2023 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat

This is the last year you can buy a new Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, and it's the end of an era. Any Hellcat is plainly outrageous, with 717 horsepower in the regular one, 797 hp in the Redeye, and a faintly ridiculous 807 hp in the Redeye Jailbreak. All of this fury is sent to the rear wheels, so you can send those expensive rear tires up in smoke at a moment's notice. This is not a car for the shy, timid, or faint of heart, and with that rip-snorting supercharged nuclear device under the hood, it's the ultimate interpretation of the gloriously excessive American muscle car. Despite the base car's advanced 12-year age, the NHTSA safety review of the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat is still decent enough to pass muster and it transports its occupants in a modicum of comfort and a lot of space when it's not a hooning smoke factory. The closest thing it has to a rival in the USA is probably the similarly priced Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing. The more expensive AWD BMW M5 is more cultured and better behaved, but who cares about being civil if you're having this much fun?

The base price of the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat is $77,900 and the Redeye will cost you $86,500. Adding the Jailbreak package to either of these only asks for an additional $995, but opens the door for thousands of dollars of additional customization. Keep in mind that these prices for the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat trims are MSRP and exclude both the $2,100 gas-guzzler tax and Dodge's $1,595 destination fee.

The Charger is big and heavy, and can never be called agile. It doesn't feel as athletic as the European sedans, but Dodge has pulled out all the stops to keep it on the blacktop, and it's worked. The adaptive suspension is comfortable for daily use but can be dialed up to downright harsh to aid handling on smooth roads. And hang on around corners it does, especially with the summer performance tires. Those tires are enormous 305-section items on 20-inch wheels, so grip is immense and body roll very well contained. The powerful Brembo brakes have the kind of reserves needed to rein in a beast like this, but the steering feels somewhat disconnected from the road in terms of feel and feedback, though it's weighted pleasantly. Switch the stability control off and you can become YouTube material in an instant, so take care where you play. Breaking loose the rear tires is the work of a moment and then lots of fun - or fear - can ensue. Blinding speeds accompanied by an intoxicating V8 soundtrack and manic supercharger whine are on offer, but be warned that it's difficult to get off the line with all that power.

The Charger SRT Hellcat is by no means a perfect car. Its basic design is now starting to get really old, it doesn't handle with the same sharpness as some rivals, and it gulps gas with fearsome ferocity. But none of that matters, because there isn't a single other four-door American muscle car like it left on the market. The Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing is in with a shout - and offers a manual transmission - but it will appeal to a different customer and can't hold a candle to the Hellcat's tire-melting torque and drag-strip antics. There will never be a ferocious V8-powered muscle car from Dodge again and we suggest you heed their Last Call and get one while it's still available.

Never before has the adage of "go big or go home" been more apt than in this case. If you're going to buy the very last supercharged V8 Charger, make it the Redeye Jailbreak and kit it out to your heart's content until it's customized like no other on the road. You might end up paying north of $100k for the privilege, but it will be worth every penny when that V8 lump barks to life and the supercharger starts to wail in unison with the revs. Just carefully pick your places to have fun, because you don't want to bin what is sure to eventually become a collector's item.