2020 Dodge Charger: When the Wide Body Comes to Town

• Already provided by the Dodge Challenger, the Charger now gets Widebody signature treatments.
• The Charger Widebody is more than just looks.
• Pricing has not been announced for the new performance vehicles, although order books open this fall.

You can't say that Mopar is inconsistent. Basically, Dodge's philosophy in the modern era - anytime after 1960 - is simple: What's the biggest, most powerful engine we have? Put it on everything! Whatever cars the company makes, those engines will eventually turn into everything. For example, Dodge Durango SRT. With bigger engines come bigger cars like the Challenger Widebody two years ago. And now, with the 2020 Dodge Charger, we are getting our own Widebody update.

Here. dot.

So said Zarathustra: “Designed and engineered to push the boundaries of what a four-door family sedan can be, the new 2020 Dodge Charger…” Yes, blah, blah, blah, here’s the deal: Supercharged, 6.2 Hemi Hellcat V8, 707 horsepower force, 650 lb-ft of torque. Of course, you can argue: "But the BMW M5 is!" Or "AMG that!" Or whatever, but I'll see you at the end of The Strip, Klaus. No, not a country mile - it's a Dodge Charger as refined or as good as those built by the Germans (and a good bit of the Japanese or British), but according to the FCA, that's sort of the point.

The bottom line here was one they figured out when Brian Jones left the Stones. The point is that quarter mile performance is all Acceleration. Torque. Tire smoking, explosive, head fragments, accelerated retinal detachment. Therefore, we will not talk about navigation systems and infotainment packages and leather paint colors. This material is next to The Point.

2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody. Photo: FCA US LLC.

2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody

The Widebody Pack is standard on the SRT Hellcat Charger and is available on the Scat Pack Charger Kit. If you get a widebody, which you should, the fender flares add 3.5 inches to the width. Dodge says it makes "an even more aggressive, tough stance." Gee, you think? Either way, thanks to the huge flares, you have plenty of room for wider 20-by-11-inch wheels wrapped in Pirelli 305/35ZR20 tires. Of course, you might think this is overkill, but I bring your attention back to that 650 lb-ft of torque.

Plus, those big wheels give you plenty of room for things like two-piece Brembo front brake discs (15.4 inches) with six-piston calipers. Stopping distance is now four feet shorter (107 feet) from 60 to 0 mph (and you'll need it, let's face it). An eight-speed Hemi automatic and supercharged 6.2 TorqueFlite 8HP90 sends the Hellcat Widebody to a top speed of 196 mph. 60 mph climb in just 3.6 seconds and quarter mile in 10.96 seconds. In case you're wondering, the new Charger Hellcat Widebody pulls 0.96g per skid.

Naturally, the Widebody suspension gets a special tweak all around. The speed of the front springs is increased, providing a 32 percent jump in stiffness over the existing Hellcat Charger. Larger crossbars appear in the picture, widening from 32mm to 34mm at the front and 19mm to 22mm at the rear. SRT-tuned, Bilstein tri-mode adaptive suspension and a new electric power steering system are also on deck.

Hellcat Widebody Performance Tech

On top of all this, there are four race-inspired technical innovation standards for 2020. Race Cooldown continues to cool the supercharger/charge air cooler after the engine is turned off to keep it from overheating. Line Lock, an old-school personal favorite, only applies the front brakes so you can burn out. Launch Control manages tire slip for more even linear acceleration. (That's cheating to me, but that's another story.) And then the wheel speed sensor start assist changes the torque (in milliseconds) to prevent wheel damage during start up.

2020 Dodge Charger Scat Pack Widebody. Photo: FCA US LLC.

Related: Black is the new black: meet the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Octane Edition.

2020 Dodge Charger Scat Pack Widebody

Now with the widebody 2020 Dodge Charger Scat Pack - which might be your best bet in terms of performance to value - you get a 6.4 392 Hemi that puts out 485 horsepower. The engine is mated to a TorqueFlite 8HP70 eight-speed automatic transmission. All of the aforementioned suspension bits and performance-enhancing mistresses; including Launch Control, Launch Assist and Line Lock are all still in the Scat Pack Widebody.

Compared to the "regular" Scat Pack, the Widebody stops three feet shorter. Acceleration is also improved, with the Widebody Scat Pack hitting 60 mph in 4.3 seconds, the quarter mile in 12.4 seconds at 111 mph and 0.98g of lateral traction on the frame. The Widebody Scat Pack also goes 1.3 seconds faster on a 2.1-mile track, which equates to eight car lengths per lap.