2021 Dodge Charger Hellcat Redeye First Look: The Baddest-Ass Sedan in the World—Period
Let’s face it, the name “2021 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat” really lacks length and gravitas, especially for something with 707 horsepower. Luckily, Dodge has rectified that situation, adding one more word to the moniker—Redeye—while also pouring 90 more horsepower into this four-door doom sled. Still, you had to see this coming.
After all, the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat offers a Redeye version (the most powerful iteration since the demise of the Demon) and shouldn’t the mechanically similar, four-door Charger sedan be extended the same opportunity? It’s also in keeping with the Dodge playbook of keeping its relatively aged lineup of cars fresh by constantly pumping them full of ’roids. And so the 2021 Dodge Charger Redeye offers 797 horsepower and 707 lb-ft of torque from its 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V-8, all of which is shuttled to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission that’s received a beefier torque converter to handle the greater output.
Dodge chief Tim Kuniskis says this makes the Charger the most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan in the world, with a top speed of 203 mph—all in a car that rides on a platform that dates to 2005. “The Charger is a big, comfortable, five-passenger sedan that can run the quarter-mile in the mid-10s and [from] zero to 60 in the mid-threes, reach a top speed of 203 mph, and be your daily driver,” Kuniskis said. Regardless of its mechanical age, those times are no joke for a big, factory-produced four-door.
The addition of the Redeye Charger was announced in conjunction with the 707-hp, Hellcat-powered 2021 Durango three-row SUV and the 2021 Dodge Challenger Super Stock drag racer.
How Fast/Quick Is the Dodge Charger Hellcat Redeye?
To be more specific, Dodge engineers say the Charger Redeye will complete the quarter mile in 10.6 seconds at 129 mph. By comparison, the Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody does the quarter-mile in a claimed 10.96 seconds at 125 mph.
The Redeye gets the widebody treatment as standard, which means integrated fender flares that add 3.5 inches of overall girth to cover fatter wheels and tires. The Charger’s new 20×11-inch Lightweight Carbon Black rollers are wrapped in Pirelli 305/35 all-season performance tires. Three-season tires are an option, although to extract maximum performance, owners may want to source a set of dedicated summer meats. The SRT Power Chiller, which lowers the intake air temperature to help increase power and deliver consistent performance, is standard as well. Also helping the cause is a larger 2.7-liter supercharger versus the 2.4-liter unit on the Charger SRT Hellcat. The Redeye also sees more boost pressure (14.5 psi versus 11.6) and offers a 6,500-rpm rev limiter, up from 6,200.
While the Redeye will cap the Charger lineup, the SRT Hellcat itself gets a bit of a power boost to 717 horses for the 2021 model year—to finally match the 10-hp increase given to the Challenger Hellcat for 2019—thanks to moving the shift points higher in the rev range, to 6,100 rpm. Torque stands pat in that model at 650 lb-ft.
New Performance Hood Absolutely Chugs Air
Both Hellcat models also get a new hood that pulls double duty in that it not only looks extremely bad-ass but also delivers more air to a redesigned intake box through a mail-slot opening. The new intake also inhales via another slot in the grille and a newly adopted opening near the wheel-well liner. It all adds up to 18 percent more airflow, which of course equals more power. The two hellkitties also have standard adaptive dampers, Brembo brakes, launch control, a Demon-derived Torque Reserve feature that “prefills” the intake for quicker response during launches, line lock for tire-warming (and crowd-thrilling) burnouts, and SRT drive modes—all the tech needed for big, burly speed in a straight line with less wheel hop.
As one might expect—and then immediately stop caring about—the Redeye is a thirsty little devil. At full throttle, the Charger Redeye will guzzle 1.43 gal/min of fuel, enough to drain the tank in less than 11 minutes. In normal highway conditions, it’s rated for 22 mpg combined. Inside, the Redeye gets standard Laguna leather upholstery with Hellcat logos on the seats, while an Alcantara package adds microsuede throughout. The latest Charger also gets a red-faced, 220-mph speedometer and Redeye logos on its key fobs (and fenders). A Carbon & Suede package brings carbon-fiber accents to the proceedings.
Dealers will open their order books for the 2021 lineup this fall, with deliveries slated to start in early 2021. In addition to the SRT Hellcats, the 2021 Charger is available with a 485-hp, 475-lb-ft 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 in the 392 Scat Pack and a 370-hp, 395-lb-ft 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 in the R/T. A 3.6-liter V-6 remains the base engine option.
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