{"id":128583,"date":"2018-08-08T15:21:19","date_gmt":"2018-08-08T19:21:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=128583"},"modified":"2018-08-08T15:21:19","modified_gmt":"2018-08-08T19:21:19","slug":"first-drive-2019-dodge-challenger-srt-hellcat-redeye-widebody","status":"publish","type":"reviews","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/reviews\/first-drive-2019-dodge-challenger-srt-hellcat-redeye-widebody\/","title":{"rendered":"First Drive: 2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Smokin'! The Challenger Hellcat Redeye's Line Lock lets you spin the rear tires before launch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In barely the time it takes to say its full name, the 2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody will already be blasting past 60, on its way to a top speed of 203 mph.<\/p>\n

Think of the Redeye as \u201cthe child that came out of the marriage of the Hellcat and Demon,\u201d suggests Chris Cowland, the otherwise mild-mannered Brit who has overseen powertrain development for some of the fiercest muscle cars ever unleashed on public roadways.<\/p>\n

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Subscribe Now!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The new-for-2019 Redeye is the latest in the Dodge performance line-up, offering yet one more variant on the Challenger platform. While not the most powerful version ever \u2013 a distinction that belongs to the limited-edition, 2018 Demon \u2013 the Redeye has nothing to be ashamed about. As Cowland suggests, it is, indeed, what you’d expect from the lovechild of a Hellcat and Demon, as we found during a day\u2019s driving through the Maine Countryside, wrapped up with lap time on the Club Motorsports track an hour outside Portland.<\/p>\n

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(Ford’s newest Mustang hits – with a Bullitt. <\/em>Click Here<\/span><\/a> for our review.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Dodge powertrain chief Chris Cowland reveals Redeye's Demon-derived 6.2-liter V-8.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Visually, the Redeye has much in common with the already menacing Hellcat Widebody, with its massive front grille and distinctive air scoop replacing one of the foglamps found on tamer versions of the Challenger. It also shares the wheel flares that add 3.5 inches of width, allowing the extra rubber needed to plant all its power onto the pavement.<\/p>\n

A few clues, caught be a sharp eye, reveal this isn\u2019t \u201cjust\u201d another Hellcat, however, starting with the additional lower air intakes that help cool the Redeye\u2019s beefed up Brembo brakes, as well as a surprisingly low-glass subtle badge on the front fenders that plants a ruby red jewel in the devil\u2019s eye. There\u2019s also an optional, wide rear wing, though it essentially produces the same level of downforce and drag as the stock spoiler.<\/p>\n

The Redeye also shares the new hood found on the 2019 Hellcat, its twin snorkels driving more air into the little brother\u2019s big engine, allowing Dodge to boost the horsepower rating for the updated Hellcat from 707 to 717. On the flipside, it limits the amount of air the Redeye can gulp down. So, while it lifts its engine from the 840 hp Demon, it can \u201conly\u201d manage to deliver 797 ponies. Torque is rated at 707 pound-feet.<\/p>\n

(<\/em>Click Here<\/span><\/a> to c<\/em>atch the debut of the new Redeye.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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The new Redeye can deftly move fromroad course, to dragstrip to local streets.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now, believe me, we\u2019re not really complaining. That still puts the Redeye into rarified territory and delivers the sort of neck-snapping acceleration that immediately puts a wide grin on your face. Better yet, while last year\u2019s Demon may have made more raw power, it was primarily designed for use on the dragstrip. The newest Dodge king-of-the-hill has been fine-tuned for both street and track use.<\/p>\n

If anything, its on-road manners proved to be the biggest surprise. While Maine may offer some beautiful scenery, it\u2019s not a place you go to burn rubber, down East speed limits routinely running just 34 or 40 mph on two-laners. But unlike classic muscle cars that would balk and buck and even show signs of overheating once the mercury topped 90, the Redeye maintained its composure, its big V-8 gently burbling, its eight-speed automatic shifting almost imperceptibly.<\/p>\n

Even finding the occasional moment when we could push into, er, extra-legal speeds, meandering on local roads, saw fuel economy numbers routinely reaching up and above 22 mpg.<\/p>\n

(A 10,000 hp Dodge Redeye? Yep! <\/em>Click Here<\/span><\/a> to check it out.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Perhaps the biggest surprise is the good mileage the Redeye delivers under light driving.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Of course, few folks are going to buy a Dodge Challenger Redeye to bobble along like that, and we got a chance to see what the big beast really could do once we arrived at the Club Motorsports track. It\u2019s an impressive, 2.5-mile road course, weaving through some steep ground that results in more than 700 feet of elevation changes. It\u2019s a tough, technical course that demands the best of out both car and driver.<\/p>\n

Pulling out of pit row we floored the throttle, the Redeye\u2019s 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 rewarding us with an almost explosive road as we launched up the track\u2019s first, steep hill. That engine is essentially identical to what was found under the hood of the 2018 Demon, starting with a 2.7-liter supercharger capable of delivering up to 14.5 pounds of boost. To help maximize air intake, Cowland\u2019s team came up with some creative solutions, among other things allowing the car\u2019s A\/C system to work as a \u201cPower Chiller\u201d in Track Mode to cool and compress air before it goes into that big blower.<\/p>\n

Gone are the days when Detroit muscle meant sloppy cornering and marginal braking. The Challenger Redeye proved surprisingly nimble as we ran the Club track, charging from corner to corner and up and down the steep hills. Where the Demon\u2019s chassis and suspension were specifically tuned for the dragstrip, Redeye\u2019s Bilstein shocks and adaptive damping are better set up for street and road course driving. That said, a lead-footed driver will have to learn some finesse. Hammer the throttle too early as you come out of a corner and you could see the tail end cut loose in a hurry.<\/p>\n

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The new twin-snorkel hood boosts base Hellcats by 10 hp but limits the power of the Demon engine.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If your intent is to spend time driving to the limits on a tight road course like the one near the Maine\/New Hampshire border, you may want to think about the other new entry to the Dodge performance line-up for 2019, the Challenger R\/T Scat Pack 1320. Its more conventional, 329 cubic-inch Hemi V-8 \u201conly\u201d makes 429 hp, but it comes on much more smoothly, and in Track Mode you can\u2019t get the jarring bang at every shiftpoint. Its suspension remains much more composed, even on a track like Club Motorsports, allowing you to go but full throttle much earlier coming out of each corner.<\/p>\n

Of course, any advantage the Scat Pack 1320 might have in turns evaporates once you hit the straights. And, if your intent is to drag \u2013 or simply put to shame the kids cruising in their Mustangs and Camaros \u2013 the new Redeye is clearly the right choice. The car\u2019s better aerodynamics may cut power a wee bit and cost a tenth off the line, it\u2019s still a hell of an improvement over the \u201cbase\u201d Hellcat, delivering 11.1 second quarter-mile runs with the standard-body Redeye package and 10.8 seconds for the Widebody at 131 mph.<\/p>\n

For those who want to maximize performance, meanwhile, the SRT Challenger Hellcat Redeye offers three ways to ensure your best launch:<\/p>\n