Review: The 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat is a Mopar Time Machine

In 1985’s “Back to the Future,” “Doc” Brown needed a flux capacitor and plutonium to make a DeLorean DMC-12 capable of time travel. Thirty years later, Dodge has done the same with its Charger SRT Hellcat using a supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI V8. During my week with it, the Charger transported me and my passengers to the past while making me think about modern times and giving me a glimpse of the future.

PAST

-A Push on the Right Pedal Sent One of My Passengers Back to 1975

A few weeks ago, I gave my father’s girlfriend Sylvia and their mutual friend Sherry a ride to dinner after we watched a production of “Fiddler on the Roof” in Lago Vista, Texas. As I was turning right out of the parking lot onto a straight stretch of road, Sylvia told me to step on it.

I was more than happy to do as she said.

I sent all 707 horses bolting through the rear Pirelli P Zeros, which caused them to temporarily lose their grip on the pavement. Sylvia, Sherry, and I felt the back end slide out to the left.

Through hoots of delight, I calmly and easily straightened the flat-bottom wheel and blasted ahead to reach the curvy, roller coaster roads that would lead the three of us to a late-night dinner. The power was plentiful, the eight-speed auto was responsive, and the Brembo ultra-high performance brakes were reassuringly hungry for vented and slotted metal, but the 4,575-pound curb weight was undeniable in the twisties.

As we walked into a BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse to meet my dad, Sylvia, 56, told me, “That made me feel 16 again.” I believed her. If my tester had come equipped with a sunroof, she would’ve stuck her head out of it and screamed like a wild high schooler on a Friday night.

Clearly, Sylvia and Sherry loved the Charger Hellcat, but they both asked, “This is a Dodge?” It was as if they never expected the brand to create something they liked so much. Their words dripped with unspoken memories of lackluster automobiles of yesteryear.

The times in which the Dodge Charger model line currently exists are very different, though.

PRESENT

-The Charger Leads Its Class

Customers evaluated 77 attributes of the Charger and ranked it first in the 2015 J.D. Power APEAL Study’s Large Car segment – for the fifth year in a row.

The Charger also scored a win in the Full-Size Car category of Strategic Vision’s 2015 Total Quality Index. According to FCA, “The quality study includes more than 155 specific aspects of the customer experience to form a unique and complete measure of the total ownership experience.”

-The Charger Hellcat is Two Cars in One

I haven’t driven an entry-level Charger, but I have driven a 2015 Chrysler 300S, something which is also decidedly less aggressive and powerful than my review vehicle. The Charger Hellcat, once set up to engage the Street modes of its suspension and transmission, felt similar to the Chrysler. It was comfortable and perfectly happy to be driven at sane speeds around town. I didn’t feel punished by the ride quality and the engine was well-behaved and delivered its power in a civilized manner. The blower whine coming from under the hood and the constantly throaty exhaust signalled that the Hellcat was always ready to pounce, though.

As good as the present is for the Dodge Charger, it’s possible the 2016 model year is going to be even better.

FUTURE

-Dodge is Headed Toward a Productive Future Because of the Hellcats

I felt special driving Dodge’s most powerful sedan, even if it wasn’t the only one on the roads of Austin. I occasionally see Charger Hellcats while I’m out on the town; they’re signs of what’s to come. Soon we’re all going to see greater numbers of them prowling the streets and running down the highways. Tim Kuniskis, President and CEO of the Dodge and SRT brands, said unprecedented demand for the Challenger and Charger SRT Hellcat twins means Dodge is going to more than double Hellcat production for 2016.

Thanks to that increase, even more people will eventually have their own time machines. Where they’ll go, they will need roads, but since they’ll be behind the wheel of a Hellcat, they’ll be glad to have them.

*My tester had a sticker price of $70,170, which included options such as the $1,795 Laguna Leather Group and the $1,995 Harman Kardon Audio Group.

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Derek Shiekhi

Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.

After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.

While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.

Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.

In addition to writing for a variety of Internet Brands sites, including JK Forum, H-D Forums, The Mustang Source, Mustang Forums, LS1Tech, HondaTech, Jaguar Forums, YotaTech, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts. Derek also started There Will Be Cars on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

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