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The Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Will Be THE Most Powerful Sedan in the World (Update)

Now that we know that the new 6.2L Hellcat Hemi will provide 2015 Dodge Challenger owners with 707 horsepower and 650lb-ft of torque, offering even a watered down version of the Hellcat in the Dodge Charger SRT will make it the most powerful sport sedan in the world – comfortably overpowering anything from the European automakers.

A few months back when we only knew that the new Hellcat Hemi would offer at least 600hp and at least 575lb-ft of torque, I speculated that the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat fitted with that same supercharged Hemi would be the most powerful sport sedan in the world. However, if the Charger SRT Hellcat gets the exact same engine as the Challenger, it will not only overpower any other production sport sedan in the world – it will beat them by a massive margin.

Just to be clear…if Dodge puts the supercharged 6.2L Hellcat Hemi from the Challenger in the Charger, it will crush anything from the likes of Mercedes Benz, BMW, or any other automaker around the world.

Beating the Competition by a Huge Margin
When I thought that the 2015 or 2016 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat would have somewhere in the area of 600-625 horsepower and 575-600lb-ft of torque, I pointed out that those figures would allow the Charger to pack more power than any production sport sedan sold. Right now, the most powerful production sedan in the world is the Mercedes Benz E63 AMG S 4MATIC which uses a twin turbo V8 to produce 577 horsepower and 590lb-ft of torque so if the Charger Hellcat had figures similar to those “at least” numbers, the Benz would still have an advantage in torque. Fortunately, with 707 horsepower and 650lb-ft of torque – or figures anywhere near those if Dodge opts to water down the Hellcat for sedan use – will very comfortably destroy the AMG E63.

Update: The AMG S65 and the Bentley Flying Spur
One of our readers pointed out that I forgot to include the Mercedes Benz AMG S65 and the Bentley Flying Spur W12. The AMG S65 is powered by a twin turbo V12 engine that delivers 621 horsepower and 738lb-ft of torque while carrying a starting price of $222,000. The Flying Spur is powered by a W12 that makes 616 horsepower and 590lb-ft of torque for right around $200,000. With 707hp and 650lb-ft of torque, the Charger SRT Hellcat will make short work of the Bentley while the AMG S65 would be the closest in terms of horsepower – and the leader in torque.

Fortunately for Hellcat Charger owners, the S65 weighs around 5,000lbs so the Charger’s disadvantage in torque will be made up in weight advantages.

Should the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat debut with the exact same engine as the Challenger SRT Hellcat, the list of the most powerful sedans in the world will look like this:
Vehicle – Engine – Horsepower – Torque – Starting Price
Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat – Supercharged 6.2L Hemi V8 – 707 – 650 - $??????
Mercedes Benz S65 AMG - Twin Turbocharged V12 - 621 - 738 - $222,000
Bentley Flying Spur W12 - Twin Turbocharged W12 - 616 - 590 - $200,500
Porsche Panamera Turbo S – Twin Turbo 4.8L V8 – 570 – 553 - $181,295
Jaguar XJR – Supercharged 5.0L V8 – 550 – 502 - $116,000
Aston Martin Rapide S – 6.0L V12 – 550 – 457 - $198,250
BMW M5 – Twin Turbo 4.4L V8 – 560 – 502 - $92,900
Mercedes Benz E63 AMG S 4MATIC – Twin Turbo 5.5L V8 – 577 – 590 - $99,770
Tesla Model S Performance – 85 kWh Electric drive – 416 – 443 - $93,400
Audi RS7 – Twin Turbocharged 4.0L V8 – 560 – 516 - $104,900
Cadillac CTS-V (Now discontinued ) – Supercharged 6.2L V8 – 556 – 551 - $64,900

Will Dodge Offer a Charger SRT Hellcat?
Yes – or at least I think so. Chrysler has a chance to offer the most powerful production sport sedan in the entire world and with the engine already in their arsenal and the engine already being used in a similar platform vehicle, the Hellcat should slide into the engine bay of the Charger without any issues and without any real expense for Chrysler.

New Dodge Charger Gallery
The 100th Anniversary Edition Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger
The first images of the 2015 Dodge Charger R/T

Also, there have been plenty of spy shots and random sightings of camouflaged Dodge Charger test mules which obviously have a more aggressive design than the Charger R/T that has already been introduced and we know that the covered up test cars aren’t V6 models because those are all over the Metro Detroit area without any coverings. These sightings also report a deafening exhaust tone and what appears to be an intercooler setup behind the grille. I really have no doubt that we will see a Hellcat Charger, but unlike the Challenger, the Charger SRT Hellcat will only come with the heavy duty 8-speed automatic transmission – still no stick shift fun for Charger owners.

Now, there is a chance that the Chrysler Group will give the Charger SRT Hellcat a touch less power – say 700hp and 640lb-ft of torque – as a bit of support for the Challenger, but they may also just have two of the most powerful cars in the world as those two 707hp vehicles would be tied for the 6th most powerful cars in the world. Oh, and one of them would be a sedan.

The Chrysler Group really hasn’t shown the 2015 Dodge Charger off very much thus far, which I find to be very odd. Based on the delay of the full model line rollout, I believe that there is a chance that we could see the Charger SRT Hellcat for the 2015 model year, although I think that a 2016 model year launch is more likely for the 700+ horsepower super sedan.

Comments

John Goreham    July 9, 2014 - 9:01PM

AWD? One thing I have learned about big supercars is that the wicked fast ones have AWD to get moving and put the power down exiting corners. I hate AWD in sports cars, so I am not advocating that, but if Sergio really wants to put a smack-down on the Germans and the Japanese AWD must be part of the plan, right? Otherwise I would assume this car will be fun, but not crazy fast. Having driven the KooKoo Camaros on a track and finding them way faster than the muscled up Fords, I wonder if fast has more to do with HP and torque after a certain point. Or maybe I just can't drive Fords. Or both.

Patrick Rall    July 9, 2014 - 10:42PM

In reply to by John Goreham

There is too much all wheel drive being applied to large sedans these days. Lots of sport sedans have AWD when they really dont need it...like the IS350 and the ATS. I really hope that isnt the route that they go with the Hellcat Charger, as it ends up being more of a hindrance to performance than anything else.

Jim (not verified)    July 10, 2014 - 2:53AM

You're missing some important sedans on your list, one of which has MORE torque than the Hellcat:

Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG (twin-turbo 6.0 liter V12) : 621hp; 738 lb-ft
Bentley Flying Spur (twin-turbo 6.0 liter W12) : 616hp; 590 lb-ft

Manic59 (not verified)    July 11, 2014 - 12:04AM

If you look at chrysler's 5 year plan it already stated that the Charger will get a supercharged 6.2L. I don't see why they would water it down. When you look at past SRT models they have the same horsepower ratings.

Patrick Rall    July 11, 2014 - 4:02PM

In reply to by Mr. Really Factual (not verified)

It doesnt matter...they dont build cars...they modify cars that other companies make. Lingenfelter and Hennessey do more than Callaway or Shelby does, and maybe RUF. The Hennessey Venom GT is the closest thing to a production car from any of these tuners and it doesnt count as a production car either.

Also, when was the last time that one of those modified Crown Vics was built? Even if it was considered a production model at one point (which it never was), being out of production would mean that it is no longer a production model.