Dodge might have killed the Demon but its heart gets to live on inside the new SRT Hellcat Redeye
You might think a group of influential people at Dodge are playing the Diablo franchise because the Demon’s engine has been used as an artefact to imbue the 2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye.
We can’t say for sure if the Redeye here is used to describe the plague or the symptoms. What we can tel you, however, is everything there is to know about the new Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye.
Right, so the Dodge Hellcat was spawned three years ago, with the Dodge Demon following suite for the 2018 model year. Now, it’s time for the Redeye to strike fear into neighbors and rise clouds of smoke.
The engine of the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye
Dodge basically took the same engine found inside the 2019 Dodge Challenger Demon – that is, a supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI V8 – and detuned it to 797 hp and 707 lb-ft of torque before marrying it to a TorqueFlite 8HP90 eight-speed automatic gearbox.
According to Dodge, the engine features no less than 25 component upgrades which include a larger supercharger, stronger connecting rods and pistons, better lubrication and a tweaked fuel injection system. In fact, displacing 2.7 liters, the supercharger is the largest factory piece of this kind found inside a production car.
Furthermore, the redline now sits at 6,500 rpm instead of 6,200 rpm as for the standard Hellcat engine and we’re not done yet with the trivia.
Dodge also brags about the fact that the engine inside the Challenger Redeye gulps down 5.4 liters of gasoline every minute (that’s around 1.43 gallons per minute) at full throttle. That’s enough to dry out the fuel tank in less than 11 minutes. No Autobahn for you, then, although Dodge says the Redeye Widebody clears the quarter mile in 10.8 seconds with the speed trap reading 131 mph, with top speed coming in at 203 mph.
The standard Hellcat sees its power output updated to 717 hp and gets a standard Tremec six-speed manual. Other standard features for the 2019 Challenger SRT Hellcat include the likes of adaptive damping suspension, electronic power steering, launch assist, torque reserve, launch control, line lock and SRT drive modes.
The exterior of the 2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye
Something must avert the danger the unsuspecting freeway commuter faces in front of what’s closing in the rearview mirror, right?
Well, the dual-intake hood is set to do just that. It’s 100% functional as well, with the two hippo-sized nostrils capturing more air to cool the engine, together with the Air Catcher headlamp. What’s more, it’s a nod back to Dodge’s muscle cars of the mid-1960s and early-1970s.
‘We designed the SRT Hellcat Challenger’s new dual-snorkel hood to focus on another key historical Mopar design element and pay homage to our past with a modern interpretation that looks even more sinister’
Mark Trostle, Head of Performance, Passenger and Utility Vehicle Exterior Design at FCA United States
Wheels-wise, the standard offering for the 2019 SRT Hellcat comprises 20 x 9.5-inch wheels available in two designs, but with the Widebody Package, Dodge provides 20 x 11-inch Devil’s Rim forged aluminum wheels wearing Pirelli P-Zero 305/35ZR20 tires.
The interior of the 2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye
The Redeye comes with a 220-mph speedometer, SRT Hellcat Redeye logo splash screen and SRT Hellcat Redeye logo glued to the key fob. The SRT Power Chiller and After-Run Chiller are also present.
The entry-level Hellcat has Houndstooth cloth-covered performance seats. Optionally, customers can pick three seat variants: Nappa leather & Alcantara, Laguna leather and Laguna leather & Alcantara.
A leather-wrapped, flat-bottom steering wheel fitted with paddle shifters is also on the menu, together with red gauges and a speedometer marked at 200 mph. Between them sits a 7-inch screen showing relevant info for the driver.
READ MORE: Feel what’s it like to unbox the Dodge Demon Crate