Hellcat thoughts

[macwest]

I recently bought a sublime scat pack found it with 500 miles for 38K price was right. The car is nice wanted a hellcat but 20K markup forget. Now did I sale my camaro for it. NO way. Its sitting safe at home and avoiding the idiot drivers in the rain.

[Cautionary tale]

Originally Posted by priusowners

Hey Guys,

My bro's 2015 sublime set him back $71K

I like driving her but it's too much HP/Torque for the drivetrain
can't really enjoy this otherwise beautiful & comfortable car--

That's why my 1SS was built for me yesterday, dealer told me!

Can't wait

Jeff (blue velvet pearl rally NPP M6 MRC S/R SS caps white bolsters black tie)

that's actually a decent price depending on options, but wayyyy to much hp for my needs, what does he pay for insurance,lol

[shawn18]

I bought my Hellcat at Msrp last yr. Ordered it May 28th delivered September 17th. It was 64k out the door. The msrp deals are out there but you have to do a little shopping around. It is an amazing car no doubt. Completely different feel compared to the 5th gens Ive owned. Both are awesome in their own right though.

[ZYBORG]

All different brands dealers do it... Ford, Chevy, Nissan... You name it. You also have to keep in mind that the dealers are not the manufacturer, they are just buisness people, trying to turn a profit.

[E-Ray]

If I were going to spend that kind of money, I would buy the C7 Z06.

[shawn18]

Originally Posted by E-Ray

If I were going to spend that kind of money, I would buy the C7 Z06.

I agree ...If you are spending 80k+ on a Hellcat. But buying one at msrp is a deal for what you get. The car is a lot better performer in the twisties than people want to believe. If you take it to a road course I am sure it would get beat by the ZL1 on a regular basis. But it handles great in the "track" setting in real world driving. I was really surprised as to just how good it handles when I first drove mine. Especially with those 275's they stuck on it?? Which I still dont get.

[antimatr]

I've had my '15 Scat Pack for just under 10k miles and nine months. My initial enthusiasm for this car has gradually fallen to the point where I'm seriously considering just cutting my losses and getting rid of it.

While it hasn't spontaneously caught fire and/or shed body panels after hitting a speed bump (yet...), the build quality and reliability issues that I've encountered so far (and FCA's inability to correct these satisfactorily) makes me rather skeptical in terms of durability of this vehicle in the long run.

That being said, I love the styling (IMO, the '15+ Scat Pack is the best-looking of the newer Challengers), the sound and the power. The fact that it has a real back seat and a trunk doesn't hurt either. I just wish mine was put together right...

As of late, I find myself wishing I held onto my 5.0 for 6-7 more months before dropping $42k on this thing, especially after driving a '16 Camaro SS yesterday...

[McBeevee]

Originally Posted by antimatr

I've had my '15 Scat Pack for just under 10k miles and nine months. My initial enthusiasm for this car has gradually fallen to the point where I'm seriously considering just cutting my losses and getting rid of it.

While it hasn't spontaneously caught fire and/or shed body panels after hitting a speed bump (yet...), the build quality and reliability issues that I've encountered so far (and FCA's inability to correct these satisfactorily) makes me rather skeptical in terms of durability of this vehicle in the long run.

That being said, I love the styling (IMO, the '15+ Scat Pack is the best-looking of the newer Challengers), the sound and the power. The fact that it has a real back seat and a trunk doesn't hurt either. I just wish mine was put together right...

As of late, I find myself wishing I held onto my 5.0 for 6-7 more months before dropping $42k on this thing, especially after driving a '16 Camaro SS yesterday...

Would you care to share specifics, as I've been considering picking up a Hellcat and any feedback would be appreciated.

