Dodge weren’t exactly modest in advertising the 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat when they showed it to the world back in August, and it was touted as the most capable 4-door sedan in the world, as far as performance goes. And of course, nowadays skeptics are everywhere and it takes more than words to convince the average buyer in the capabilities of a product. There were many opinions going around that the new Charger Hellcat is being overhyped and it’s not actually anything impressive.
A recently released video should put an end to that skepticism though, as the Charger SRT Hellcat can be seen blazing through at 206 miles per hour in a test. With its 707 horsepower engine, that’s not really surprising in any way, especially considering the amount of work the company have reportedly put into optimizing the new Charger Hellcat’s performance in order to squeeze every last bit of power out of it.
And while some were quick to be skeptical about even the video, the company have been very open about the methods used in producing the video material, and they were eager to explain everything about their process, especially regarding the technology and setup. There were people claiming that the video was either shot downhill, or involved some other kinds of trickery – but in the end, it’s safe to assume that there was no such thing going on behind the scenes, and what was shown was completely genuine.
It’s interesting to note how these tests are usually performed – a car’s top speed is not typically measured in ideal conditions such as a long, endless stretch of straight road; rather, the car has to travel along the same track back and forth, and the average from the two runs is taken. That’s how the Charger Hellcat was tested as well, and they used all important standards in their verification process.
What this means is that they can officially claim that the top speed they’ve achieved during their test runs is the official record for a top speed recorded in a sedan, which the company was already expecting to achieve before they even started their tests, apparently.
So, what’s the current state of the overall skepticism online? People seem much more convinced in the capabilities of the new Charger Hellcat now, and the car seems to be an engineering marvel, as well as a great example of solid, purpose-driven design. Whether its top speed record is going to help its performance on the market it remains to be seen, but there are already good indications that the car is going to be very successful with the crowds of thrill-seekers.