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Dodge Charger Widebody
Dodge is pushing the performance envelope of its iconic Charger muscle car even further for the 2020 model year. Recently the automaker announced the addition of a Charger Widebody package that will be standard for 2020 Charger SRT Hellcat and optional on the 2020 Charger Scat Pack. (The SRT acronym stands for Street & Racing Technology.)
© Mike Meredith, Automotive Content Experience
Dodge Charger Widebody
The Charger Widebody features a new front-end design, new rear fascia and bold fender flares that increase the car’s overall width by 3.5 inches. The Widebody package adds 20-inch wheels that are a full 11 inches wide, shod with 305/35ZR20 Pirelli all-season performance tires. The standard 20-inch wheels are a forged split 5-spoke design with low-gloss Carbon Black finish. Also available are 20-inch Warp Speed deep-dish wheels with a low-gloss Granite finish, as well as 20-inch Brass Monkey wheels.
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Brakes and Suspension
The Widebody package also includes upgraded brakes, with Brembo 6-piston front calipers, 15.4-inch 2-piece front brake rotors and 4-piston rear calipers. The Widebody’s revised SRT-tuned suspension offers Bilstein 3-mode adaptive damping, new electric power steering, stiffer springs and retuned shocks. The Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody will stop from 60 mph in 107 feet — 4 feet less than the model it replaces.
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Widebody Design
At the front, the Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody has a mail-slot front grille to funnel air to the radiator, side sills to connect the front and rear flares and a new rear spoiler unique to the Hellcat Widebody to balance the aft aerodynamics with the front-end design.
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Under the Hood
The Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody gets power from a supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI V8 engine producing 707 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque, combined with a standard TorqueFlite 8-speed automatic transmission. According to SRT folks, the Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody will accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds and run the quarter mile in an elapsed time of 10.96 seconds. The best handling production Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat ever, the Widebody will pull 0.96g on the skidpad and is capable of a top track speed of 196 mph. On a 2.1-mile road course, the Charger SRT Hellcat completes a lap 2.1 seconds faster than the previous model.
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Racing Tech
Standard racing technology for 2020 includes a Race Cooldown mode that keeps cooling the supercharger and other vital engine internals after the engine has been shut off. A Line Lock mode engages the front brakes during burnouts to heat up and clean the rear tires. Launch Control manages wheelslip while launching the vehicle from a standstill; Launch Assist watches for wheel hop and adjusts engine torque to maintain grip.
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Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody Interior
Inside, the Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody features French stitch accents for the instrument panel and doors; heated and ventilated Laguna leather front seats with embossed Hellcat logos; a heated leather-wrapped flat-bottom steering wheel; electronic shifter controls; paddle shifters and a new SRT Hellcat instrument panel badge with a red and black finish. An Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel is available. The new optional Carbon and Suede Package adds carbon fiber accents to the instrument panel and console as well as Dinamica suede for the headliner, sun visors and A-pillars.
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2020 Charger Scat Pack Widebody
Dodge offered the Challenger R/T Scat Pack Widebody for 2019 and is adding the Widebody Package as an option on the Charger Scat Pack for 2020. “Since we first launched Scat Pack in 2014, the sales mix of our high-performance models has increased from 4 percent to more than 25 percent,” said to Tim Kuniskis, the head of passenger cars — Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT, FCA – North America. Kuniskis further elaborated: “Charger Scat Pack models deliver more muscle for the dollar than any car out there. Offering a Widebody Package on Charger Scat Pack gives us the opportunity to build on that momentum.”
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2020 Scat Pack Widebody Power
The Charger Scat Pack Widebody is powered by a 392-cubic-inch HEMI V8 engine producing 485 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of torque, mated with an 8-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission. Standard 20-inch wheels are 11 inches wide with a Devil’s Rim split 5-spoke design and low-gloss Granite finish. Optional 20-inch wheels are finished in Carbon Black, and standard rubber is Pirelli 305/35ZR20 all-season performance tires.
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Scat Pack Widebody Suspension
Suspension updates for the Charger Scat Pack Widebody include modified springs, sway bars and shocks; increased front spring rates; larger rear sway bar and revised damper calibration. The Charger Scat Pack Widebody receives the SRT upgraded brakes with Brembo 6-piston front calipers, 15.4-inch 2-piece front brake rotors and 4-piston rear calipers. The Charger Scat Pack Widebody will stop from 60 mph in 107 feet — 3 feet less than the Charger Scat Pack.
© Mike Meredith, Automotive Content Experience
Scat Pack Widebody Performance
According to SRT specifications, the 2020 Charger Scat Pack Widebody will accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds, finish the quarter mile in 12.4 seconds at 111 mph and pull 0.98 g on the skidpad. The Charger Scat Pack Widebody completes a lap on a 2.1-miles road course 1.3 seconds faster than the standard Charger Scat Pack. Launch Control, Launch Assist and Line Lock are standard on the Charger Scat Pack.
© Mike Meredith, Automotive Content Experience
