2023 Dodge SRT Challenger Demon 170 roars with 1,025 hp

DETROIT — Dodge is again summoning a Demon to push the boundaries of what a muscle car can do straight from the factory.

The 2023 Challenger SRT Demon 170, unveiled Monday night in Las Vegas, can get up to 1,025 hp when running on E85 fuel and 900 hp with E10 gasoline. The original 2018 Challenger SRT Demon, which was only produced for one model year, maxed out at 840 hp with additional Direct Connection performance parts and 100-plus high-octane fuel.

The latest Demon is Dodge's seventh and final "Last Call" special-edition model as the brand prepares to end production of the current Challenger and Charger at the end of the year. The edgy brand is looking to bring its attitude to electric vehicles. Dodge gave performance enthusiasts a preview of where it's heading last summer with the electric Charger Daytona SRT Concept, a vehicle that brings a unique growl to the normally quiet world of EVs.

Dodge's first electrified model, the Hornet R/T plug-in hybrid, arrives at dealerships in late spring.

The Challenger Demon 170 can jet from 0 to 60 mph — or 96 km/h — in 1.66 seconds. The blazing coupe runs the quarter-mile in anNational Hot Rod Association-certified 8.91 seconds at 151.17 mph — or 243.28 km/h.

Dodge said reaching full performance at the drag strip results in the Demon 170 "receiving an NHRA violation letter 'ban' for running a sub-nine-second quarter-mile without a safety cage and parachute."

The primary engine power components, Dodge said, are upgraded.

The Demon 170 is the quickest vehicle Dodge has produced.

"To celebrate the end of the hemi muscle-car era, we pulled off all the governors to reach a new level, a new benchmark of 'factory-crazy' production car performance," Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis said in a statement. "In 2015, Dodge shocked the world with the 707 horsepower Hellcat. Then in 2018 we did it with the 840 horsepower Demon, and now we are doing it again with the 1,025 horsepower Demon 170, the world's first sustainable-energy, eight-second factory-production, street legal muscle car."

Consumers can view available dealer allocations for the Demon 170 on the Dodge Horsepower Locator tool at DodgeGarage.com. Ordering begins March 27 and will close May 15.

The Demon 170 comes with a US$96,666 sticker price, or US$98,261 with shipping in the United States. Canadian pricing hasn't been announced. Dodge said dealer orders at MSRP will receive priority scheduling.

The original Demon had two different keys: a black one that limited power output and a red one that unlocked its potential. That changes with the Demon 170, which comes only with two red keys.

Dodge said the horsepower levels are determined by the percentage of ethanol in the fuel.

When high ethanol fuel content of more than 65 per cent is detected, Dodge said a gas pump icon in the instrument cluster turns blue to inform drivers that the Demon's maximum 1,025 hp output can be unleashed.

Demon 170 production starts this summer and will be limited to 3,300 units, Dodge said, with 3,000 for the U.S. and 300 for Canada. Final unit numbers will be based on production capacity.