Used 2022 Dodge Charger

Two of the fastest, most powerful sedans in the world are the 2022 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat and the Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye with 717 and 797 horsepower, respectively. They’re the headline grabbers, but Dodge also says that the Scat Pack model with a 485-horsepower V8 represents the best power-to-dollar ratio of any new sedan.

These three cars represent the apex of the 2022 Dodge Charger large sedan range, the muscle car with four doors. Not that the lower three versions are 90-pound weaklings. This year, Dodge has introduced the SRT Jailbreak package with 807 horsepower, plus a specific choice or exterior and interior color schemes.

The irony is that although a 2022 Charger is capable of extreme speed and brief acceleration times, it’s the passing of the years that’s working against it. A rear-drive American sedan, especially one with a V8, seems out of step with how the rest of the automotive world is turning as the second quarter of the 21st century approaches.

Maybe that’s the appeal. They still make them like they used to.

It all depends on what’s under the hood. The 2022 Charger can be pleasantly pushy, utterly ballistic, or something in between. The option of having a V8 in a non-luxury sedan these days is rare. It’s this or the Chrysler 300, which is a close relation.

Anyone buying a Hellcat also receives a day’s tuition in high-performance driving included in the price. They’re going to need it, because few people get to spend much time in such high-horsepower machines. How fast is the Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye? It leaps from standstill to 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds and can hit a top speed of 203 mph.

The 717-horsepower Hellcat is also phenomenal. Both cars will catapult toward the horizon as soon as the driver even thinks about pressing the accelerator — slight exaggeration, but you get the idea.

None of the Charger variants are noticeably careful with gasoline. The car’s basic weight and size contribute to this situation. But anyone wanting a rear-drive, V8-powered large sedan probably isn’t too worried about fuel economy.

Sometimes a car deserves a bit of leeway. When it offers big power for relatively little money, or just has lots of space. So we’re not going to judge the 2022 Charger too harshly for its back-to-2011 interior design and cabin materials.

We like that the configurable digital driver information display is standard and the infotainment system is one of the more user-friendly examples. For a pinch of prettiness, the front cup holders are Illuminated. Rear legroom measures a generous 40.1 inches and trunk space is cavernous at 16.5 cubic feet.

Cloth upholstery is standard in most versions. The Hellcats come with leather and are available with leather/simulated suede (Alcantara) upholstery, plus real carbon fiber trim accents. The Jailbreak package offers choices like Hammerhead Gray leather and red seat belts.

As anyone who has spent time driving behind a Dodge Charger at night will know, that large LED taillight arrangement is bright enough to be obnoxious. But we doubt that the Charger is the unfortunate victim of many rear-end collisions once the sun goes down.

Hood scoops and dual exhaust pipes enhance the Charger’s muscle car looks at the GT level and up. From the R/T trim, buyers can also order stripes. It would be slightly disappointing not to choose some kind of embellishment like that.

The SRT Hellcats’ standard Widebody treatment brings 20-inch alloy wheels that are 11 inches wide, which really fill those flared fenders. All that rubber readily applies the cars’ tremendous power to the tarmac.

The new Hemi Orange appearance package, available on the rear-drive GT and the Scat Pack Widebody Charger, includes an orange accent stripe (on the gunmetal stripes already on the car), plus orange outlines on the badges. On the Scat Pack Widebody Charger, orange brake calipers are visible through the carbon-black wheels.

The $695 SRT Black package, available on SRT Hellcat and SRT Hellcat Redeye Chargers, includes blacked-out exterior badging and accents, including black nickel exhaust tips. The Jailbreak treatment brings more options of stripes and brake caliper colors.

SXT
Let’s hear it for the most affordable 2022 Charger. It comes with a V6 engine, but this one is an award-winner and propels many Jeep/Dodge/Chrysler vehicles. The SXT is the lightest Charger and offers the option of all-wheel drive.

SRT Hellcat Redeye
Let’s also hear it for the fastest, most powerful production sedan. It takes a special kind of wildness to create something like this, and we’re glad to see Dodge indulging its wild side.

In SXT trim, the 2022 Charger is not exactly crammed full of standard equipment. It comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry/ignition, remote start, configurable driver information display, sport front seats, cloth upholstery, power-adjustable front seats, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.

