2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat

The go-to rule for making big and bulky muscle cars handle better is to lower, widen and stiffen, and that's exactly what Dodge has done with the 2020 widebody car. Unlike muscle cars of old, that couldn't go around corners, the 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, with its new widebody modification and matching underpinnings, can be managed around bends at speed. Dodge has fitted wider Pirelli 305/35ZR20 tires for added grip and cornering speed, as well as an upgraded two-piece front brake rotor system from Brembo, and a three-mode adaptive suspension setup from Bilstein. This translates to a car that can pull .96 g on a skid pan and drop over two seconds per lap on a two-mile track compared to the older car, according to Dodge. This all sounds great but in reality, you will still need to practice restraint on the throttle, or else the wider rear tires will still be turned into white smoke as you spin off the track.

A revised power steering system and thicker sway bars also do their bit to drop lap times and broaden smiles. The steering offers enough connection to the road without feeling numb and in its track setting, tightens up with greatly enhanced steering effort. On the road, where the Hellcat will spend most of its days, it feels relaxed and well mannered, especially when driving in the most relaxed suspension setting. The Hellcat proves to be an excellent highway cruiser or laid-back crawler around town, though it is firmer and slightly bouncier on the highway than the average family sedan. The larger alloys do invite some harshness into the cabin at lower speeds, but it's nothing worth complaining about.

The Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, alongside the Challenger Hellcat, has played a pivotal part in the reimagining of the great American muscle car for a new era of car enthusiasts. And with an affordable-ish asking price, it breaks many stereotypes that you need a fancy luxury car in order to stand out. The Charger Hellcat, now that it's riding on wider wheels and an improved suspension setup, is no longer a complete death trap thanks to its additional grip. The interior is spacious and comfortable, and despite not having the most cutting edge design or materials, it offers most of the amenities you'd look for in a modern performance sedan. Out on the road, the Charger Hellcat is capable of behaving itself, so you can sometimes forget that you're at the helm of a 707-hp drag racer in disguise. We like the Charger Hellcat so much because of how it makes us feel; it's unashamedly raucous and in your face, and it doesn't care if you think some fancy European car can handle better. This is American freedom incarnate and if you want a car that can be a supercar slayer and a family runabout, the Charger Hellcat is tough to beat.

Scat Pack cars grew out of the care-free days of the 60s, where gas was cheap, and girls across the country were still swooning over Sinatra, and any car donning the badge had to be able to complete the quarter-mile in 14 seconds or less. These days, Scat Pack cars can do it in the 12-second range, and represent some of the best deals on the market. The 2020 Charger Scat Pack offers 485 hp from its 6.4-liter V8 engine, which it sends to the rear wheels via an eight-speed auto transmission. The suspension, braking, and tire setup might not be as beefy as what you'd find in the Hellcat, but you still get eye-watering straight-line acceleration, competent handling, and a comfortable daily cruiser with all the modern amenities you could ask for. The asking price? Only $39,995. It might not have the sound of the pace of the Hellcat, but if you're after a V8 burble and a widebody kit, the Scat Pack could be a more viable option.

The BMW M5 has set the benchmark for performance sedan cars since the days when Chernobyl was still a thriving town, and has been doing so for over thirty years. The sixth-generation M5 makes use of a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 engine producing 600 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque, which, channeled through a sporty all-wheel-drive system, enables it to sprint to sixty in the low three-second range and return 15/21/17 mpg city/highway/combined. The power difference is clear on paper, but out on the road, the M5 feels almost as fast, but delivers its power in a more linear and reserved fashion - typically German, then. On the road, the BMW feels peerless in the way it balances comfort and driver engagement, and the interior is one of the best-designed and well-built spaces we've come across in this class. It goes without saying that the features list on the M5 is far superior, as is the infotainment and standard safety equipment list. The Charger Hellcat might be more powerful, but it won't be faster than the M5 out in the real world, and it can't match its refinement, but does that really matter when it's over $30,000 cheaper?