While most of the auto industry has its future pinned on electrification and autonomous driving technology, Dodge has taken a different tact to capture hearts and headlines as of late, and perhaps no other model in their lineup makes this point clearer than the Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye.

The LX platform that underpins it is decidedly ancient by contemporary standards, originally debuting back in 2005, but interest in this big, brash sedan remains strong despite the fact that it faces significant headwinds on several fronts. The concept of a full-sized, rear wheel drive V8 sedan is something of an anachronism these days, but that outlier status is a big part of the Charger’s appeal.

And that’s a point which hasn’t been lost on Dodge. Ever since the Charger and Challenger SRT Hellcats debuted in 2015 and the automaker quickly discovered that they couldn’t build the cars fast enough to meet the initial onrush of demand, they’ve sought to hone these supercharged machines with year-over-year updates rather than reinvent them, expanding the options sheet, improving the in-car technology, and increasing mechanical grip with the Widebody package.

But in the performance world, horsepower typically speaks louder than anything, so it stands to reason that Dodge would want to put the engineering efforts showcased in the limited-production, drag-racing-focused 840hp Challenger SRT Demon to good use where they can. That previously yielded 2019’s Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye, and this year its four-door brethren gets its turn at Demonic possession.

And sure – 800 horsepower has the potential to cure a lot of shortcomings. But as we discovered over the course of a week with the latest supercharged Charger, there’s more to this brute than just what’s under the hood.

Two new colors appear for 2021: Smoke Show, which effectively replaces Destroyer Gray in the lineup, and Hellraisin, which replaced last year's Plum Crazy.

Inside And Out

Our tester is dressed to the nines and has a $92,960 price tag to prove it. All Charger SRT Hellcats get the Widebody package by default as of 2020, along with a starting price of $69,995 before destination and a $1495 gas guzzler tax, but these cars can be configured into six-figure territory with relative ease if you take an unrestrained approach to the options sheet.

The Redeye package commands $8600 on its own, and for that chunk of change Dodge will drop the Demon’s 6.2-liter Hemi V8 into the engine bay. You don’t get the exclusive race gas tune that brings the Demon’s output up to 840 ponies, but aside from some software calibration tweaks for its use in the Charger, the engine is ostensibly identical, here offering 797 horsepower and 707 lb-ft of torque, gains of 80 horsepower and 57 pound-feet over the standard Hellcat.

The Redeye engines get a unique supercharger badge and black valve covers instead of the standard Hellcat's orange units. Whatever color they are, 797 horsepower and 707 lb-ft of torque come from this lump...over 80 horsepower more than the "standard" Hellcat.

The additional power comes by way of several key upgrades that include a larger, 2.7-liter twin-screw supercharger that delivers 14.5 psi of boost versus the standard Hellcat’s 2.4-liter unit, which produces 11.6 psi. The Redeye engine benefits from a number of internal upgrades too, like strengthened connecting rods and pistons, valvetrain upgrades, and lubrication system improvements that help ensure reliability despite the prodigious power on tap. The Redeye gets the Demon’s SRT Power Chiller system as well, which lowers the intake air temperatures with some help from the air conditioning system.

To handle the additional grunt, the drivetrain is equipped with the upgraded torque converter from the Demon as well as high-strength steel driveshafts. As with past SRT Charger Hellcat models, an eight-speed automatic transmission with steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters is standard, as are three-mode adaptive Bilstein dampers and six-piston Brembo front brakes (now with 400mm rotors, up from 390mm).

Both the standard Charger SRT Hellcat and the SRT Hellcat Redeye get a new hood for 2021 that enhances both the visual aggression and functionality with a pair of heat extractors. From an aesthetic standpoint there isn’t much that separates the standard Hellcat from the Redeye at a glance – the unique Hellcat fender badges with red jewels in the eyes are the most obvious giveaway. The interior’s a similar story; a unique badge on the passenger side of the dash is the only real tell that this Charger is Demon spawn.

Behind The Wheel

One of the most impressive aspects of Hellcats has always been how approachable and civil they are under normal driving circumstances, and the Charger Redeye is no different in that regard. There’s some additional lope at idle thanks to a new camshaft, but between the heated and ventilated leather seats and the active exhaust system, this is still a fantastic grand touring machine that can settle down for effortless freeway cruising when the situation calls for it.

Dodge’s Uconnect system handles infotainment duties. It’s a responsive and feature-packed system which we’ve always considered to be one of the strongest offerings in the industry, but its 8.4-inch touchscreen is starting to look a bit dated compared to the high resolution widescreen displays that are available elsewhere these days. Hopefully the Uconnect 5 system, which recently debuted on the new Durango, will make its way into the LX cars soon.

Regardless, our favorite tunes sounded awesome on the optional 19-speaker Harman Kardon audio system (a six-speaker Alpine system is standard), while Uconnect’s Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility means you’ve always got the latest Google Maps at your fingertips. Still, it’d be even better if we could use those features wirelessly.

Uconnect also provides access to SRT Performance Pages and SRT Drive Modes, the latter of which allows you to alter a number of different vehicle parameters. Set to its own devices in Auto drive mode, the Charger’s suspension is relatively supple given its performance capability, soaking up potholes without much protest.

Custom mode allows you to pick and choose from the various adjustable settings. We preferred to leave everything in Street mode most of the time, though while hustling the car through the twisting tarmac of the Angeles National Forest, we bumped the suspension and steering settings up to Sport to improve body control and add some weight to the tiller. The Charger received a new electric power steering system for 2020 and it’s a noticeable improvement over the outgoing unit, both in terms of communication from the road and natural feel when winding and unwinding the wheel.

Keeping 6.2 liters of barely-restrained fury cool is a full-time task in the Redeye. Heat extractors in the hood do their part to keep temperatures in the approved zone.

Still, no matter how good the rest of the car may be, the engine is undoubtedly the center of attention here. And like the standard Hellcat, it’s a hugely charismatic pushrod mill with that distinctive Gen III Hemi bark and a seemingly endless well of torque.

Even when outfitted with optional three-season Pirelli PZero performance tires measuring 305mm-wide at all four corners, driving the Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye can often be a traction-limited affair. If you drop the hammer at 75 mph, you can expect to get wheel spin.

Truth be told, it’s actually not a dramatic departure from the experience of driving standard Hellcat Widebody in that regard. Dodge’s own official performance numbers bear that out – the Redeye’s 3.5-second sprint to 60 MPH and quarter mile time of 10.6 seconds are improvements of a tenth and three-tenths, respectively. However, the additional power does allow the Dodge to proclaim the Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye as the fastest mass-produced sedan in the world, as the sedan now tops out at a lofty 203 mph.

The lack of mechanical grip supports the notion that the car is likely capable of even more impressive numbers with some simple day-two updates – as many Hellcat owners are already aware, stepping up to a competition-spec tire compound works wonders for these cars. And with its additional breathing capacity and strengthened drivetrain, adventurous would-be owners could also probably find their way to quadruple-digit horsepower without much effort.

For many muscle car fanatics, too much power is never enough. If that sounds like you, well, the 2021 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye is a pretty damn good place to start.