Hellcat, Hellcat, Hellcat.
Hellcat, Hellcat, Hellcat. Watch the Internets long enough and you might think the Dodge muscle car was the only news this year.
Here at Motor Authority, we've done more than our fair share of flogging the Hellcat, on the streets and in our headlines.
But there's one question we haven't answered just yet.
What happens when you have TWO Hellcats?
ALSO SEE: Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Dyno Tested, May Be More Powerful Than Claimed: Video
On one hand, we have the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. On the other, we have the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat.
Combined, we're talking about 1,414 horsepower, and a combined top speed of more than 400 miles per hour.
Now, normally, we wouldn't care which Hellcat we drove. But apparently you do. Hundreds of YouTube comments later, it's pretty clear that you want to know--which one's better?
Quick drive--a very quick drive
Let’s get to the heart of things. With either Hellcat, there's a real demon under the hood.
The Hellcat's supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 drills out at least 707 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque, no matter whether you take the Charger or the Challenger.
What's that you said? Camaro what? Mustang who? Oh, right, they're nowhere near that.
Nope, the Hellcat is the original beast mode, with 0-60 times coming in at about 3.5 seconds for the two-door, 3.7 seconds for the four-door. Top speed? Dodge says 199 mph for the Challenger, 204 mph for the Charger. Just like styling, it all comes down to priorities.
All that power gets dumped to the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic. Do you give a shift? You can only give it in the Challenger--it has a six-speed manual on the order sheet, the Charger doesn't. Those points go to the two-door.
DON'T MISS: #GiveAShift: The 7 Best Manual Transmissions You Can Drive
In either Hellcat, the soundtrack is pure, vintage whine------supercharger whine.
It's always there. It's always there.
Stand on the gas, and the Hellcat gets angry--and it gets louder and louder, and louder. Set-off-car-alarms loud. Grandparents talking on cell phones loud.
Back off and it throws down epic amounts of overrun. It’s just--it's just perfection. You can either get used to it, or you can buy a Camry.
Real talk
At some point you actually have to drive and live with either Hellcat every day. That's where we might start to love one of these demons more than the other.
The Challenger? It's more comfortable than any Camaro to drive, but it's big and it acts like it, all the time. It's tough to park in the garage without gouging the long, heavy doors.
CHECK OUT: Meet The Man That Owns A Ferrari LaFerrari, McLaren P1 & Porsche 918 Spyder: Video
Visibility is tough though a rearview camera does help things. It's a two-door, what do you want? It's a little selfish and it doesn't give a crap who knows it.
Step into the Charger, and the sedan starts to make a strong case for itself and for your sixty grand plus.
Getting in is easier, looking out is easier, you don't exactly feel like you should jump in through the window Dukes of Hazzard style every time.
You can even fit a car seat in back. It's more like a real car.
Burnout time
No matter which one you choose, either Hellcat has some basics down pat. All the right sounds are in place, the right looks--even the right technology, with Bluetooth audio streaming and navigation, even adaptive setups that let you tweak the Hellcats' gear shifts, throttle, even ride.
And that's a big thing, because the Hellcats both ride pretty tough and pretty dirty, even in comfort mode. They're not for anyone who wants razor-sharp handling, or a stone-quiet cockpit. Sure, they can putter along, if you can keep your foot out of them...
But who can do that? Let's face it, no one's buying a Hellcat so they can worry about car seats and gas mileage. It's all about being in a musclecar, and all about making tires go bye-bye.
You know, we tried to keep things calm and objective, but when it comes to the Hellcats, there's really just one way to figure out which one you need.
Smoky. Burnouts.
Watch the video--and watch the tires go bye bye.
________________________________
See more videos on our YouTube sites: The Car Connection, Motor Authority, and Green Car Reports.