10 Things to Know About the 2019 Dodge Challenger Lineup

The Challenger has always been an important nameplate for Dodge. It first turned up in 1959, as the Coronet Silver Challenger, then returned for a glory run on the 1970-1974 Challenger two-door coupe pony car, a serious entry in the Muscle Car Wars. A less exciting Mitsubishi-built coupe wore the name from 1978 to 1983.

The Challenger returned in 2008 in response to the resurgent Ford Mustang, anticipating the return of the Chevrolet Camaro by one model year — and the new Muscle Car Wars were on. Dodge and SRT have taken the competition very seriously, ramping up power and capability with each passing year, perhaps peaking with the limited-production 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, which packed the most horsepower (840 hp) of any V8 production car ever to date. Where will the Challenger go next? Here are 10 things to know about the 2019 Challenger.

The base Challenger SXT RWD (starting at $27,295) and SXT AWD (starting at $30,295) come with a 305-hp Pentastar V6 engine, as do the GT RWD (starting at $29,995) and GT AWD (starting at $30,995), all with a standard eight-speed automatic transmission. The Challenger R/T (starting at $34,100) gets a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 with 375 hp and 410 lb-ft of torque, while the R/T Scat Pack (starting at $38,995) gets a 6.4-liter 392 Hemi V8 tuned to produce 485 hp and 475 lb-ft of torque. The R/T and R/T Scat Pack come with either an eight-speed automatic or six-speed manual transmission.

The SRT Hellcat (starting at $58,650) uses a supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V8 with 717 hp and 656 lb-ft of torque. A new SRT Hellcat Redeye (starting at $69,650) boosts that supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V8 to 797 hp and 707 lb-ft of torque. Hellcat models carry a $1,700 gas guzzler tax.

Wider rear tires help boost traction, which is highly desirable in launching a car off the line. To make room for more meat, a Widebody Package ($6,000) can be ordered for the R/T Scat Pack model. Fender flares, the same as the ones offered on the Hellcat, increase the vehicle’s overall width by 3.5 inches. Pirelli 305/35ZR20 tires are fit to 20-inch by 11-inch “Devil’s Rim” aluminum wheels (up from 9.0-inches wide on non-Widebody R/T Scat Pack).

In addition, the package adds stiffer front springs, retuned shock absorbers and larger front and rear sway bars, adaptive damping suspension, an integrated splitter, and a Hellcat rear spoiler. Adding the Widebody Package to R/T Scat Pack cuts quarter-mile times to 12.1 seconds, an improvement of 0.2 seconds.

In an era when the vast majority of new cars are silver, white, gray, or black, it’s fun to see a broader palette of colors available for the 2019 Challenger. The 14 exterior colors available are B5 Blue, Destroyer Grey, F8 Green, Go Mango, Granite Crystal, Indigo Blue, Maximum Steel, Octane Red, Pitch Black, Plum Crazy, TorRed, Triple Nickel, White Knuckle, and Yellow Jacket. Several of the color names (if not the actual colors themselves) are inspired by the first-generation heritage. B5 Blue, Go Mango, and Plum Crazy are classic color names that capture the spirit of the first Muscle Car Wars. Bold buyers who select the bright colors will have to expect extra attention when they’re on the road or the track.

Interior colors and combinations will include Black, Black/Caramel, Black/Ruby Red, Demonic Red, and Sepia.

Last year’s Challenger SRT Demon had one major flaw: Production was limited to just 3,300 examples, making it an instant collector’s item that commanded a premium at most dealerships. There will be no similar limitations on production of the 2019 Hellcat Redeye, which bridges the gap between the Hellcat and Demon. Dodge calls it “a Hellcat possessed by the Demon,” an apt description.

It uses the same engine as the Demon, tuned to produce 797 hp and 707 lb-ft of torque — down a bit from the 840-hp Demon, but still potent enough to deliver 0-60 mph acceleration in 3.4 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 10.8 seconds. The Hellcat Redeye gets both the SRT Power Chiller, which cools intake air before it enters the supercharger, and the new After-Run Chiller, which keeps the cooling fan and coolant pump running after engine shutdown to lower the temperature of the supercharger after a run.

