Dodge Challenger Hellcat Loses Six-Speed Manual Option

Mar. 02, 2022 6:20 PM ET by Jay Traugott Muscle Cars / 10 Comments

The automaker very quietly deleted this feature.

You've got plenty of options if you're in the market for a new Dodge Challenger. Go to the automaker's online configurator and you'll be able to mix and match things like paint colors, Mopar accessories, interior trims, and hood scoops for hours on end. And then there are the engine options, ranging from the bland but not terrible 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 all the way to the 6.2-liter supercharged Hellcat V8. The ultimate Challenger is, of course, the Hellcat-powered Challenger Super Stock with a total of 807 horsepower. But the one feature it, along with the base Hellcat, now lacks is the six-speed manual.

Road & Track discovered and confirmed with the automaker that the three-pedal option is no longer listed online.

2019-2022 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Front View Driving

2019-2022 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Rear View Driving

2020-2022 Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock Steering Wheel

That's because it was very quietly removed from the configurator sometime late last year. The good news is that this does not appear to be a permanent situation; a Dodge spokesperson says it's temporary and that a revised calibration for the engine-six-speed combo is in the works. The bad news is that we don't know when it'll become available, which is a problem as the current generation Challenger is approaching the end of its lifecycle.

As we all know, Dodge is busy prepping an all-electric muscle car that'll very likely replace the existing Challenger and Charger sedan by 2025. That unnamed EV is due to go on sale sometime in 2024. The Hellcat engine is being retired in 2023.

2020-2022 Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock Rear Angle View

2020-2022 Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock Sideward Vision

2020-2022 Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock Front Seats

Fortunately, R/T models with the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 and Scat Packs with the 6.2-liter V8 can still be ordered with the manual. But, for the time being, the Challenger Hellcat remains available only with the eight-speed automatic slushbox. The Charger, in its current generation, has always been automatic-only.

We expect Dodge will make a formal announcement regarding the Hellcat's manual return and the supposed calibration improvements. It could potentially be part of a "grand finale," so to speak, for the big bad Challenger Hellcat. Everyone will be sad to see it go.