The story at Chrysler these days is the supercharged Hellcat V-8 engine. Seriously, it's a 707-hp engine you can buy in one of two relatively normal and inexpensive vehicles, the Charger and the Challenger. As exciting as that is, what really gets us excited is figuring out what Chrysler product the Hellcat will end up in next. We had lunch with Ram Trucks' new CEO, Bob Hegbloom, and we had to ask: When will we see a Ram 1500 with the Hellcat engine?
Hegbloom's answer? "At this time, I would say no."
And would you believe it, that response didn't ruin our day. That's because, in addition to Hegbloom's follow-up statement, which included nods to "other areas [of Ram's business] with a bigger opportunity," we'd place an emphasis on the "at this time" portion of his answer.
It's our assumption that the Hellcat engine has a future under the hoods of, well, pretty much anything Chrysler, Dodge, or Jeep builds that offers a V-8. Just look at Jeep, which recently trademarked the "Trackhawk" name, which could refer to an upcoming Hellcat-powered Grand Cherokee SRT model. While there's no indication the Hellcat V-8 will make its way into, say, the Dodge Durango, we say go for it.
- 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Tested: We've Reached the Age of Unreason
- 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Driven: The World's Fastest and Most Powerful Sedan
- Ram 1500 Research: Full Pricing, Specs, Reviews, and More
A Ram 1500 SRT Hellcat—or Helltruck, or Haulcat, or whatever you decide it should be called—with the blown V-8 under its giant hood would not only be awesome, but also would be a worthy descendant of the old Dodge Ram SRT10. That truck, as an overall concept, was almost more unhinged than the idea of a 707-hp Hemi V-8; not only was it motivated by the Viper's V-10 engine, but it routed power to its rear axle via an honest-to-goodness six-speed manual. Dodge already has claimed the title—verification pending—of the world's fastest sedan with the 204-mph Charger SRT Hellcat, and the SRT10 still holds the title of world's fastest pickup truck. Who doesn't want to see Ram elevate the latter record from almost 155 mph to, well, something a lot higher?
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/nSHy27
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