Dodge has a new piece of muscle headed to showrooms. The automaker has finally launched a wide-body option for the Charger sedan, which was revealed on Thursday in Scat Pack and SRT Hellcat guises. The option is available on the Scat Pack and standard on the Hellcat.
Charger fans have been looking on with envy at the Challenger Widebody since 2018's arrival of the Challenger SRT Demon. But that finally ends with the arrival of the 2020 Charger, whose wide-body models are confirmed to reach showrooms early next year.
2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody
Like its Challenger counterpart, the Charger Widebody's pumped fenders add 3.5 inches to the width over the standard car—allowing for massive 20x11-inch wheels with 305/35-size Pirelli tires to be fitted.
The extra rubber significantly ups grip, with Dodge claiming the Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody runs 2.1 seconds faster than the vehicle it replaces on a 2.1-mile road course. You're also looking at 0-60 mph acceleration in 3.6 seconds, a quarter-mile ET of 10.96 seconds, and 0.96 g on the skidpad.
2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody
The engine is the familiar 6.2-liter supercharged V-8, which in this application delivers 707 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque. Paired to an 8-speed automatic and spinning the rear wheels, the engine will see the Hellcat Widebody hit a top speed of 196 mph. And to bring the car back to a stop are standard Brembo brakes with 6-piston calipers and 15.4-inch rotors at the front axle.
2020 Dodge Charger Scat Pack Widebody
The Charger Scat Pack Widebody features the standard Scat Pack's 6.4-liter V-8, and all 485 hp and 475 lb-ft that comes with it. This model also has an 8-speed automatic and rear-wheel drive, and according to Dodge will hit 60 mph in 4.3 seconds, pass the quarter-mile in 12.4 seconds, and pull 0.98 g on the skidpad. The Scat Pack also gets the same Brembo brake package as the Hellcat.
In both models, the suspension has been tweaked. In the Hellcat, we're looking at Bilstein adaptive dampers, stiffer springs, larger sway bars, and electronic power steering that can be adjusted via the driving modes selector. In the Scat Pack, there are stiffer springs, a larger sway bar at the rear, and revised damper settings. Both models also feature electronic goodies like launch control and line lock. The latter holds the front brakes but leaves the rear brakes free to make perfect burnouts easier.
2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody
For the interior of the Hellcat, Dodge has added accent stitching on the instrument panel and doors. There is also new trim materials and a new design for the instrument cluster.
Fun options like the wide-body design are to tide things over until Dodge finally implements a full redesign for the Charger, as well as the Challenger, sometime early next decade. Just a month prior to his passing, former Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne said the automaker was looking at a significant upgrade of the current platform rather than going with a platform borrowed from Alfa Romeo or Maserati.