Sure, the Hellcat and other high-performance Challenger variants are great track and drag cars. But what if you want the style and panache of a Challenger for your year-round, all-weather daily driver? Dodge has you covered with the SXT AWD and GT AWD models.

The competing Mustang and Camaro have only a front-engine/rear-wheel drive layout, making them weaker choices for winter driving. With a 305-hp 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine with 268 lb-ft of torque under the hood, the SXT AWD and GT AWD Challengers are hardly dogs. And they can deliver 18 mpg in the city, 27 mpg on the highway, and 21 mpg combined, according to the EPA — a nice bonus for a sporty, stylish five-passenger coupe.

New for 2019, the Challenger Scat Pack can be ordered with the 1320 Package for an additional $3,995. 1320 is the number of feet in a quarter-mile, the traditional length of a drag strip race. The Scat Pack 1320 gets a 392 Hemi V8 engine with 485 hp and 475 lb-ft of torque, and it requires the eight-speed automatic TorqueFlite transmission.

The 1320 is set up for the drag strip with a TransBrake to hold the car stationary at the line. It works with Torque Reserve and Launch Control to maximize power delivery on launch. Street-legal drag radial Nexen tires are fitted to the 20-inch wheels, and Line Lock engages the front brakes to allow the rear wheels to spin for a burnout to heat up and clean the rear tires. Launch Assist helps minimize wheel hop and maintain grip at launch, and the SRT-tuned adaptive rear suspension includes a Drag Mode.

The Widebody Package ($6,000) that is available for the Hellcat and Hellcat Redeye delivers faster quarter-mile runs for both models. With the standard setup, the Hellcat can run the quarter-mile in 11.2 seconds at 125 mph. Add the Widebody Package, and the Hellcat makes the run in 10.9 seconds at 127 mph.

Meanwhile, the standard Redeye burns up the quarter-mile in 11.1 seconds at 131 mph, while the Redeye Widebody breaks into the tens with a time of 10.8 seconds at 131 mph. Top speed for the Hellcat is 199 mph. Adding the Widebody Package to the Hellcat knocks that down to 195 mph. The Redeye and Redeye Widebody top out at 203 mph — making the Hellcat Redeye the fastest muscle car of 2019.

In addition to performance enhancements, the Hellcat Redeye has some distinctive yet subtle features that set it apart from the rest of the Challenger lineup. The diecast black-outline badge on the front fenders gets a red jewel-like eye design, a feature that is duplicated on the supercharger housing.

Inside, the Redeye comes with a 220-mph red speedometer, an SRT Hellcat Redeye logo splash-screen on the 7-inch display at startup, and a Light Black Chrome instrument panel badge with the SRT Hellcat Redeye logo. Finally, the SRT Hellcat Redeye logo is prominently displayed on its key fobs — perfect for bragging rights at the bar after an evening of domination on the drag strip. Those who know will notice and be impressed.

A powerful gasoline engine requires a substantial intake of air to generate horsepower. Dodge redesigned the Hellcat and Hellcat Redeye hood for 2019 from a single air intake to dual functional snorkels to increase airflow. The new hood also pays homage to classic Dodge muscle car designs, including the 1970 Dart Swinger and 1971 Demon, each of which wore dual-snorkel hoods.

In addition to the hood intakes, the Hellcat and Hellcat Redeye each have an innovative headlight air intake. The center of the inboard Air-Catcher headlights leads to a cold-air intake, providing additional air for the engine to use for the combustion process.

Driving a 700-plus-horsepower muscle car is not for the faint of heart — or the untrained driver. The Hellcat and Hellcat Redeye are serious track machines, and expert guidance will make for safer operation, not to mention higher speeds at the track.

The Bob Bondurant School of High-Performance Driving in Chandler, Arizona, is a Mecca for drivers who want to learn how to get the most out of their time at the track. When you buy a new 2019 Dodge Challenger Hellcat or Hellcat Redeye, you are entitled to a full-day session at Bondurant, where you will receive one-on-one coaching and instruction from pro drivers on a real race track. Even experienced drivers will benefit from the program at Bondurant, where legendary driver and instructor Bob Bondurant still oversees operations personally.