I Drove a Ridiculously Fast Car Today AMA

"Matthew Keyser" (teisco15) 07/18/2018 at 22:33 • Filed to: Hellcat, dodge, challenger, widebody

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It was a 2018 Dodge Challenger Hellcat Widebody with 707 horsepower and a 6-speed manual transmission.

My main takeaways after about an hour of blasting around country roads is just how loud, fast and heavy the Hellcat really is, and it’s moderately insane that all you need is $70k (give or take) and a deathwish to buy one.

Handily the fastest car I’ve ever driven, certainly nothing I’ll forget soon.

MM54 > Matthew Keyser 07/18/2018 at 22:36

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Why is the protector for the splitter still on it?

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Matthew Keyser 07/18/2018 at 22:50

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did it pass the BD test?

wafflesnfalafel > MM54 07/18/2018 at 22:54

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I kinda like that look - I’ve seen several, usually with just the corner bits in yellow.  Style and protection!  

Matthew Keyser > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas 07/18/2018 at 23:15

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Absofuckinglutely. Slightly altered my perception of speed after just an hour. I’ve driven a GT350 and it didn’t make my GTI feel really  slow. Hellcat did.

JeepJeremy > Matthew Keyser 07/18/2018 at 23:16

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I love that color!!! What a beast! 

SHARPSPEED > wafflesnfalafel 07/19/2018 at 00:10

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It’s a nice spot for some “trim” on a Hellcat, but it’d be nice to see other colors. Yellow’s not meshing well with crimson.

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > Matthew Keyser 07/19/2018 at 03:57

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Why does the owner still have the shipping guard on the splitter still on?

Arrivederci > Matthew Keyser 07/19/2018 at 07:39

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So, does it feel as heavy as just a battleship or an aircraft carrier?

StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 > Matthew Keyser 07/19/2018 at 08:23

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How was the stick to drive?  I’ve driven a few, but all with the 8-speed.  They are a riot, and slightly a handful in the rain.  Good thing the traction control is VERY good.

ihm96 > Matthew Keyser 07/19/2018 at 10:18

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That’s a dope car. I get what you’re a saying about it making your gti feel slow. After driving superfast stuff at my job sometimes like a brand new e63  my old bmw always feels insanely slow haha. It was even worse this winter when I had an old corolla beater for a few months

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Matthew Keyser 07/19/2018 at 11:45

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just how loud, fa st and heavy the Hellcat really is

And weight is in fact the problem. I’ve seen Mustangs, Camaros, Vettes, etc turn laps at racetracks on track days with little problems.

The Challengers (Hellcat or not) last about 4 laps, and they are completely done . Brakes on the verge of chunking pads (not to mention the smell) , oil temps through the roof, brake fluid on the verge of boiling.. .you get the picture

A standard Challenger might be a decent 4 seat GT car (if your idea of Grand Touring is I-1 0 west through Texas ), but as soon as you throw it corners, all you remember is the ponderous mass.

And there’s no real way to hide that mass. It’s always there.

Matthew Keyser > StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 07/19/2018 at 11:51

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Insane amounts of fun. The clutch was the heaviest I’ve felt in a modern car and it takes some forearm muscle to change gear with any sort of bravado. With a stick it’s very clear from the get- go that this isn’t a car you can take liberties with.  T he traction control is exceptional, never too intrusive but you can feel the intervention of a force greater than yourself to help reign in 707 horsepower.

Matthew Keyser > Arrivederci 07/19/2018 at 11:52

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It’s got the footprint of a Range Rover and weighs as much as a Honda Odessey minivan, but the moment you mash the go pedal none of that matters.

Matthew Keyser > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 07/19/2018 at 12:02

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I’ve driven several variants of the new Camaro and a few new Stangs including the GT350 and I would almost put those cars in a different class.

The modern Camaro and Mustang are easy to drive quickly, much more composed around corners, and overall give a much more sportscar vibe.

The Hellcat never was and never will be a track car, it’s made to shred tires and be pants-shittingly fast in a straight line. The Hellcat is the last true muscle car, and it’s hilariously fun at what it does.

Matthew Keyser > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time 07/19/2018 at 12:05

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Im not exactly sure. It’s my bosses car and he was kind enough to let me behind the wheel. It’d already be in the landfill

StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 > Matthew Keyser 07/19/2018 at 12:12

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Very cool.  It has always amazed me how easy the 8-speed cars are to drive, no matter what.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Matthew Keyser 07/19/2018 at 12:54

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I’ve driven several variants of the new Camaro and a few new Stangs inclu ding the GT350s

So have I. So much so that eventually I went and bought a 2018 Camaro SS 1LE with actual money. And that was even over getting a GT350.

FCA puts the Hellcat in their own advertising up against the ZL1 and GT350. Both of which are just flat out better cars, full stop (leaving aside the fact that both Ford and GM tout their road track chops on their V8-equipped pony cars) .

I’m just not a fan of the logic that says “The Challenger is better because it is objectively worse.”

Is it fast? Yes. Is it interesting to look at? To me, not particularly. Is it fun? For what it does, I’ll give it that.

It’s still too damn heavy. And that kills the package. If FCA puts the Challenger and the LX platform on a diet, that would be all that would need to be done to it.

Arrivederci > Matthew Keyser 07/19/2018 at 13:34

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So, battleship then!