The idea of a 2016 Dodge Challenger Hellcat vs 2017 Dodge Challenger Hellcat drag race came about when we reasoned that we needed to find an excuse to have a ridiculously fun Monday morning. I mean, two Challenger Hellcats? 1,414 horsepower combined? Yes please, we need to make sure the 2017 version is just as good as the 2016.
Sure, we wanted to find changes in the 2017 Dodge Challenger Hellcat that we could report to you. There weren’t many. The main changes were the updated badging around the exterior and the additional seat graphics inside. There is an updated infotainment system and there are new wheels which look like the ones used on the upcoming Dodge Demon – but aren’t.
All things being equal (and they were), good launches and solid acceleration came down to the driver. We wanted to get our hands on a manual transmission, which still may happen one day, but it wasn’t in the cards this month. Both vehicles have a 707 hp engine that makes 650 lb-ft of torque and both came equipped with an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Other than color and wheel design the 2016 Dodge Challenger Hellcat vs 2017 Dodge Challenger Hellcat drag race was as even as a race could possibly be.
… and – yes – it was more fun than a barrel of monkeys cranked up with Redbull.
