When the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat was released, it quickly became the king of the drag strip, frequently out-accelerating much more expensive sports cars and supercars. Soon, high-performance versions of the Tesla Model S came along and the Hellcat’s reign was over.
Fast forward to the end of 2017 and it is no longer the sleek, two-door Challenger Hellcat that is the quickest vehicle in the FCA family. As a matter of fact, the Hellcat has now been surpassed not just by the Demon, but also the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk.
Powering both the Challenger Hellcat and the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine delivering 707 hp.
However, whereas the Hellcat struggles to put all that muscle to the ground, the all-wheel drive system of the Trackhawk makes it far superior in a straight line. To show just how big the performance gap is, Hennessey Performance pitted the duo together and the Trackhawk left the Hellcat Widebody in its wake.
While Hellcat owners may be disgruntled that a Jeep is significantly quicker than their muscle car, SUV enthusiasts will be enthusiastically celebrating. We wouldn’t blame either of them.