- Dodge Charger hot hatch: A compact car with a rear hatch that packs a punch with its 717 hp Hellcat engine, making it a contender for the most powerful hot hatch ever.
- Increased agility: The shorter wheelbase and new hatchback design of the Charger hot hatch make it more agile on the track and quicker to 60 mph.
- Sacrifices in practicality: While the larger hatch opening adds to practicality, the reduced trunk space and smaller rear seating area make it less appealing to families, but this car isn't aimed at that demographic anyway.
If you like the Dodge Charger but aren’t a fan of the 4-door body style, this Charger hot hatch is perhaps for you. The Mopar muscle car lineup consists of a two-door coupe and a four-door sedan, both big, heavy machines best suited for drag racing.
The Dodge Charger Hot Hatch: A Defiant Addition To Dodge’s Muscle Car Lineup
A hot hatchback is essentially a compact car with a rear hatch, and a focus on performance. From the rudimentary Golf GTI and Peugeot 205 GTi to dynamic machines of 2023 such as the Honda Civic Type R, the hatch has come a long way.
What about making the ultimate hot hatch with 717 hp? This render is a Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody with a shortened wheelbase, and a new hatchback trunk. The new rear wing adds some flair to the design and reminds us of the Civic Type R and the Subaru WRX STI. It would add some meaningful downforce, along with the custom front splitter.
With a much shorter rear, the mini muscle car looks more agile, but most of the features including the bumpers, lights and grille remain the same. The hood scoop feeds air to the supercharged engine underneath.
We don’t know specifically how much difference the shortened wheelbase and lighter body would have on the Dodge Charger hot hatch when it comes to speed and handling, but it’s fair to say that it would be both slightly quicker to 60 mph and more agile on a track.
Which Dodge Charger Is The Fastest?
Practicality would get increased with the larger hatch opening, but the shorter trunk space and smaller rear seating area would reduce its appeal for families. But who are we kidding – this car isn’t aimed at doing the school run..
Under the hood sits the Hellcat engine – the 6.2-liter supercharged V8 with 717 hp / 650 lb-ft.
That’s way more than the Honda Civic Type R which makes do with 315 hp, and also makes this possibly the most-powerful hot hatch ever; in theory at least.
To make this more like the other rally-inspired hot hatches out there, Dodge could use the Jeep Trackhawk’s (or Dodge Durango’s) all-wheel-drive system to send the Hellcat’s power to all four wheels. Just not the Charger SXT’s AWD setup which is probably not up to handling the massive power from the engine.
The most powerful Dodge Charger model in Dodge’s current lineup is the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Jailbreak. Aside from having a long name, it comes with 807 hp and 707 lb-ft – very nearly as much power as the infamous Dodge Demon from 2018.
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