Has Dodge Been Lying About the SRT Hellcat Challenger’s Horsepower?

From the first time it hit the market through the current versions, the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat has been one of the most powerful cars.

Dodge created this car to be an attainable and superior muscle car that offers owners more power for the money than any other car in the market. The classic shape and build of this incredible machine take us back to yesteryear when muscle cars reigned supreme. Recently, this car hit the Dyno to offer us a true test and real results. Has Dodge been lying to us?

Let’s see if we can put this recent controversy to rest and enjoy what the Hellcat actually offers.

This Car Has the Same Engine Across Many Lives

The first Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat came into existence in 2015 with the 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V8 engine that produced 707 horsepower. This made it the most powerful production car offered at the time. To date, no other muscle car has an engine that reaches this same level, which continues to keep the Hellcat at the top of the pile. Dodge could have stopped there, but they didn’t, and that’s one thing we love about this car and the brand.

Along Came the Demon

If your goal is to have a drag-racing muscle car for some fun at the track, the Dodge Performance team gave you exactly what you wanted. The Demon model appeared only a few years after the original SRT Hellcat. This version of the Challenger used the same engine, which was tuned up to 840 horsepower when fueled by racing gasoline. This car also brought in some amazing race-ready tires and a custom launch control system. The Demon was so good that it had to be outfitted with special interior safety equipment to be allowed on any NHRA tracks.

Today’s Hellcat is Much Like the First

Today’s version of the Challenger Hellcat is a lot like the first model. This incredible machine continues to utilize the same engine and an extremely durable 8-speed automatic transmission to give you the power and speed desired. The Challenger is a heavy muscle car, but that amazing power can rocket this machine to 60 mph in only 3.5 seconds. If you’re looking for a car that hits some top-level sprint speeds without making you spend six figures, this is the Dodge muscle car you want to drive.

The current Challenger has a Redeye variant which tunes up the power to a much higher level. Dodge also has a widebody package to offer a sportier look and pushes the wheels outward to give this car a wider stance and more fun for your time out on the track. As you might expect, there are tons of amazing Mopar options and features that can be added to every trim of the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. These items range from performance features to styling elements to make this car exactly what you want when it’s time to hit the road or track.

The Cabin is Much More Modern Than The Exterior

Moving to the interior of the Hellcat Challenger, you’ll find heavily padded leather seats, an 8.4-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and an 18-speaker Harman Kardon audio system. This means the Hellcat could be a comfortable cruiser you show off during the week and race on the weekends. You might not want to take this car on road trips, but you might if the goal was to hit as many drag racing tracks as possible along the way. The cabin of the SRT Hellcat Challenger is much different from what you might expect.

Dodge Brings Some Final Trims as a Farewell Tour

Have you ever experienced your favorite professional athletes playing their last season after announcing their retirement? This happens most often in professional baseball, and now it’s happening with the Challenger. The 2023 versions of the Dodge Charger and Challenger models have taken things up a few notches. There will be a limited-edition King Daytona package for the Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye, which is the sedan version of the Challenger. This is only one of the final edition models of these two cars, which will come in limited production numbers.

The Challenger Was Huge in Street Racing

The International & National Brotherhood of Street Races was founded in Southern California and eventually reached a peak of 80,000 members across 38 states and nine countries. This group uses drag racing to help prevent violent crimes and revolutionize the sport. Because this organization brought so many people together, it made the fun of racing muscle cars, including the Doge SRT Hellcat Challenger, more fun and perfectly legal. Racers could show off their cars with speed and power during friendly competitions that was sanctioned and authorized.

Has Dodge Been Lying to Us?

The Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat is extremely popular because it brings everything we want to the track for some serious fun. This car has an incredibly powerful engine, sleek design, and the right build to give it the street cred desired. The question we pose isn’t whether or not this car is desirable but whether it is actually as powerful as Dodge quotes it to be.

When the Hellcat Challenger was put on a dyno, the truth came out, and we found out that Dodge has indeed, been lying to us. The dyno shows the Hellcat hitting 748 horsepower, which is 31 more than the advertised 717 that Dodge lists. In reality, we don’t mind the brand being a little conservative in it’s numbers.

Now that you know the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat actually makes more power than quoted, is this the muscle car you want to drive and enjoy? It can be easy to love the tire-burning performance offered in a muscle car that reaches over 700 horsepower and sometimes even more than that.

Once you find your Hellcat, where will you take it? Are you ready to buy one of the final models in the 2023 model year, or will you search for a pre-owned version of this high-powered muscle car? The Challenger might never be quite the same, but now we know the truth and can enjoy the freedom of rocketing to some incredible speeds at the track.