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Cars.com runs 11-second quarter with Dodge Charger Hellcat

The Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat and its Challenger sibling are two of the heroes of the modern performance world. With a headline-grabbing 707 horsepower from a supercharged 6.2-liter V8, their output even shames many supercars. But how quick can one really cover a quarter mile? Cars.com recently decided to find out by taking a Charger Hellcat to the drag strip to see if the sedan lived up to Dodge's 11-second claims. The results were quite impressive. After 13 quarter-mile runs of adjusting variables like the tire pressures and the car's various electronic aids, the Charger Hellcat managed a pass in 11.03 seconds at 126.61 mph – the pinnacle result of the day. This car was mechanically stock and wore the optional Pirelli P Zero tires. According to Cars.com, other quick sprints reached 11.09 seconds and 11.1 seconds, which even beat the site's 11.41-second best from a Challenger Hellcat last year. Getting the Hellcat's prodigious power down without losing traction was a challenge, even on the summer tires. Cars.com thought it had a run that could have dropped below 11 seconds, but then the wheels spun. Using the factory-recommended pressures, the Charger Hellcat was no still slouch with an 11.27-second time recorded, but taking things down to 25 psi proved the quickest at the strip. We already knew that the Charger Hellcat was a wonderful vehicle for eating up huge gulps of asphalt at high speeds and could verify its 204-mile-per-hour top speed (quite a bit faster, incidentally, than the Ferrari California T's 196 mph top-speed). Apparently, the 11-second quarter-mile claim is just as accurate. Also, for any curious owners, the Cars.com story divulges many of the tweaks required to reach this seriously quick time. Related Video:

Takata air bag recall list

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration confirmed yesterday that 33.8 million vehicles with Takata airbags are going to be recalled. It's the largest recall in automotive history. The already record-breaking rate of automotive recalls this year shows no signs of slowing down, especially since millions of cars with defective airbags made by global supplier Takata are under ongoing scrutiny. The federal government is warning owners that inflator mechanisms in the air bags can rupture, causing metal fragments to fly out when the bags are deployed. The faulty air bags have already been blamed for multiple deaths. How do you know if your vehicle is safe? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released an updated list of vehicles under recall. Sometimes however, the government's website will crash and the list may not be complete. Check your VIN at the NHTSA website to make sure. The list of cars affected by the recall has not been released, but seem to span multiple models over the years for many of the automakers.

Dodge Charger to slim down and run turbo four in next generation

The current Dodge Charger is getting long in the tooth. It was originally introduced in 2005 as a 2006 model. In car terms, that's an eternity, though it's been refreshed twice. Still, FCA US will keep the LX-generation car going, reportedly facelifting it one last time for 2019. After that, there are some bigger changes in store . Automotive News is reporting that the follower to the current LX Charger will lose almost 500 pounds and will once again offer a turbo four-cylinder. You might remember the front-wheel-drive four-banger Charger of the early '80s. The recharged sedan will be twin-turbo and it's going to use the 300-horsepower four-cylinder engine currently under development for the 2018 Jeep Wrangler, AN says. The target weight for the future car is around 3,500 lbs, while the current car has a curb weight of nearly 4,000 lbs. Look for it to arrive in the early 2020s. The new platform will have a touch of Italian flair instead of the Daimler-Benz flavor embedded deep inside the LX cars. It will be built on an extended version of the 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia's "Giorgio" platform, according to AN. Dealers were already shown a styling-buck almost a year ago. Related News: Featured Gallery 2015 Dodge Charger R/T View 42 Photos News Source: Automotive NewsImage Credit: AOL Alfa Romeo Dodge Future Vehicles Sedan FCA