[saagz87]

Hey never satisfied, I will give you my impressions. Sold my ZL1 close to one year ago due to having baby and needing Better backseat. Picked up a hellcat charger fully loaded at msrp. I was lucky. Now you can find them easy at msrp. Only thing I miss about my ZL1 is shifting gears being I now have an a8. But the hellcat has great build quality and with simple mods they are running 9 second passes. Yes the 275 tires aren't great but that's an easy fix. Some have broken driveshafts while others have over 30 passes on drag radials. I have 5k trouble free miles on mine and it's the best sports car I have owned. As for insurance, I shit you not, cheaper than my ZL1. Not sure if it's because it's a 4 door or what but insurance is not bad at all. And to everyone that says this car doesn't handle has not driven one and watched too many videos of them drifting online. too much throttle and it's a handful. But it handles VERY good. Corvette good, no but I can't say my ZL1 handled better... Similar autocross courses and my times are very similar between both cars. The bigger autocross track I get to do once per year was faster in hellcat. Probably due to 2 decent length straights. Just my opinions. If you want a hellcat go buy one. You will not regret it

[McBeevee]

Originally Posted by saagz87

Hey never satisfied, I will give you my impressions. Sold my ZL1 close to one year ago due to having baby and needing Better backseat. Picked up a hellcat charger fully loaded at msrp. I was lucky. Now you can find them easy at msrp. Only thing I miss about my ZL1 is shifting gears being I now have an a8. But the hellcat has great build quality and with simple mods they are running 9 second passes. Yes the 275 tires aren't great but that's an easy fix. Some have broken driveshafts while others have over 30 passes on drag radials. I have 5k trouble free miles on mine and it's the best sports car I have owned. As for insurance, I shit you not, cheaper than my ZL1. Not sure if it's because it's a 4 door or what but insurance is not bad at all. And to everyone that says this car doesn't handle has not driven one and watched too many videos of them drifting online. too much throttle and it's a handful. But it handles VERY good. Corvette good, no but I can't say my ZL1 handled better... Similar autocross courses and my times are very similar between both cars. The bigger autocross track I get to do once per year was faster in hellcat. Probably due to 2 decent length straights. Just my opinions. If you want a hellcat go buy one. You will not regret it

Thanks saagz

[PDXSSCE]

I owned Challengers since 2010; started with a V6 then went to a V8. I was considering a Scat Pack, but when I drove it, I decided it was time to go a different direction. The horsepower was impressive, but there are too many underlying cons to ignore.

The first is quality. The timing chain issue is resolved, but it took aggressive social media for FCA to even acknowledge it. The sheet metal is paper thin; simply pressing a thumb on a fender or quarter panel will cause a dent. There are issues related to the 2008-14 manuals & 15+ autos. Premature rust is an issue gaining traction now.

The Challenger is made for straight line performance. While it handles curves better than many think, it's by no means a road course vehicle - the size & weight are evident there. The experience of driving a 2010-15 Camaro or 2008-14 Mustang is relative to their original pony car namesakes. The Challenger is more like the original Charger muscle car, rather than the original Challenger pony car.

I enjoyed my time owning Challengers, but I longed for something with slightly more power, smaller & more nimble. The 2015 Camaro SS/RS provides the pony car experience, which is a happy medium between a muscle car & sports car, so my wants are fulfilled.

[rontammy0]

Originally Posted by PDXSSCE

I owned Challengers since 2010; started with a V6 then went to a V8. I was considering a Scat Pack, but when I drove it, I decided it was time to go a different direction. The horsepower was impressive, but there are too many underlying cons to ignore.

The first is quality. The timing chain issue is resolved, but it took aggressive social media for FCA to even acknowledge it. The sheet metal is paper thin; simply pressing a thumb on a fender or quarter panel will cause a dent. There are issues related to the 2008-14 manuals & 15+ autos. Premature rust is an issue gaining traction now.

The Challenger is made for straight line performance. While it handles curves better than many think, it's by no means a road course vehicle - the size & weight are evident there. The experience of driving a 2010-15 Camaro or 2008-14 Mustang is relative to their original pony car namesakes. The Challenger is more like the original Charger muscle car, rather than the original Challenger pony car.

I enjoyed my time owning Challengers, but I longed for something with slightly more power, smaller & more nimble. The 2015 Camaro SS/RS provides the pony car experience, which is a happy medium between a muscle car & sports car, so my wants are fulfilled.

