In a market where SUVs and pickup trucks are the dominant players, what does it take to build a muscle car that sells? If you ask Dodge, it takes continuous performance improvements and building a vehicle that stands out for its versatility. We headed to the Chrysler Chelsea Proving Grounds for FCA's “What’s New” event where we had the chance to test nearly every vehicle in the FCA stable. We witnessed the reveal of the all-new 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody and the 2020 Dodge Charger Scat Pack Widebody. During the unveiling, we got the inside scoop from Timothy Kuniskis. Head of Passenger Cars at FCA, about the muscle car market and the role Dodge plays in fulfilling the market's need for speed.
As we were waiting for the uncloaking of the 2020 Charger SRT Hellcat and Charger Scat Pack, we learned about Dodge's strong position in the passenger car segment. For the past five years, the Dodge Charger has led the U.S. full-size car segment in total sales. According to Kuniskis, the formula for its success is comprised of two parts. The first is consistent performance upgrades to maintain its leading horsepower, 0-60 times and handling.
Secondly, it's the Dodge Charger's ability to serve customers on many different levels. The Charger wears multiple hats as a class-leading four-door muscle car, a performance sedan, and an everyday family sedan. The ability to equip the vehicle in various ways allows customers to tailor it to their needs and preferences. In addition to holding the title of the most powerful mass-produced sedan in the world, the Charger offers daily driver benefits such as V6 efficiency and AWD capability.
For 2020, the Dodge Charger gets a new widebody package. This package offers a more aggressive and modern exterior with new front and rear fascias, a new grille, body-color fender flares, and an added 3.5 inches of width over the wider wheels and tires. The widebody exterior is standard on the 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat and is an available package on the 2020 Dodge Charger Scat Pack.
2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody
The first vehicle to be unveiled was the 2020 Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody which also happens to be Dodge's most powerful muscle car. A redesigned front fascia greeted us with a new mail-slot grille designed for the most optimized route for cool air to travel to the radiator. With its supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI Hellcat V8 engine under the hood, the Hellcat gets a whopping 707 horsepower, a 0-60 time of 3.6 seconds, a quarter-mile elapsed time of 10.96 seconds and a top speed of 196 mph. Looking at these specs, it's no surprise that the Hellcat holds the title of the most powerful and the fastest mass-produced sedan in the world.
In addition to the impressive performance specs, the Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody gets a 3.5-inch wider body, which makes room for new 20-inch by 11-inch carbon black forged wheels. Other key upgrades in the redesign include new adaptive damping competition suspension, new electric power steering, stiffer springs, larger sway bars, and a new six-piston Brembo brake system.
2020 Dodge Charger Scat Pack Widebody
The next vehicle unveiled was the 2020 Dodge Charger Scat Pack. Thanks to the available widebody package, it becomes the best performing production Charger Scat Pack on the market. According to Kuniskis, “the Dodge Charger Scat Pack has the most horsepower per dollar of anything that we have". The Charger Scat Pack's HEMI V8 engine offers a best-in-class 485 horsepower, a 0-60 mph in 4.3 seconds and a quarter-mile elapsed time of 12.4 seconds.
“ The Dodge Charger Scat Pack has the most horsepower per dollar of anything that we have ”Timothy Kuniskis, Head of Passenger Cars, FCA
The 2020 Charger Scat Pack Widebody also gets suspension upgrades including modified springs, sway bars and shocks, increased front spring rates which are 27 percent stiffer, larger rear sway bar and revised damper calibration. The new Dodge Charger Widebody models will start arriving in Dodge dealerships in early 2020.
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