Car & Driver, in its March 2020 issue, road tested the Challenger Hellcat Redeye Widebody and compared its performance to the Ford Shelby GT500 (760 hp.) and Camaro ZL1 1LE (650 hp.). The magazine rated the Camaro #1, the GT500 #2 and the SRT #3. Despite, this, the $92,785 Redeye put up some impressive numbers: 0-30 mph= 1.7 sec. 0-60 mph= 3.8 sec. 0-100 mph= 7.4 sec. 1/4 mile= 11.6 sec. 0-160 mph= 19.6 sec. Top Speed= 203 mph. Rollout, 1 ft.= 0.3 sec. Rolling Start, 5-60 mph= 4.2 sec. Top Gear, 30-50 mph= 2.1 sec. Top Gear, 50-70 mph= 2.2 sec. The entire road test can be read at: https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison-test/a30870010/2020-muscle-car-showdown/
I personally could care less what anyone has to say based on their opinion and test results. If you’re a bow tie or blue oval fan thats the way you’ll lean. Unfortunately the Red Eye has more power than what the suspension and tires can handle....I wish when they did this type of comparison that they’d put the same tires on them to have a more even comparison. When it comes down to it, I like the look and stance of the Challenger over any other car out there, bragging writes on power comes second...Being 6’-4” and 250LBS makes the Challenger the hands down winner for comfort for me.
Personally, I think comparing the Challenger to the Mustang and Camaro is ridiculous. Dodge simply doesn't offer a car that is a direct competitor for those cars. Just because the Challenger is the closest they offer doesn’t make it a proper comparison. To be honest, I'd bet the Scat Pack Widebody would be a better comparison since it's chassis is more evenly matched to the engine's power output and the lighter front end offers better handling than the supercharged versions. Wouldn't surprise me at all to see the Scat Pack post better lap times on most tracks, especially ones without long straights where the 700+ horsepower cars would have an advantage. Bottom line, the Challenger is a muscle car, not a sports car or pony car, and that is exactly why I love the car and chose it over the Mustang or Camaro. It's more comfortable, has much more usable space to carry people and "stuff", and has plenty of power and amazing handling, especially for such a large car.
Exactly! Not only is it a muscle car, it's just a great car in general. Car guys and gals buy the Challenger for different reasons. For me, its a fun daily driver, the styling stands out on the road, you can take it to car shows and cruise ins, hit the 1/4 mile if you want to and enjoy it on long trips. Its got a roomier interior and a lot of trunk space. Gee, probably why its been outselling the Stang and Camaro over the past several years since it covers more reasons for buying one.