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Want some attention and excitement in the new year? Try the newest Dodge Challenger the one with a 707-horsepower, supercharged Hemi V-8 under the hood.
Popular Mechanics magazine calls the top-of-the-line, new-for 2015 Challenger SRT Hellcat the "wildest muscle car Detroit (has) ever built" and named it "Best Muscle Car" for 2015.
With a 0-to-60-mph time of just 3.7 seconds and a quarter-mile time of only 11.2 seconds, the Challenger SRT Hellcat is among the fastest production cars in the world and easily outshines America's other muscle cars.
Auto enthusiast magazines confirm the 16.5-foot-long, two-door coupe can beat a 2015 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 and 2015 Ford Mustang GT Premium in 0-to-60 and quarter-mile times.
Both competitors have V-8s, but not supercharged.
The Challenger SRT Hellcat is the first Dodge with a supercharged Hemi V-8. But it's not going to be the last. Dodge is taking orders for the Charger SRT Hellcat sedan, which will use the same 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V-8 that's in the Challenger and be the fastest production sedan.
Starting manufacturer's suggested retail price, including destination charge and federal government gas guzzler tax is $60,990 for a model with six-speed, Tremec, manual transmission. Dodge offers a new eight-speed automatic transmission called TorqueFlight for an additional $1,995.
Note that a base, 2015 Challenger SXT with 305-horsepower V-6 has a starting retail price, including destination charge, of $27,990, which is less than half the starting price of a 2015 Challenger with Hellcat engine.
The 2015 Chevrolet Camaro coupe with 505-horsepower V-8 and other Z/28 performance parts can carry a retail price of around $70,000. The 2015 Ford Mustang GT Premium with 435-horsepower V-8 starts at $37,125, with an unpriced Shelby GT350 Mustang due by late 2015.
The long, wide body of the two-door coupe is reminiscent of the early 1970s when the Challenger, Camaro and Mustang were popular.
But the rear-wheel drive Challenger SRT Hellcat goes beyond nostalgia. For the first time, it's a Challenger with a black and a red key fob.
The red one unlocks the full engine power all the way up to 707 horses, while the black one might be called the "safer-for-valet" fob. It limits engine power to 500 horses and keeps electronic stability control on all the time.
