Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Has Four Doors & 797hp

We love a fast saloon. A sleeper specification is preferred but a family rocket doesn’t miss out on any love from the Auto Loons. I personally have no qualms about expressing my fondness for the likes of a BMW M5 and I have great respect for the Mercedes-AMG E63 S. The likes of the Porsche Panamera Turbo SE-Hybrid, AMG GT 63 S 4-Door and the BMW M8 Gran Coupe are a step too far into the world of luxury. But if you want more horsepower-per-dollar, you turn to the Americans. Meet the latest iteration of the Dodge Charger Hellcat and it now makes a gob-smacking 797hp.

To give it its full name, it’s the Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye. It still has a supercharged 6.2-litre HEMI V8 under its hood but it has been upgraded to up the output from 717hp to 797hp and 959Nm of torque. The Charger’s powertrain features the largest factory-fitted supercharger — a 2.7-litre unit, with increased boost pressure, strengthened connecting rods and pistons, better fuel injection system and a larger air induction box with three air intakes. It even borrows some bits from the limited-run Challenger SRT Demon like the SRT Power Chiller, torque reserve that delivers up to 3.9 psi of boost at launch and reworked prop shafts for increased torque capacity. Sending all of that power and torque to the rear wheels is an upgraded 8-speed automatic transmission. Dodge states a top speed of 327kph and a quarter-mile time of 10.6 seconds.

The visual updates for the Charger Hellcat Redeye focus on the added cooling that it needs for the added performance. It has a hard-to-miss hood scoop and a mail-slot grille to feed cooling air into the radiator. The SRT Power Chiller diverts AC refrigerant from the cabin to chill the coolant even more which then flows to the heat exchangers in the supercharger. It has the widebody kit of course with the flared wheel arches, wider wheels and tires and aero elements that add to the Charger’s immense road presence.

Dodge offers the Charger Hellcat Redeye with a fair range of comforts like adaptive damping with different drive modes, leather/ Alcantara upholstery, an 8.4-inch touchscreen central display, optional carbon trims in the cabin, dual-zone climate control and a decent suite of safety features. It has all the basics you’d need to use this 797hp Charger as a family saloon, albeit one with features like launch assist, launch control and line lock.

The SRT Hellcat Redeye is simply the new top-end of the 2021 Dodge Charger. Prices are awaited but considering the current SRT Hellcat Widebody starts at around USD 72,000 and the new Redeye version might cost around USD 85,000 with options. That’s still pretty good value for a factory-spec super saloon. The Charger Hellcat Redeye might just be the most powerful production model sedan in the world at the moment. Dodge may lose that title to AMG soon as there is rumoured to be a new GT 73 4-door variant in the works that would use hybrid tech for a total output of 800hp. But for now, the claim rests with Dodge.

In case the 797hp Charger is too much, Dodge will offer it with the usual variants as well like the standard 717hp Hellcat, the 485hp Scat Pack with the naturally-aspirated HEMI V8, the 370hp Charger R/T with the 5.7-litre HEMI V8 and the 3.6-litre V6 engine variants as well. The new Charger was unveiled alongside the rest of the 2021 model lineup and well…all of them get new top-end SRT models that produce more than 700hp. That includes the Durango SRT Hellcat, a 710bhp three-row SUV, which can also be used to tow the new 807hp Challenger SRT Super Stock.

The question is…would you pick the Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye over one of the German super saloons? I’ve never driven any sort fo Dodge SRT product or been in one till date but based on the looks, I don’t imagine its cabin feels as special as an M5 or an E63. The supercharged V8 and the muscle car looks are quite enticing, but I can’t imagine myself using it as the daily driver. It’ll have to be the second car in the driveway, parked alongside the Volvo V60 Cross Country.

What do you make of the Charger Hellcat Redeye? Are you a fan of added performance or do you feel its overdone and they should have improved the overall car itself? Share your thoughts in the comments below the gallery and don’t forget to subscribe to the Auto Loons for more cool updates from the car world.