2021 Dodge Durango Hellcat, Challenger Super Stock and Charger Hellcat Redeye debut

Dodge’s SRT division is an endless pit of absolute lunacy. The brand keeps the American formula of muscle cars alive in Dodge’s lineup, because stuffing Hellcat engines into random cars is easier than making door trim that doesn’t fall off every summer. Dodge has now decided to churn out three more cars — 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock, and Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye — all ready to hand over about 800 horsepower to people with no proper training.

When Jeep announced the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, people awed in disbelief. But that has always been the classic muscle car formula. So Dodge has decided to give it another spin by dropping a 710 hp engine into the bay of their slow-selling three-row SUV to create the 2021 Durango SRT Hellcat, even after the recent Durango SRT flopped massively. Just 7 hp shy of the Charger and Challenger Hellcats, the massive SUV employs the Hellcat engine with a colossal 2.4-litre supercharger strapped on to it. This setup makes the Durango Hellcat the most powerful SUV in the world. Along with the horses, the engine churns out 875 Nm of torque as well, enough for 0 to 100 kph in just over 3.5 seconds. An eight-speed transmission handles the power and lays it down on the tarmac using a beefed-up all-wheel-drive system.

The suspension, derived from the less powerful Durango SRT, is revised to handle the vile mixture of power and weight. Brembo brakes with large 15.8-inch slotted rotors up front and 13.8-inch slotted rotors at the rear reins this power when needed. Along with this, the SRT Hellcat brings in a facelift for the entire Durango range. A new grill sits above an inflated-looking bumper and flanked by slimmer headlamps. The Durango SRT Hellcat does not get fog lights, as it gets air vents in their place. The Durango’s interior gets updates in the form of a larger 10.1-inch touchscreen, some reshaped elements and improved finish in top-spec models.

Then there is the 2021 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye, the name possibly standing for the state of the passengers when this sedan unleashes its 797 hp and mind-numbing 959 Nm of torque. It is the most powerful sedan you can buy right now and, if the 332 kph BMW Alpina B7 didn’t exist, it’d be the fastest sedan in the world. The Hellcat Redeye can get to 327 kph, thanks to its demon-derived 6.2-litre supercharged V8. This engine also brought in a lot of Demon tech to the Redeye, like an updated fuel and lubrication system, stronger pistons and connecting rods, a Power Chiller System and a Race Cooldown feature. The suspension and brakes remain regular Hellcat-spec with SRT Drive modes, adaptive damping and huge 15.7-inch Brembo brakes on duty at the front.

We’ve saved the maddest lad for the end. A lot of jaws dropped when Dodge built the 840 hp Challenger Demon for 2018, and they claimed they will never build more than that one-year batch. The “new” 2021 Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock comes close though. The Super Stock follows the path laid by the Demon, but with “only” 807 hp. The Super Stock is available with the Demon’s 18-inch Nitto drag radials and wide-body kit as options. A key feature of the Demon missing from the feature list is the trans brake, which brings down the Super Stock’s quarter-mile timing to 10.5 seconds, less than the explosive 9.65 seconds the Demon takes. The acceleration from 0 to 100 kph takes just over 3.5 seconds while the top speed is a rather slow 270 kph. It may not sound much for a car with this much power, but that is a trade-off that must be made if those sticky drag radials are to be used. But the silver lining here is, while the Demon was a limited edition, the Super Stock will be “not limited in production.”

Pricing for these three monster cars are not out yet, but assume north of Dhs 300,000 before pandemic discounts kick in. It is not known when the cars will be offered in the UAE and GCC.