A Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat defends its honor against the electric upstart, the Tesla Model 3 Performance.
Dodge likes to bill the Charger as the fastest sedan in the world. Powered by the vaunted 6.2-L supercharged Hellcat engine, it gets the same power as that engine does in its myriad other applications, that being 707 screaming horses and 650 lb-ft of torque. It’s an enormous amount that propels the Charger from zero to sixty in 3.3 seconds and provides it with a top speed of 204 mph
Of the modern four-door muscle cars, the Charger reigns supreme. But can it keep up with the new kid on the block?
Tesla initially billed the Model 3 as the electric car for everyone, but it still costs a pretty penny. The top-tier Performance model costs about the same as the Charger Hellcat but has somewhat less power. Two electric motors (one on each axle) provide a combined 473 horsepower and 471 lb-ft of torque and is capable of launching the Model 3 from zero to sixty in 3.2 seconds.
Besides power, the biggest difference between these two cars is their weight (4,500 lbs for the Charger, 4,000 lbs for the Model 3), and the fact the Charger is rear-wheel-drive while the Model 3 has all-wheel drive.
On the roads that our hosts from Throttle House find themselves on, that AWD is a big advantage for the Model 3. What seems like a completely un-prepped road in the middle of nowhere also seems to have some dirt and debris covering it, further ensuring that the Charger’s 707 hp won’t even be a factor when it launches off the line--the driver will be too concerned with keeping his tires from spinning uselessly.
In the drag race, the Charger simply has no chance. If this were a prepared drag circuit this would likely play out much differently, but on a road such as this, the Tesla’s AWD and on-demand Torque leave it in the dust.
Things are a bit different in the rolling race though. Check out the video above to see who comes out on top.