The infotainment system has a 7-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay/Android Autosmartphone integration, two USB ports, voice control, satellite radio, and a 6-speaker audio setup. Wi-Fi isn’t available, not even as an option.

Safety features include all the mandatory things like traction/stability control, airbags, and a rearview camera. But rear parking sensors are about the only things going beyond that.

All-wheel drive is available in the SXT and GT, both V6-powered variants. Buyers happy with rear-wheel drive but less satisfied with 300 horsepower can study the range of V8 models in the 2022 Charger lineup.

GT has 3-mode electric stability control, Sport driving mode, 20-inch alloy wheels, fog lights, rear spoiler, dual-zone automatic climate control, self-dimming rearview mirror, and a CD/DVD/MP3 player.

R/T has an active exhaust system to complement its 5.7-liter V8. The Scat Pack brings its own 6.4-liter V8 and the option of a Widebody kit that’s standard with the SRT Hellcats. It also has Brembo brakes, limited-slip differential, heavier-duty cooling system (fitted to the Hellcats as well), launch control, configurable driving modes, driver’s-side memory settings, heated front seats, and the upgraded alarm system. All these items are in the Hellcats.

Along with supercharged V8 engines making immense power, the 2022 SRT Hellcat models also have adaptive suspensions with Bilstein shock absorbers and a Track mode (optional in the Scat Pack), an intercooler system, blind-spot monitoring, self-dimming driver’s-side mirror, ventilated seats, leather upholstery, and heated rear seats. The Jailbreak package is $995.

A Driver Convenience Group package brings blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert to non-Hellcat models, plus the upgraded alarm system. A Technology Group bundle (not available in the Hellcats) includes forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, rain-sensing wipers and automatic high beams.

Other options for most of the range include leather upholstery, power-adjustable steering column, larger alloy wheels, navigation, a 9-speaker Alpine surround-sound system, or a 19-speaker Harman Kardon audio setup.

Propelling the entry level SXT trim is a 292-horsepower 3.6-liter V6. This same engine makes 300 horsepower when the optional all-wheel-drive (AWD) system is in the picture, and/or when this unit is in the next-up GT trim. Either way, regular 87-octane gasoline is fine. Rear-wheel drive (RWD) is the standard arrangement and it’s the only configuration once the Dodge Charger comes with a V8 engine.

A 5.7-liter V8 motivates the R/T with 370 horsepower, using mid-grade 89-octane gas. The Scat Pack employs a 6.4-liter V8 for 485 horsepower running on premium 91-octane gas.

The SRT Hellcat and Hellcat Redeye versions have a supercharged 6.2-liter V8. Supercharging is a form of forced induction, along similar lines as turbocharging. Both methods extract greater power from an engine’s displacement, usually while using premium gasoline. In the SRT Hellcat’s case, it’s 717 horsepower. The SRT Hellcat Redeye ramps that up to 797 horsepower and the Jailbreak treatment boosts it 807 horsepower.

All versions of the 2022 Charger use an 8-speed automatic transmission.

3.6-liter V6 (SXT)
292 horsepower @ 6,350 rpm
260 lb-ft of torque @ 4,800 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 19/30 mpg

3.6-liter V6 (SXT AWD, GT, GT AWD)
300 horsepower @ 6,350 rpm
264 lb-ft of torque @ 4,800 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 19/30 mpg (RWD), 18/27 mpg (AWD)

5.7-liter V8 (R/T)
370 horsepower @ 5,250 rpm
395 lb-ft of torque @ 4,200 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 16/25 mpg

6.4-liter V8 (Scat Pack)
485 horsepower @ 6,100 rpm
475 lb-ft of torque @ 4,100 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 15/24 mpg

6.2-liter supercharged V8 (SRT Hellcat)
717 horsepower @ 6,100 rpm
650 lb-ft of torque @ 4,800 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 12/21 mpg

6.2-liter supercharged V8 (SRT Hellcat Redeye)
797 horsepower @ 6,300 rpm
707 lb-ft of torque @ 4,500 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: est. 12/21 mpg

6.2-liter supercharged V8 (SRT Jailbreak)
807 horsepower @ 6,300 rpm
707 lb-ft of torque @ 4,500 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: est. 12/21 mpg