Sometimes you just need 800 hp, 5 seats, and a big trunk. Spending a week with the 2021 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody was way more fun than I would have imagined. Being able to break loose the 305 width ires with a throttle blip at any time, at any speed, was pretty insane and addictive. The miracle of Dodge’s line of Redeye vehicles is that, somehow, every one of them isn’t wrapped around a tree.
2021 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody Review
PROS:
- BIG hp (797 hp) = instant easy burnouts
- Handles impressively well around corners
- Smooth linear brakes and transmission
- Sleeper looks (could be mistaken for a police car)
CONS:
- BIG price tag ($87,765 as tested)
- Guzzles dino juice (15 mpg average)
- Big heavy car (16.75-feet long, 6.87-feet wide, and 4,610 pounds)
- You will go through rear tires quickly
- Cheap-feeling interior
2021 Dodge SRT Charger Hellcat Redeye Driving Impressions
Let’s get the basics out of the way first. This big, widebody muscle machine was heavy and felt heavy. One effect of that was that the car carries a lot of momentum when I lifted off the gas (think locomotive). It was also wide and long, which made it super hard to tell where the front corners of the car were (the long sloping hood didn’t help).
With that said, the 2021 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody was surprisingly agile with impressive suspension, which was somehow quite comfortable and stiff at the same time. I could tell it had a stiff, performance-oriented suspension when going over sharp edges in the road, however. The steering was relatively direct, but it also felt super disconnected. The 305s at all four corners allowed the car to handle curves way better than I expected and felt quite planted on the road.
Speaking of those big tires, I could spin the rears pretty much on command, usually with less than half throttle. This was possible in any of the Charger’s four drive modes: Auto, Sport, Track, or Custom.
Auto drive-mode was quite civilized, especially considering the massive horsepower and wide tires at all four corners. Track on the other hand was brutal! The steering got heavy and direct, and the suspension became super stiff.
Luckily, with the Custom mode, you can dial in your preferences and tune the 2021 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody for the conditions. The 8-speed transmission was super smooth-shifting in all modes. Even in auto mode, the shifts were relatively aggressive but stayed smooth.
With big horsepower should come big brakes, especially in a big, heavy car. The Charger Redeye does not disappoint, offering up large powerful brakes that got the job done in a hurry. I was impressed with how linear the brake pedal felt as well as with the quality feedback through the pedal.
The one thing the 2021 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody was truly lacking was an active exhaust. There was no button to allow you to open up the exhaust and let this big cat growl. You get one exhaust note, and it’s super low and grumbly but not all that loud. I did notice a bit of a drone from the exhaust on the highway, which could get annoying. Crack the throttle though, and the drone was replaced with an addictive supercharger whine.
An Uninspiring Interior
The area where this big muscle car fell flat a bit was the interior. Inside, I noticed basic plastic materials and surfaces throughout, which just made it feel cheap. The real carbon trim package in my tester was a nice touch and helped the interior out a bit.
As with all Dodge products, the seats were made for somebody that’s about 200+ pounds, but they worked better than most for a skinny guy like me. The seats were actually quite plush and comfortable for long trips and the power adjustments were good. You even get heated and ventilated front seats and heated rear seats.
On the plus side for the interior, the nice plush floormats and comfortable rubber knobs on the pedals made for a really comfortable barefoot driving experience.
2021 Dodge Charger Redeye Pricing
My test car came in with a window sticker of $87,765. The 2BZ package, better known as the Redeye package, accounted for a big chunk of that price tag ($8,600). The carbon/suede interior with “Demonic” red seats along with navigation and stereo upgrades made up the rest of the price bump over the base price of $69,995. A $2,100 gas guzzler tax doesn’t help the out-the-door price either!
You can skip paying that big tax if you buy a base Dodge Charger, which will only set you back $30,570. You’ll get a 3.6L V6 under the hood good for 300 hp, only 497 shy of the Redeye.
Is the 2021 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody worth the ninety-ish thousand dollars you’ll pay for one? That’s a question only you can decide. I can say that it represents modern American muscle in all the expected ways: insane horsepower, super-wide tires, big heavy car, cheap interior, and aggressive looks added to a mellow base vehicle.
Head over to Dodge.com for more on this big muscle sedan that needs to be experienced to be believed.
