—five Hellcats, three Scat Packs (not including the Daytona Edition and a blue-striped Hellcat not shown just yet). Naturally, I opted for a Hellcat Charger. However what made it even better was that my driving partner ended up being Motorhead Mama, one of the most influential names in the auto enthusiast world, and she was an absolute blast to drive with.
Per the briefing, we were to drive down to Bodega Bay (about 50 or so miles from the track) and land at Hog Island Oyster Company. I’d be remiss if I said the drive to the bay was merely beautiful. The serene, sloping hills of the countryside, the crisp, cool air and winding roads made for an excellent jaunt in this Pitch Black Charger. Listening to it weep and moan when powering out of sharp turns onto straightaways lends you such a stark contrast between serenity and chaos.
Return to the Track
After arriving to our destination and enjoying a great selection of hors d’oeuvres, it was time to head back to the speedway. A few sprints later, we’re back at the track and undergo another briefing from the SRT team and the track officials. It’s time for me to put on the big boy pants, because the Sonoma Raceway is one of the most technical tracks in the country. It is a 2.52-mile, ultra-serpentine road course that’s seated right in Sears Point.
It has 12 turns with a good number of blind crests, hard corners and has a 160-foot elevation change. I’ll concede to not learning this until the day of, and I take any and all admonition for it, but let’s get back to the real story here.
We get a few recon laps in the media van to scope out the intricacies of the course, as well as tips on powering out of turns effectively. Afterwards, I hop in the white-bodied, blue-striped Hellcat and go for old-fashioned corner-carving.
Charger Hellcat Widebody Is a Power Monster, But…
Charger Hellcats, like their Challenger cousins, are absolute tyrants on the street. But it’s only when you finally get to hotlap it on a punishing course that you see how brutal this sedan can be. With 0.96 g lateral grip, this Charger gives me no qualms about handling. However, there is very little (if any) time to open up the throttle for prolonged periods.
The reason is because there are barely any back-straights, and the blind crests it has don’t last very long before you have to brake hard for a hairpin turn. It’d be accurate to say that having 707 horsepower actually makes this even more challenging to do because you close gaps so damn quickly but that, of course, is a good problem to have.
You’re waiting for me to explain the “but…” in the H3 above. Well, here it is: I actually argue that the Scat Pack is better equipped to handle the road course, despite having the same 305 Pirellis, Brembo brakes and similarly-tuned suspension as the Hellcat. Let me explain.
…the Scat Pack Widebody Is a Grip Monster!
Yes, you read the subhead right. The Scat Pack has evolved to be even more of a capable road-course competitor, similar to what the Scat Pack 1320 package has done for the Challenger. Here’s the thing, I’m not arguing the Scat Pack to be the better all-around performer, but you need to understand that power isn’t everything on a track. The Hellcat weighs 4,586 pounds compared to the Scat Pack’s 4,300. May not seem like much, but weight makes all the difference on a road course. The Hellcat has 56 percent (front) / 44 percent (rear) weight distribution compared to the Scat’s 55/45.
Here’s a breakdown for the suspension upgrades each vehicle gets over their respective previous year models:
Suspension Upgrades for the 2020 Charger Scat Pack Widebody
- 32 percent stiffer than previous model
- Larger sway bars – expanding from 32 mm to 34 mm in front and from 19 mm to 22 mm in the rear
- Retuned shocks with revised valving to complement stiffer springs
Suspension Upgrades for the 2020 Charger Scat Pack Widebody
- Modified springs, sway bars and shocks
- Increased front spring rates, which are 27 percent stiffer
- Larger rear sway bar, expanded from 19 mm to 22 mm
- Revised damper calibration to match suspension tuning revisions
Though the Hellcat gets more reinforcement overall, Dodge says the Scat Pack still gets 0.98 g lateral grip compared to the Hellcat’s 0.96 g, and it shows. You can push the Scat Pack just a tiny bit harder around corners. Alas, had this been any other track, the difference may not have been so conspicuous.
Regardless, both cars still dominate everything else in their respective classes. No equivocations with that.
Daytona Edition Charger Hellcat Widebody
As we suspected, the limited-edition Daytona Charger Hellcat Widebody made an appearance. It’ll be limited to 501 units, have 717 horsepower, and will feature unique stitching and other exclusive graphics. This one was also ripping it up on the course, but we ran out of time since the scheduled drag strip competition rolled up to start their show.
On our way back to the front, we got an unexpected but absolutely pleasant surprise from Mike Musto of the House of Muscle and his wicked 471 stroker, 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona.
I’ve only ever seen it in photos and heard about it in hearsay, but looking at it in real life is a completely different experience. Had we had more time, I would have absolutely loved to have ridden in it with him.
Alas, the 2020 Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody and Scat Pack Widebody Media drive was an utter success, and Dodge Forum is most certainly grateful to have had the opportunity to attend.
Photos & Video by Dodge Forum Editor Derin Richardson
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