[LouK]

I traded in my Pre LCI for a Durango Hellcat. Little bit of background, We have always had a truck in the family. two trucks ago was a Raptor. When the Gen 3 was introduced we were a little disappointed with the no change in powertrain among other things. We went to look elsewhere and ended up with a TRX. The TRX has been a fantastic truck, the shining piece has been the glorious whining hellcat under the hood.

Fast forward 2 years later and we still love the truck. I have absolutely loved my M5 but wanted something a little bigger and didn't really like the X5M offerings. So I said if i love the Hellcat in our truck, why wouldn't I love it in an SUV???

Onward to the comparison

Acceleration: This should come as no surprise, the M5 is just faster. The turbos build boost and it just goes.

Handling: Obviously the M5 handles better, but the Hellcat does a fairly decent job with its weight, also it just feels more dramatic and seems to be more engaging. With the hellcat in comfort suspension it is especially supple and hardens up immensely when put into track mode.

Comfort: This is a hard one depending on what you do. If it is just you with no kids and drive in areas without potholes, or areas where low clearance is an issue. The M5 is probably the winner for you.
For me having 3 kids and driving in areas with the occasional steep curb or rough roads, the Hellcat wins.

Seats: The bolstering on the Hellcat is very nice, also the leather is soft. I did love the looks of the M5 seats but I feel just a little more comfier sitting in the Hellcat.

Overall Interior Quality: Other than a few interior creaks I found zero issue with BMW quality. B&W sound system is superior to the HK in the hellcat, which it should be for the premium. Quality in the Hellcat is better than expected. largest complaint would be the steering wheel buttons and window switches. Nothing wrong with them, they are just the same ones for years. Infotainment in the Hellcat is nicely updated with a large screen and hard buttons for everything you would want.

Intake: The supercharger whine is always present and I love it, I had done a charcoal delete and drop ins on my M5. It sounded good but the whine is just much more intimidating.

Exhaust: I had secondaries and X pipe on the M5, it sounded good from behind but inside was extremely muted. Even the stock exhaust gives more character on the Hellcat. After the resonator delete I am sure it will give me all the volume I want.

Exterior presence: M5 is very understated until someone starts to notice all of the subtle changes that shows it means business. The Durango has numerous exterior changes as well, I feel what makes it stand out more is the stripes, they accentuate the hood scoop making the front extremely aggressive. Overall the Hellcat gives better look at me while the M5 gives better class.

The "FIZZ": The M5 did everything I wanted it to, and did it easily. It just felt as if it didn't have a soul. This equates to back in the day I had an R1 with the cross plane motor and traded it in for a GSXR 1000, The GSXR was faster and more capable but the R1 was just a more fun bike to have overall.
The hellcat definitely has a soul, it is just something you cant put your finger on but dodge got the Fizz right with this.


Overall feeling after week with the Hellcat: I am happy with the trade, kids have much more space. I no longer wince when I see a big dip in the road or a steep incline to go up. I will miss the extreme acceleration of the M5, but feel the hellcat was a good move.

[crypto]

lol never thought I’d see this kind of comparison write up on here. Glad you found a ride you are happy with. I know what you mean about the driving around in areas with low clearance or less than perfect roads. It’s kind of stress driving in a nice [relatively] low to the ground car. I drive care free in my F150 lol.

[S EyeLand]

I have some similar feelings about switching from an X5M to the M5C especially with the clearance issues. I have to park outside of parking lots bc ill scrape when leaving with the M5. The X5M was plenty fast enough, the interior was better, it sounded better from the interior, and it was more comfortable. The M5 is way faster, feels more planted and stout, looks better and gets way more attention. I think ill buy an M3C soon and another X5M to replace the M5.

[LouK]

Some random photos of the new ride.

[S EyeLand]

It looks fantastic, congratulations! It's tempting me to go out and pick up another X5M. I've always had a soft spot for fast SUVs, ever since the first SRT Cherokee. I think this might be the pinnacle of that formula.

[Nighttime22]

need a cold start video of the cat.

[EPTXM5]

I went from a hellcat charger to my M5.
The HC reminds of an old school muscle car w the sound and feeling. Rev the car and motor shakes the car. Supercharger whine 😍. The instant torque. Handling was comfortable. Comfy soft leather seats.
Interior is cheap.

