Dodge keeps adding names to the end of its muscle cars as if each word adds horsepower. Not that they need it. After all, how much power does the average driver need, right? Wrong! This is America. We turn excess into confidence and confidence into diplomacy. The 2021 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye is a rear-wheel-drive muscle-sedan with 797 horsepower! It has the torque to convert solid rubber into a gas.
The Hellcat Redeye is a four-wheeled embodiment of our insatiable lust for more. It’s what the devil drove when he went down to Georgia. A possessed, demonized, satanic chassis fitted with a supercharger welded by hellfire. Or, is it a tame house cat with a bad case of the zoomies? I had five days and 750 miles of Texas highway to find out.
A Red Key and a Warning
The 2021 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody arrived in the afternoon. Its frostbite blue paint gleamed bright, and my excitement drowned out the delivery driver’s verbal warning to be careful with it. In fact, everyone warned me to be careful. Friends, family, and fellow auto writers all warned me with the same ominous tone reserved for horror novels. Their concern came with good reason. YouTube is full of people driving too close to the sun in a Hellcat V8 and crashing into crowds, other vehicles, and anything stationary placed on a sidewalk.
Enough people start telling you to be careful, and it starts to mess with your head. One begins to wonder if the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye is as wild as the internet makes it seem.
Enough people start telling you to be careful, and it starts to mess with your head. One begins to wonder if the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye is as wild as the internet makes it seem. Does it behave like a wild cat suddenly forced into captivity? The answer is no. The Charger SRT Hellcat is a well-mannered grumpy cat. But, the throttle is directly over its tail. Stomp on it, and the Hellcat Redeye will welcome you to the jungle with a bellowing roar – and you better be ready for it.
Performance Stats
Here are the performance highlights of the 2021 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody:
- Engine: Supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V8
- Power: 797 Horsepower
- Torque: 707 lb.-ft
- 0-60 mph time: 3.5 seconds
- 0-150 mph time: 17.2 seconds
- Top Speed: 203 mph (claimed by the manufacturer)
The Redeye offers 90 horsepower over the standard 707-hp SRT Hellcat. It gains that extra bit of muscle thanks to the larger 2.7-liter screw-on supercharger. The engine features stronger internal components, a second fuel pump, and its redline is increased to 6,500 rpm (over the standard 6,200 rpm) to cope with the additional power. An eight-speed automatic sends all of this Mopar fury to the rear wheels. Its Anti-Spin rear differential has the job of putting that power on the road. Adaptive damping system suspension and six-piston Brembo front brakes are your go-to weapons to handling this four-door beast.
The speedometer reads up to 200 mph, but Redeye slows down around 150 mph. As if to give you time to think about what you’re doing before its second wind of acceleration.
Going Flatout in a 797-HP SRT Hellcat Redeye with No Traction Control
In normal mode, the Redeye gives you 500-hp to play with and is considered to be its eco-mode. In the same logic that fried fish is “healthier” than a hamburger. Going into Sport or Track mode gives you the whole serving of 797-hp and turns traction control off. Now the wheels can break free, and you’re in charge of keeping it straight. The Redeye offers you great power. Are you responsible enough to handle it?
In normal mode, the Redeye gives you 500-hp to play with and is considered to be its eco-mode. In the same logic that fried fish is “healthier” than a hamburger.
Going full throttle in Sport mode on a Dodge SRT Hellcat Redeye is like pulling the trigger on a .44 magnum revolver. If you are not ready for the kick, it will smack you in the face like a deployed airbag. Car and Driver recorded the 2021 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye reaching zero to 60 in 3.5 seconds. It can blast down a quarter-mile in 11.5 seconds at over 120 mph. Your skills playing racing simulator video games will not translate into the real world. For starters, you don’t need to brace for G-forces sitting in your gamer chair.
When you slam down on the gas pedal on a 797-hp SRT Hellcat Redeye, the image in your mirrors vanishes. They turn white with tire smoke as the car goes berserk wanting to claw the pavement off the ground. The rear-end will want to step out of line once you hit second gear. Here is where most drivers panic and slam on the brakes or refuse to ease on the throttle and become a viral video.
Fear is the Key to Controlling an SRT Hellcat Redeye
The secret to maintaining control of a 700+ horsepower Mopar is fear. It keeps you grounded in the real world of physics and consequences. When the Hellcat’s rear end starts to slide out, ease off the throttle and make minor counter steering adjustments to prevent the car from going entirely sideways. Even at 40 mph, the SRT Hellcat Redeye will break traction if you hit the gas and can get you in trouble if you are not ready for it.
The secret to maintaining control of a 700+ horsepower Mopar is fear. It keeps you grounded in the real world of physics and consequences.
Even though the traction control is off, stability control is still on. The light will be flashing, letting you know it is here to support you. Do not let off the throttle completely. Just ease back and let the wheels regain traction before getting back on the gas. The car will respond accordingly. For a sedan weighing over 4,500 lbs, the Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye does not feel like a boat. It does handle. However, everything has a limit, and if you go beyond it, you’ll only have yourself to blame for what happens next.
Premium Fuel Only
Fuel was a concern during this road test. The Redeye is a high-performance variant of an already high-performance machine. Yet, it does not state anywhere on the vehicle or manual about what type of fuel it needs. One would assume it takes strictly 91-octane or higher. After speaking with several Dodge representatives, I can confirm that the SRT Hellcat Redeye models require premium fuel only.
Fuel rating for 2021 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody is 12 mpg city and 21 mpg on the highway for an average of 15 mpg. Over the 750-mile test drive, I averaged around 17 mpg, which was higher than expected. However, a full tank hovers in the 300-mile range, so it will burn through it like a California wildfire if your right foot gets heavy.
Speed Is Not Cheap
There is no easy way of putting this. The 2021 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody will set you back $90K. The model tested for this article wore an MSRP of $92,150. The most expensive option is the Customer Preferred Package 2BZ, aka the Redeye, which costs $8,600. This package includes a 200-mph speedo, Redeye badging, and the SRT Power Chiller that keeps the engine cool during use.
This car came equipped with the Carbon and Suede interior package ($1,595) and Alcantara interior package ($995). The interior shows an Alcantara wrapped steering wheel and seats, suede headliner, carbon-fiber interior accents, and suede door trim panels. Plus, an optional 19-speaker Harman Kardon audio system ($1,995).
Exterior options include the satin black painted hood ($1,995). The 20-inch wheels named Wrap Speed Granite ($1,095) matched beautifully with orange painted brake calipers ($595).
The SRT Hellcat Redeye Only Looks Serious
The car may have a mean mug, but in truth, all the Redeye wants to do is have fun. It wants to make you smile when you listen to it whine and rumble. You will never get tired of how this car accelerates. Treat it with respect, and it will make you feel like a demigod on the highway. It will inflate your ego, knowing you alone are in control of 797 demon-eyed galloping horses.
I like that the Redeye does not tell the world that it is a Redeye with loud exterior graphics or flashy badges. One has to look for the tiny red eyes inside the Hellcat badge to know this cat has sharper claws. It is easy to dismiss cars like this as unnecessary, overpriced, and ridiculous. However, the same can be said about amusement parks. Like an amusement park, the SRT Hellcat Redeye wants to take your money in exchange for fun and adrenaline.
The 2021 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody is more power spelled M-O-P-A-R.