{"id":61584,"date":"2022-05-23T08:00:49","date_gmt":"2022-05-23T12:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dodgegarage.com\/news-api\/?p=61584"},"modified":"2024-03-25T11:20:24","modified_gmt":"2024-03-25T15:20:24","slug":"driving-every-modern-dodge-performance-vehicle-on-the-road-and-track-part-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/video\/2022\/05\/driving-every-modern-dodge-performance-vehicle-on-the-road-and-track-part-i.html","title":{"rendered":"Driving Every Modern Dodge Performance Vehicle on the Road and Track – Part I"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Not everyone knows this, but every time that Dodge introduces a new vehicle, the brand holds a drive event where they host journalists who travel to the event location to drive and review the vehicles. About 99% of the time, when you read a \u201cfirst drive review\u201d, the person writing it got their seat time at one of these events. All of these events have extensive on-road driving time, but since the introduction of the 2015 Challenger and Charger, every new Dodge vehicle debut has also included track time. This allows the reviewers to get a feel for the vehicles on the street \u2013 where most owners will use them \u2013 while track time lets them push the vehicles to their high-performance limits in a safe environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a member of the media, I have been fortunate enough to have attended every one of these Dodge vehicle debuts over the past decade or so. As a result, I was one of the first people in the world to drive the likes of the SRT\u00ae<\/sup> Hellcat cars, the Durango SRT Hellcat and the 2018 Challenger SRT Demon on the street and on the track. This is an exciting perk of the job for many automotive writers, but having grown up a hardcore Dodge lover, the experiences I have enjoyed with the brand over the past few years is nothing short of a dream come true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, I take a look back at the media first drive events for all of the Dodge performance vehicles, starting with the introduction of the Scat Pack and SRT Hellcat cars back in 2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2015 Dodge Challenger Lineup, Portland, Oregon, Summer of 2014<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

When I headed to Oregon in the summer of 2014 for the 2015 Dodge Challenger lineup drive event, I had never been so excited for a drive program. I had driven plenty of high-performance vehicles in the past, but no 707-horsepower muscle cars, and I was more than excited to be among the first people in the world to drive the then-new SRT Hellcat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Challenger<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The drive event was actually for the entire 2015 Challenger lineup, so my day began in an R\/T Scat Pack. Like most drive events for a performance car, the route began in downtown Portland and wound its way around the area, eventually ending up at Portland International Speedway. On the way there, I got to experience the 485-horsepower muscle car, along with twisty roads and some straight stretches that allowed us to put the hammer down a bit. It was a fun drive, making it clear why so many Dodge lovers have purchased a Scat Pack Challenger, but when we arrived at the track, it was time for the main event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n