2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon Road Test and Review

If the 707-horsepower Dodge Challenger Hellcat caught your attention, the new 2018 SRT Demon model will have you riveted. Before autonomous cars wrench the steering wheel from our hands, muscle cars are staging an all-out war on the quarter-mile. What could be less practical than an 840-hp, tire-smoking, fuel-burning, exhaust-roaring beast? The Demon exists to show that technology doesn’t have to always be focused on the greater good; sometimes, it can just provide outrageous fun for a privileged few.

Dodge hopes that the Demon becomes a halo car, attracting attention to the brand and bringing buyers who want a little bit of reflected glory, even if they don’t buy a Demon. With the discontinuation of the Viper, Demon takes over at the top of the Dodge food chain.

For its first model year beginning late summer 2017, those few will get a chance to scrap for the 3,300 examples of the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon that will emerge from the portal of Dodge’s plant in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. A complicated algorithm will determine which lucky U.S. dealerships get to sell the 3,000 Demons that cross the border, and which Canadian dealers get to sell the 300 Demons to their polite queues of buyers. Already, U.S. dealers have been observed to demand many thousands of dollars above the sticker price of $84,995.

A good percentage of those 3,300 Demons will wind up in car collections and stored away in garages by speculators. That's a shame because the Demon needs to romp.

The Demon is a Challenger variant, taking its place as the 15th trim level for the model so far (there are more coming). It gets its own logo, a line-drawing of a Demon’s head that’s an evolution of the Hellcat badge — super cool. The Demon also gets some functional upgrades, including an AirGrabber hood scoop, tubbed-out fender wells with flares housing 18-by-11-inch wheels wrapped with 315/40ZR18 Nitto drag radial tires, and a choice of 14 exterior colors.

Inside, buyers can choose to forego the rear seat and front-passenger seat, and can also install an optional rack to facilitate four-point racing harnesses. Two key fobs come with the Demon. The red fob unleashes full performance; a black one limits engine output to 500 hp, in case, you know, your mom wants to borrow the car to go to her Mahjong game.

It’s got a Hemi, of course. A supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V8, to be exact. Fill the tank with 100-octane unleaded racing fuel, and this engine can produce up to 840 hp and 770 lb-ft of torque. On 91-octane premium from the typical gas station, the Demon pumps out 808 hp and 717 lb-ft of torque.

The engine boasts a total of 25 upgrades over the Hellcat's, including a higher-volume supercharger with increased boost pressure; strengthened connecting rods and pistons; improved lubrication; a Power Chiller that uses air-conditioning refrigerant; and an After-Run Cooler that keeps the radiator fan and coolant pump going after the engine shuts down from drag runs. All of these modifications are designed to make sure that the Demon can go extra fast and keep going hard for race after race. 

Ever wonder how drag racers get their rear tires to spin while the vehicle stays in one place? Line Lock isolates the front brakes, leaving the rear wheels free to burn out the tires. Accessed through the SRT Performance Pages and Drag Mode, Line Lock takes the driver through step-by-step instructions in the Driver Information Center on the instrument panel and allows for up to 200 tire rotations during a burnout before walking the Demon forward to a stop. Burnouts are not just for showing off (though they do a great job of that, with clouds of smoke) — they’re also an essential part of drag racing prep, cleaning and warming the tires for grip.

TransBrake is the next step of launching the Demon off the line. It locks the transmission output shaft, allowing the driver to bring revs up and pre-loading torque for a more powerful launch. Once again, on-screen instructions walk the driver through the process of throttle application, brake release and paddle shifter hold and release. The Demon bangs through the gears of its eight-speed automatic transmission with authority, rocketing the car down the track.

On the drag strip, numbers talk. Here are some of the figures for the Demon:

• 0-30 mph in 1.0 seconds
• 0-60 mph in 2.3 seconds (quickest production car in the world)
• 8g acceleration (highest g-force of any production car)
• 65 seconds and 140 mph for the quarter-mile (fastest quarter-mile production car)

'Nuff said.

The Demon is more than just a straight-line monster on the drag strip. It is also a street-legal car, one that can be used for daily driving without a hint of trouble. Select the Auto drive mode, and you’ve got a tame, sane Challenger underneath you.

Driving the Demon on public roads, you get a comfortable ride from the adjustable Bilstein shocks. The wide tires have great grip, and the body is composed and controlled while cornering. The exhaust note is muted somewhat, though the deep bass note can become a little fatiguing over time on a longer drive. Just beware the temptation of the open straight away, because you’ll need superhuman willpower to keep your speeds close to the legal limit.

Even if you take your Demon to the drag strip, you’ll still be covered by Dodge SRT’s three-year/36,000-mile basic warranty and five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty. SRT has smartly partnered with Haggerty Insurance for coverage of the Demon — most conventional insurance carriers will not write a standard policy for an 840-hp car that’s going to be driven on the drag strip. Additionally, like all new SRT buyers, you’ll be entitled to a one-day program at the Bob Bondurant School of High-Performance Driving.

The one accessory that ever Demon buyer should opt for is the Demon Crate. For one dollar, you get: a box full of branded track tools (a hydraulic jack, cordless impact wrench with charger, torque wrench with extension and socket, tire pressure gauge, fender cover and tool bag); Direct Connection Performance Parts; a passenger mirror block-off plate; narrow, front-runner drag wheels; a fitted-foam case to hold the wheels and tools in the trunk; and a customized metal plate with your name, VIN and serial number.

You can upgrade the seat cover materials inside the Demon, as well as choosing a Harman Kardon 19-speaker 900-watt audio system; power sunroof; heated and ventilated leather front seats and heated steering wheel; and satin-black-painted hood, roof and decklid package.

The new muscle car wars are being fought primarily between the Big Three: Dodge, Ford and Chevrolet, survivors of the last muscle car wars of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Ford’s weapon of choice is the Mustang, and its powerful 2018 Shelby GT350 version. Chevy’s arsenal bears the name Camaro, with the 2018 ZL1 taking point. For now, Ford and Chevy have focused more on road course capability than drag strip prowess, but the recent announcement of lock capability on the Mustang hints that this war is not yet over.

We don’t have a crystal ball, so we can’t predict the future of the muscle car. We can look at how revered the original muscle cars are today among collectors. Well-sorted examples from the 1960s and '70s regularly command six figures on the auction market, allowing fans who drooled over those Mustangs, Camaros, Barracudas, GTOs, Chargers, and Challengers to recapture the enthusiasm of their youth. Today’s muscle cars are faster and more capable than any factory cars from back in the day. The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon blows all of them away and seems destined to capture imaginations for years to come.

Will autonomous cars, electric vehicles, and fuel economy regulations kill the muscle car? Heaven knows. But the Demon has staked its claim to immortality, even if it will have to live in a car collection and proclaim its dominance at a standstill.