The Dodge Lineup: Power and Performance Personified

A white 2022 Dodge Durango SRT is shown from the front after leaving a Dodge dealer in Edmonton.

Although the Dodge brand has been associated with a number of different models over the many decades it’s been around, these days, it stands for just one thing: performance. There are only three models available from Dodge (two muscle cars and an SUV), and all of them are designed for speed and a thrilling time behind the wheel. As your Dodge dealer in Edmonton, many customers come to us wondering which of these three options is the fastest and most powerful.

Good question. The short answer: it’s either the Charger or Challenger, depending on what you’re looking for. We know that’s not the simplest answer, but you’ll soon understand why we can’t clearly say one or the other. For the long answer, you’ll need to keep reading to see what each of these impressive vehicles offers and how they stack up with each other.

The Dodge Durango

Let’s start with what is demonstrably NOT the fastest vehicle in Dodge’s lineup, which is what you’d expect considering this is an SUV. To be fair, it’s an SUV designed with Dodge’s flair for monster performance and power, but it’s still not going to be able to compete with Dodge’s other two offerings. Still, if you’re looking for an SUV that is an absolute beast and delivers an exhilarating ride, the likes of which you’re not likely to find anywhere else, then this is worth a good look (and a test drive – trust us).

The Durango has three different engines on offer, and while you’re not going to find anything on the level of something like the Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock (we’ll get into that later), they’re still very impressive. Your standard engine on the Durango is a 3.6L Pentastar V6 that delivers 295 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque. From there, you can choose either a 5.7L HEMI V8 engine that offers 360 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque or a 6.4L HEMI V8 that delivers a massive 475 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque. These HEMI engines make the Durango a monster on the road (or the track if you’re so inclined), and they give this SUV best-in-class towing of up to 3,946 kg of towing capacity.

That’s all well and good, but if you’re more concerned with the quarter-mile than with hauling a boat to the lake, you’ll want to consider one of Dodge’s other offerings…

A close up of the front of a purple 2022 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody is shown.

The Dodge Charger

First up, we have the Dodge Charger, which is advertised as, “The most powerful, quickest, and fastest sedan ever,” and we’re inclined to agree. Also, yes, you read that right: the Charger is a four-door sedan with the soul of a rocket. It’s a muscle car that was told it could be anything it wanted to be when it grew up, so it became a luxurious and spacious sedan. While something like the C8 Corvette barely has comfortable seating for two people, you can easily impress a large group of friends with the raw power of the Charger while they marvel at having actual legroom in a muscle car.

There are five different engines available for the Charger, with truly remarkable amounts of power. To keep this clean and simple, let’s quickly look at each one and the performance it can deliver:

  • 3.6L Pentastar V6 – 300 hp and 264 lb-ft of torque
  • 5.7L HEMI V8 – 370 hp and 395 lb-ft of torque
  • 6.4L HEMI V8 – 485 hp and 475 lb-ft of torque
  • 6.2L Supercharged HEMI – 717 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque
  • 6.2L Supercharged H.O. HEMI – 807 hp and 707 lb-ft of torque

Those last two certainly look similar, but the High Output (H.O.) design of the latter takes it up to a new level of power and performance. Many of these engines are restricted by trim to keep things simpler, such as the 6.4L HEMI V8 that’s only found on the Scat Pack 392 model, and the Supercharged HEMI V8s only offered on the SRT Hellcat and Hellcat Redeye Widebody models of the Charger. How does that performance translate to the track?

It should be no surprise that the most powerful option is also the fastest. The Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody with the 807-hp engine can hit a top track speed of 327 km/h and run the quarter-mile in 10.6 seconds as it hits 207 km/h doing so. It’s an amazing piece of machinery but not necessarily the fastest Dodge model you’ll find at a dealership.

A black 2022 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye is shown after leaving a Dodge dealer in Edmonton.

The Dodge Challenger

That honour (arguably) goes to the Dodge Challenger, an all-wheel drive muscle car that offers power and speed that puts everything else out there to shame. The Charger comes close, but it can’t quite match what the Challenger offers. This is a two-door muscle car, as is proper, though it still has a surprisingly spacious interior that makes it a good car for daily driving and hitting the track: you can’t say that about every sports car. All in all, this is the quintessential Dodge vehicle and likely the first thing that comes to mind when most people think of the legacy and prestige of this brand.

The same five engines are available for the Challenger that you can find on the Charger, though most are tuned for even better performance (somehow). They are:

  • 3.6L Pentastar V6 – 303 hp and 268 lb-ft of torque
  • 5.7L HEMI V8 – 374 hp and 410 lb-ft of torque
  • 6.4L HEMI V8 – 485 hp and 475 lb-ft of torque
  • 6.2L Supercharged HEMI – 717 hp and 656 lb-ft of torque
  • 6.2L Supercharged H.O. HEMI – 807 hp and 707 lb-ft of torque

You can see the differences between them, and the versions offered on the Charger can be pretty minor: only 6 lb-ft more torque on the 6.2L Supercharged HEMI V8, for example, but they’re still worth mentioning. Similar to the Charger, the engines on the Challenger are also restricted by trim, so keep that in mind when considering your options. The 6.4L HEMI V8 is offered on the Scat Pack 392 models, while the 6.2L Supercharged HEMI comes on the available SRT Hellcat models. If you want the High Output engine, you’ll need to check out one of the SRT Hellcat Redeye models or the incredible SRT Super Stock.

The Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock is, from a certain point of view, the fastest and most powerful model in Dodge’s lineup and the winner on the track. It’s what Dodge calls “The most powerful muscle car ever,” with a top speed of 270 km/h on the track and the ability to run the quarter-mile in just 10.5 seconds while hitting 211 km/h. If you’ve been paying attention, you might’ve noticed the top speed on the Challenger is slightly lower than the Charger’s top speed, but the Challenger can run a quarter-mile faster.

Which Dodge Is the Fastest?

Now you see the conundrum and why our short answer was that either the Challenger or Charger is the fastest, depending on how you look at it. If your primary interest is hitting the track and going as fast as possible, then the Charger could be your best option. On the other hand, if you’re the competitive sort and more interested in beastly acceleration to beat others when the light goes green, then the Challenger is the one for you. To be completely honest, though, both of these cars deliver amazing performance that sets them in a league all their own and either will serve you well when you want to get your heart racing on the track.