- There's no better way to send
off an iconic car like the Dodge Challenger
perhaps Dodge's last gas powered sports car ever
than with something so crazy,
you need to sign a waiver when you buy one.
This is the 2023 Dodge Challenger,
SRT Demon 170
and it's probably the craziest Challenger I've ever seen.
Now I may be just a jaded automotive journalist
but it's been a while since a Challenger
actually got my blood pumping
but this does and let me tell you why.
Now looks wise there's not a lot here
that's really a radical departure
from Challengers we've seen in the past
this looks a lot
like the Demon that debuted here in New York in 2018.
You get the air grabber hood
the air catcher headlights on both sides to feed more air.
The hood does have a little alcohol injected logo there
because the Demon 170 does make its most power
on an ethanol mixture.
You will notice as well no little yellow bumper covers here.
Just something to keep in mind.
As you go along the sides
you'll notice weird things
like there are no fender flares on the front.
There's not a wide body to this.
That's to save weight.
These are skinny street tires to reduce rolling resistance
for faster runs.
I believe these are the optional carbon fiber wheels.
You get the Fun Demon logo as well
with the 170 and the yellow eyes
and then you come along to the back and these are flared
because these tires are gigantic,
gigantic Mickey Thompson Drag Radials
developed specially for this.
You'll also notice some optional things that you can get
from Dodgers parts catalog like this parachute
which you will need to slow down after your drag run
and you will need as well to be NHRA certified
because if you don't have this
and you don't have a safety cage inside
you cannot take this on a drag strip more than
once before you get banned.
Other design elements you can see this has
the optional satin black hood roof and deck lid.
You can also just get the hood satin black
or none of it if you want.
Dodge is really, really going all in
on customizing your Challenger for the last year.
When we're talking Demon 170, we have to talk numbers.
This is why I'm excited about the Challenger
and the biggest two are its horsepower and torque.
It can produce up to 1025 horsepower and 945 pounds
feet of torque.
When using E85 ethanol using premium gas
those numbers drop
to a pedestrian 900 horsepower and 810 pounds feet.
The original Demon meanwhile only,
only managed a maximum of 840 horsepower
and 770 pounds feet.
And again that was on 100 plus octane.
Your only transmission choice
in the Demon is still an eight speed automatic.
Tried and true.
We love it.
At Max Power Dodge says the Demon 170 can go
from zero to 60 in 1.66 seconds
on its way to an 8.91 second quarter mile at over
151 miles per hour.
To help achieve those crazy, crazy numbers
Dodge has upgraded the trans break to now what
they're calling calling Trans Break 2.0 which is
configurable for track conditions
and now accessible via a specific button
on the interior close to the center console.
Torque reserve helps improve supercharge
and accelerator response.
Line lock makes burnouts nice and easy
and there's launch control and launch assist
which are necessities to keep this monster
under control when the light turns green.
This also has the SRT power chiller
which cools down the air sent into the engine
for improved performance and the race cool down feature
provides extra cooling
once you've done a run and have shut the engine off.
There's only one key
for the Demon 170 and it's the red one.
Previous Hellcats and the Demon had a red key
for full power and a black key that limited power
to a round 500 horsepower which reduced the likelihood
that some enterprising valet might decide
to Ferris Bueller your Challenger.
The Demon 170 has an integrated ethanol sensor
which governs power output.
When you get to 20% ethanol mixture in the fuel
the gas light turns to white, get to 65% and it glows blue
and that's when you know you have all 1025 horses
at your disposal.
To get there Dodge also upgraded pretty much everything.
Every engine component
except the camshaft has basically been upgraded.
There's a bigger supercharger
new throttle body, new spark plugs
tougher enhancements to handle all that power.
The drive line has been upgraded and toughened as well.
Weight saving is the name of the game here.
The only standard seat
in the Demon 170 is the driver's seat.
Nearly everything that could be torn out is as standard.
The stereo only has two speakers.
If you do want comfort
there's a premium leather interior available
and Demon 170 specific red leather interior
you can get as well.
Backseat delete is still available with both of those.
And at its lightest, the Demon 170 is 157 pounds lighter
than a Hellcat Redeye wide body
according to Dodge's measurements.
Now Demon 170s like every other challenger and charger
for the 2023 model year have already been allocated
to Dodge dealerships across the country.
And if you're interested in one
you can find them on Dodgegarage.com.
Ordering is available now but closes
on May 15th and the MSRP before destination
is $96,666.
Get it,
but you might have a tough time finding them at msrp.
Dodge says it is prioritizing orders that are sold at msrp
but we'll have to see.
I genuinely considered becoming part
of the problem buying one of these
and just turning around and flipping it because my wife
and I are trying to buy a house and we need a down payment.
Seems like a good way to do that.
Don't want to be part of the problem though.
Dodge said it's building up to 3000 units
of the Demon 170 for the US and they did
let us drive the original Demon back when it debuted
so hopefully they'll save a few of those 3000
for us to get behind the wheel
and check it out because this is the craziest
and most exciting Challenger I have seen in years.
For more on the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170
and all the rest of the things here
at the 2023 New York Auto Show, be sure to head to cars.com.