Dodge’s vaunted L platform went out with a bang in 2023, ending its nearly two-decade production run of Chargers, Challengers, 300s, and Magnums with the quickest and fastest full production, road-going domestic vehicle, the Demon 170.
The 1,025 horsepower 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170, the Dodge brand’s seventh and final “Last Call” special-edition model, was unveiled on March 20, 2023, at the Dodge Last Call Powered by Roadkill Nights Vegas performance festival at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Built on the LD platform, in use since 2011, the Demon 170 boasts 1,025 horsepower from its 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI, and with other features like a purpose-built racing suspension, aluminum wheels with Mickey Thompson ET Street R drag radials, numerous deletes for weight reduction (including the rear seat), and a 3.09 rear axle ratio, the production car right off the lot is capable of running 8.91 at over 151 mph in real conditions. That performance usurps the all-electric Tesla Model S Plaid, which carries a nearly identical horsepower output, at 1,020. The Plaid was the previous standard-bearer for full production (as in readily available) domestic cars, producing a 1/4-mile time of 9.23 seconds at 155 mph.
The Demon is no doubt quicker, but is it the better car, or a better buy? Well, that’s all a matter of perspective.
The Plaid, until the first of September, came with an MSRP of $109,880, but received a significant price decrease of $18,500, to a new sticker of $91,390. The Demon 170, meanwhile, carries a price tag of $96,666 (before any dealer markups). The Plaid, for its part, has a range of 396 miles, and carries with it no cost for oil changes, oil filters, pulleys and belts, or the like. The Demon’s thirsty HEMI gulps E85 at a rate of 10 mpg in the city and 17 on the highway (13 mpg combined estimated) from its 18.5 gallon tank, netting you 314.5 miles of range at the long end.
This is where perspective comes in.
The Plaid is, no doubt, the better value for an as-stock car. Not only does it cost less, but you get all the plush comforts of a production four-door sedan, including the missing rear seat from the Demon 170. If an incredibly fast car at the best value is your goal — and you’re open to the concept of an electric vehicle, charging, and al that comes with it — the Plaid likely comes out on top.
The 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 delivers 1,025 total horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 945 Ib.-ft. of torque…
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