2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat once again available with a stick

By Ronan Glon - Dec 01, 2022

2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat

2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat / Widebody / Image Credit: FCA

 

Just the way the Hemi gods intended

 

Dodge confirmed the Challenger will retire after 2023, and it's ensuring the coupe's final model year is a memorable one. After making it easier for enthusiasts to order a convertible and launching special variants, it's once again offering the mighty Hellcat with a six-speed stick.

The company kept its promise: offered at launch, the Tremec-sourced six-speed manual transmission disappeared in November 2021 due to a powertrain calibration-related problem, but Dodge pledged to bring it back as soon as possible. While an official announcement hasn't been made yet, the firm told Car & Driver that buyers who order a 2023 Challenger Hellcat will be able to configure it with three pedals.

We don't know how much the stick-shifted Hellcat will cost yet, though it's reasonable to assume that it will be priced below the model fitted with the TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic. And, we don't expect that adding a third pedal in the footwell will change anything else on the specifications sheet. Power will continue to come from a supercharged, 6.2-liter V8 rated at 717 horsepower and 656 pound-feet of torque.

Act fast if you want a Challenger with a stick: production will end after the 2023 model year and a toned-down version of the electric Charger Daytona SRT concept will fill the V8-sized hole in the Dodge line-up. While company boss Tim Kuniskis recently hinted that the platform the upcoming coupe will be built on is fully compatible with the twin-turbocharged Hurricane straight-six engine, which in theory can be bolted to a manual transmission, only the EV has been announced so far and nothing suggests it will be available with a stick.

 

SOURCE: autoblog