The M5 is my executive muscle car. Smooth and powerful and the 2wd/4wd is the best of both worlds. Quality interior. Best seats ever. Flys under the radar w cops especially in grey 😂. V8 rumble is ok.
Handles with precision. I left my friends behind in their new m240i and m340i’s in some twisties 😂

My choice is the M5

[LouK]

Originally Posted by EPTXM5

I went from a hellcat charger to my M5.
The HC reminds of an old school muscle car w the sound and feeling. Rev the car and motor shakes the car. Supercharger whine 😍. The instant torque. Handling was comfortable. Comfy soft leather seats.
Interior is cheap.

The M5 is my executive muscle car. Smooth and powerful and the 2wd/4wd is the best of both worlds. Quality interior. Best seats ever. Flys under the radar w cops especially in grey 😂. V8 rumble is ok.
Handles with precision. I left my friends behind in their new m240i and m340i’s in some twisties 😂

My choice is the M5

100% if I was between a charger and M5. M5 wins all day long.
Having a larger vehicle 3 row with more utility use.
I am still happy with the purchase, only complaint is fuel tank size! It gets slightly better mpg than our trx but has a 12 gallon smaller fuel tank.

[LouK]

Originally Posted by Nighttime22

need a cold start video of the cat.

Finally got around to getting the video together. I did the classic mid muffler delete and left the rear resonators in place.

[Nighttime22]

Nice!

[JSFlowX]

Originally Posted by LouK

100% if I was between a charger and M5. M5 wins all day long.

[tireSlayz]

Originally Posted by LouK

Finally got around to getting the video together. I did the classic mid muffler delete and left the rear resonators in place.

sounds deep

[Jimmy K]

Originally Posted by EPTXM5

I went from a hellcat charger to my M5.
The HC reminds of an old school muscle car w the sound and feeling. Rev the car and motor shakes the car. Supercharger whine 😍. The instant torque. Handling was comfortable. Comfy soft leather seats.
Interior is cheap.

The M5 is my executive muscle car. Smooth and powerful and the 2wd/4wd is the best of both worlds. Quality interior. Best seats ever. Flys under the radar w cops especially in grey 😂. V8 rumble is ok.
Handles with precision. I left my friends behind in their new m240i and m340i’s in some twisties 😂

My choice is the M5

I also went from a Hellcat Charger to a M5. Honestly, if the HC came with AWD I think I'd still be driving it. :-O

[EPTXM5]

Originally Posted by Jimmy K

I also went from a Hellcat Charger to a M5. Honestly, if the HC came with AWD I think I'd still be driving it. :-O

That would’ve saved a lot of rear tires 😂.

[n54fanatic]

We’re you able to put 3 car seats in the M5? Asking for a friend

[LouK]

Originally Posted by n54fanatic

We’re you able to put 3 car seats in the M5? Asking for a friend

You could put one on each side, the middle seat would be essentially unusable at that point though.

Funny enough I only kept the hellcat for 4 months. It was a fun car but not something I really enjoyed.

I could see myself getting another M5 in the future, but for the time being I am DD our TRX.

[RocketJohn]

Your credit score fell so hard that you were forced into the Hellcat world? Or did you also change zipcodes?

Sorry, couldn't resist. I am way too snobby to move from BMW to Mopar. But I can see how the larger SUV was more useful. Personally I'd have moved to the X7 Alpina.

And as a former (Long long ago) Ram 2500 owner, I under stand the utility aspects of the mopar products.

Hey at least it shares the same transmission!

[LouK]

Originally Posted by RocketJohn

Your credit score fell so hard that you were forced into the Hellcat world? Or did you also change zipcodes?

Sorry, couldn't resist. I am way too snobby to move from BMW to Mopar. But I can see how the larger SUV was more useful. Personally I'd have moved to the X7 Alpina.

And as a former (Long long ago) Ram 2500 owner, I under stand the utility aspects of the mopar products.

Hey at least it shares the same transmission!

Like i said above ^ the durango was gone only a few months after purchase, was fun but faded quickly. Our TRX as a daily has been more than enough fun. X7 is nice, but would have felt even more minivan soccer mom than the durango was.