We know what you're thinking. How can this possibly be a fair fight? The Dodge Charger Hellcat is already the most muscular of muscle sedans, and this one is a Redeye to boot. Lining up against a Mercedes E-Class wagon – even a wild AMG E63S – seems like an act of futility. The question isn't which car wins, but rather, just how badly Dodge takes Mercedes to Gappletown. Or is it?
It's true that the hellkitty holds a significant power advantage over the Merc. Specifically, you'll find no less than 797 horsepower (594 kilowatts) under the Charger's hood, courtesy of its supercharged 6.2-liter V8. However, the AMG isn't exactly lacking muscle of its own, thanks to a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 developing 603 hp (450 kW). In the world of wagons it has few rivals, but with 4,600 pounds of mass to carry, it's no lightweight. And it's not racing against another long roof.
Fortunately for Mercedes, the Dodge Charger identifies as a wagon when it comes to mass. The chunky sedan is just as heavy at 4,600 pounds, and it only has two tires putting power to the ground. The E63S is all-wheel drive, and on paper, the wagon beats the Charger to 60 mph. Of course, this race from Sam CarLegion on YouTube isn't on paper. It's not on a prepped drag strip, either. So perhaps this contest isn't as lopsided as you were expecting.
Race To Win:
Well, from a rolling start it is. The competitors make four runs starting from 50 km/h (31 mph); the Charger wins all but one and two were by multiple car lengths. Only when the Charger lost traction was the contest close, leading to a narrow victory and a narrow loss versus the sure-footed Mercedes.
The video ends with a standing-start drag race, just to see what kind of traction advantage the E63S holds over the Charger. Folks, if you want to talk about gaps, the takeaway from this video just might be to never, ever, challenge an AMG-badged station wagon to race from a dig. Unless you're in another AMG-badged wagon, of course.
We'll just leave it at that.
Source: Sam CarLegion via YouTube