I ran a 2015 auto scatpack in the summer at a runway event..with nearly bald tires and before i had my trans tune adjusted to be more agressive. From a dig I lost by a bumper...i think he thought he would kill me. He asked for a rematch right away then blew the tires off. I had him all the way but those cars pull hard once your going. Like you I still like my camaro better.

[macwest]

if you are looking for a sports car/pony car feel challenger is not for you. The challenger handles well but i put that in reference to my 70's cars. The camaro is more like a sports car and handles better lines.

However, I have to say over time my challenger scat pack has grown on me. I bought mine for 39K and added in FCA top line warranty for 2K. This means as long as I own it just about everything is covered so for a commute car I really can not ask for more. The hellcats are nice but they are still 20K over MSRP in northern cali and you can not get the extended warrenty on them. So a 90K challenger FCA can forget it. At that cost I am buying an old school collector car were the value will go up not down after I buy it.

[antimatr]

Originally Posted by Never Satisfied

Would you care to share specifics, as I've been considering picking up a Hellcat and any feedback would be appreciated.

Little over four months of ownership, I noticed rust forming around the driver-side side fender lip. The passenger side lip around the quarter-panel was similarly affected. The paint around the base of the driver's side A-pillar had a distinctly grainy feel to the touch, as well. And last month, I discovered a ridge or bump of paint around the bottom of the passenger-side quarter panel, behind the door.

The rear of the door panel on the driver side is slightly, but noticeably raised but not flush, in comparison with the quarter panel. The passenger side taillight and exhaust pipe were misaligned, as well. Also, the front-left corner of the hood was noticeably raised compared to the right side.

There was also an incident where I needed to make a rather abrupt stop (to deny the police officer about 30-40 yards ahead of me an easy red-light ticket). The brakes halted the car with room to spare, but the engine decided to do the same upon reaching 0mph. I got the engine to restart with no trouble, but for something like that to occur was rather disconcerting.

I've also had rough idle issues in the past, at varying times. On the outside, the car would sound like somebody had swapped in a solid-lifter cam without my noticing it (which was somewhat cool), on the inside, I felt like I was in a salt shaker (which was not). This could occur within a couple of minutes after a cold start, or while at an intersection after driving for a an extended period of time.

There have also been several occasions where I'd be driving around @ 35-45mph, with the vehicle in Drive, where the transmission would apparently be content with staying in 4th, seemingly forgetting that there were four more gears to go...

Oh, and the car as of late has also made a rather loud, persistent, almost-electrical sounding buzz around the back seat, most notably around highway speed. Other passengers who ridden with me seem to notice it, but it doesn't seem to bother them, but to my ears, the pitch of this buzz is as debilitating to me as fingernails on a chalkboard. I can mitigate this somewhat by increasing the volume from my speakers, but I'd rather not be forced to choose between going deaf vs. going insane (I'm probably more than halfway-there in either case to begin with...).

I've been to the dealer to address the most of the issues above. The paint issues (aside from the latest one...) were resolved to my satisfaction. The taillight and hood were also realigned. The engine hasn't had any idling issues or taken any impromptu breaks after the dealer installed updated software to the PCU and TCU.

However, the dealer (or more precisely, the body shop the dealer contracted to perform the work, as they don't have one of their own) did not take care of the rest of the misaligned body panels; in fact, I noticed a missing fastener for one of the wheel well covers, and around the quarter panels and trunklid now have several small black areas where they were once white.

After contacting FCA, they've told me to call the dealer to schedule an appointment; I haven't done that yet because I've scheduled an appointment with a local (and competent) body shop in my area to get an estimate for how much it will be to fix what the other shop didn't take care of the first time around...

As far as driving dynamics are concerned, PDXSSCE nailed it on the head. It can tackle fairly twisty roads with surprising confidence, but not to the degree of a S197 5.0 Mustang with the Brembo/Track pack or a 5th-gen (and certainly NOT a 6th-gen) Camaro SS.

Hope this helps.