Pathological hate becomes hooligans with a Dodge Charger Hellcat

Sell the house. Risk everything in Vegas or ask your great auntie for an advance in your inheritance. Do whatever it takes because you don’t want to go to your grave without ever have driven or owned a Dodge Charger Hellcat.

What makes this vehicle special is what’s under the hood. A 6.2 supercharged eight-cylinder pumping out 707hp. Yes you’ve read correctly 707hp! Speed junkies if you find this lacking, you need a F1 race car. 0-60mph in 3.4 seconds means that flexibility won’t be an issue here. Power delivery is smooth with good drivability around town when you aren’t driving like a hooligan. Steering input is decent but not great; it still feels lacking when you’re pushing through corners and bends. We really wish that it had more feedback. Handling is also decent too but at times it feels overwhelmed and the ESP intervenes instantly. We haven’t tested the Hellcat without the ESP on but from what we’ve heard you’ll need knuckles of steel.

 The 6.2-liter engine produces a lovely soundtrack that is very contagious. It is very hard to keep this beast below 60mph without really wanting to thrash it even then the engine encourages you to push it harder. Those who value their driver’s license are advised now to use a race circuit to really tap into the full potential of the engine. It doesn’t feel like it has 707hp when you drive it normally and yes it is very comfortable to drive too. It may not be a Mercedes or BMW when it comes to quality and refinement but who cares when it has this much horsepower?

Reliability maybe a little bit of concern though; as Dodge has consistently ranked poorer than some of its more direct and more expensive rivals. At least it’s nice knowing that you have the fastest sedan on the block.

The performance is great but the interior is more meh. Dodge did a decent job with some of the plastics but many of them feel cheap in quality. The UCONNECT infotainment system is a lot easier to use but it still feels lag-y at times and slow to respond. The front seats do offer decent comfort and adjustability. Second row passengers shouldn’t have too much to complain about and the boot space is generous in size. However, visibility is pretty iffy due to the small side windows and long front bonnet and rear boot; luckily a parking camera for the rear comes as standard.

Standard kit is pretty good too and it should be considering the starting price, but you have to factor in that this is the only sedan with this amount of performance. LED headlamps, digital cluster display and sport-tuned steering all come standard. 20 inch alloys and LED fog lamps come standard as well.

It’s hard to fault the Dodge Charger Hellcat because well 707hp is 707hp. The speed junkies can finally rejoice, but for those who are looking for a little bit more in between just high horsepower figures may be a little disappointed with this package. Interior quality is so-so and reliability is not the strongest point either. But this is the closest to a street legal hyper car you can buy without the price tag of one. Bravo Dodge!

Likes: Engine soundtrack is a symphony to the ears. Flexibility isn’t an issue here, 707hp, come on man! Interior is roomy and offers decent space for five and a decent boot.

Dislikes: Interior is meh and reliability is so-so. Refinement could be better too.

Overall: A fast sedan that doesn’t require an arm and leg to buy. Running costs? Who cares! It’s 707hp you know what you’re getting into. 

We say goodbye to the best Chevy ever

The Chevy SS maybe the best that Chevy has ever released. Here’s why:

The SS came with an insane 6.2-liter eight-cylinder engine which pumped out 415hp. Some may argue that it wasn’t enough or the SS was too pricey for what it was. This engine matched with the SS chassis was the perfect blend of sporting nature and comfort. We finally were able to test drive a sports sedan with a six-speed manual gearbox and well it was probably a winning combo here. We loved how the engine revved smoothly and quickly without it feeling like it was going to get out of control. The lovely snarl from the eight-cylinder engine let everyone around us know that we weren’t just in any Chevy. We also may have frightened a few children when a group of guys asked us to rev the engine.

You’ll love the way the SS feels on the road. It doesn’t feel dull as the exterior looks. The steering feedback is precise and communicative, we felt loads of confidence when we decided it to push it hard through some corners and bends; we managed to get the tail out a little bit. The chassis handled every corner and bend like it were on rails and the fact that the ride comfort is so smooth without being overly firm won us over quickly. We love a firm suspension especially when it is associated with fantastic handling, but some cars (i.e. the Mercedes C-class) have rock hard suspension that is on the borderline of punishing; making it very hard to justify the firm ride on a daily drive.

The interior doesn’t feel all that special when it comes to the touch screen infotainment system and many controls and switches. If you covered the badge on the steering wheel, you’d think you were sitting on one the vast GM Products. We love that GM has taken a step forward with the materials used and overall interior quality, but you can pretty much sit in at least three or five GM products and immediately identify the switchgear and controls without even looking at the badge on the steering wheel. The front seats offer plenty of comfort and support, the driving positing is spot on. The rear seat is plenty roomy and the boot is massive.

There’s only one trim and it’s a well-equipped one at that. Magnetic Ride Control, premium leather-appointed seats, HID headlights, forward collision alert with lane departure warning all come fitted as standard. Side blind zone alert, rear vision camera with cross traffic alert and automatic parking assist is also fitted as standard.

The SS exterior looks don’t really go with what is underneath the hood of the car. It’s the most exciting vehicle you can drive with a price tag that’s well within reason and logic. It’s sad to see this vehicle going away because it is really one heck of a car to drive. Dare we say the best Chevy has ever made in a long time? Yes we dare say it! We loved this sedan.

Likes: The 6.2 eight-cylinder matched with a six-speed manual gearbox is a winning combo. It blends handling and ride comfort effortlessly. The best Chevy we’ve seen in a long time.

Dislikes: Production will end this year for this sedan, it looks rather dull on the outside; while the inside is typical GM.