I Gave the 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat a Bath

Every year, the Texas Auto Writers Association has its Texas Auto Roundup. Early this week, my fellow automotive journalists in the Lone Star State and I met at the Texas Motor Speedway in Dallas to drive dozens of vehicles and determine which ones would win first place in their respective categories. We would be allowed to take certain models, such as the 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat aka a Mopar version of four-door Z06, on the track to evaluate their prize-worthiness.

Unfortunately, rain at the venue meant I had to be happy with driving the Hellcat on public roads. A friendly SRT Track Experience driver named Jimmy rode shotgun.

As I drove over the numerous potholes and the lumpy asphalt of the roads around the TMS, I noticed the smoothness of the Charger’s ride. For being attached to a monstrously powerful car with the name Hellcat, the Charger’s suspension didn’t maul me. (My week in the driver’s seat of the 2015 Corvette Stingray Convertible was equally devoid of punishment.) The throttle pedal was easy to use without making the car lurch, despite the 707 horsepower it could unleash.

That’s exactly what I intended to do with the Hellcat, slick streets be damned. Jimmy was game. I gave him full license to be a bad influence.

Before he used it, I discovered why the sound superchargers make is usually described as a “whine.” That’s because they’re complaining about not being able to hulk out as often as they’d like to. The blower attached to the Hellcat’s 6.2-liter V8 was certainly not happy with my boring speeds. Jimmy was going to let it flex its muscles.

He told me to gradually increase my speed. The red needle on the speedometer spun to larger and larger numbers.

Then Jimmy urged me to floor it. What happened next was chaos.

The Hellcat’s electronic handler threw a choke-chain around its neck and pulled hard right when the beast lunged, causing a series of power-cutting vibrations. The traction control wrapped its hands around the throat of the rear tires as they flailed through the rain for a grip on the pavement. It was the automotive version of the electroconvulsive therapy scene from “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” as software, hardware, and the elements battled each other simultaneously.

My experience with the Hellcat was interesting, but it left me unsatisfied. I wanted to feel the beast’s unrestrained fury. (The TAWA, as a whole, felt the Charger Hellcat deserved to be named the Performance Sedan of Texas.) Perhaps one of these days I’ll be able to sink its claws into some dry pavement and do that.

Chime in with your thoughts on the forum. >>

via [Texas Auto Writers Association]

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Derek Shiekhi

Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.

After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.

While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.

Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.

In addition to writing for a variety of Internet Brands sites, including JK Forum, H-D Forums, The Mustang Source, Mustang Forums, LS1Tech, HondaTech, Jaguar Forums, YotaTech, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts. Derek also started There Will Be Cars on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

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