Dodge removed the standard six-speed manual transmission from the 717-horsepower Challenger SRT Hellcat for the 2022 model year. The Tremec TR-6060 gearbox remained for lower Hemi Challenger trims; the upper Redeye trims never offered the six-speed. Explaining the matter at the end of 2021, the automaker said it needed to recalibrate the Powertrain Control Module for the stick-shift supercharged 6.2-liter V8, and that the trim would return in the future. Doubts abounded among enthusiasts about a comeback, what with the Grim Reaper working overtime lately to kill all manner of fun things. The automaker kept its word, though. Challenger order guides from last summer showed the six-speed again the standard choice on the Hellcat and Hellcat Widebody. It’s taken until now for the situation to become real. As spotted by Mopar Insiders, Koons Tysons Dodge in Vienna, Virginia posted on the Hellcat.org forum on May 31 that the dealer order system allowed ordering manual transmissions for the narrow and widebody Hellcats.
Again, this is only for the 717-hp versions. The change still hasn’t shown up on Dodge’s retail site at the time of writing, however. Koons wrote that any interested parties should build a Challenger online, then e-mail the build PDF to the dealer with the note that the buyer wants the manual. The dealer confirmed that choosing the manual would reverse the $2,995 charge for the TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic, a couple of posters who placed orders showing Price Order Confirmations verifying all is kosher.
Even after that, interested buyers might need to work with dealers to sort out other available options. Every 2023 Challenger Hellcat on the Dodge retail site at the time of writing has the Jailbreak designation, which frees option combinations that aren’t available on non-Jailbreak trims. Deeper in the thread, some shoppers said the manual cars aren’t Jailbreaks. We’ll know if and when the transmission reaches the configurator.
As far as we can tell, Challenger intenders who chose to wait out the manual’s return won’t pay a substantial premium for holding out. The Dodge site shows MSRP for the 2023 Challenger SRT Hellcat as $67,595. Add the mandatory $2,995 eight-speed, $1,700 gas-guzzler tax, and $1,595 destination, the total comes to $73,885. A Koons price confirmation shows a 2023 Challenger SRT Hellcat MSRP of $66,600. Add the gas-guzzler tax and destination, the total before options is $69,895. In this, the last year of the Challenger, buyers who can find a dealer willing to do MSRP could do very well for themselves.
Dodge didn’t leave muscle car fans hanging, though, as it already introduced the electric vehicle (EV) replacement called the Charger Daytona. It will hit production next year, most likely without a real manual gearbox.
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