2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon
We’ve all heard the numbers and seen the hype videos. The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, with its 840-horsepower Hellcat engine will do the ¼ in 9.65-seconds, while hitting 60 in just 2.3. But as with most cars, there’s more here than just numbers. So come along to the dark side with us, as we do some down and dirty deeds with the demon.
The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is one of those cars that you think is only possible in a dream. Fortunately, the hard-working folks at Dodge’s Street and Racing Technology division are more than just dreamers. They actually made this drag strip worthy beast happen.
It seems implausible with all of the hype surrounding it, but the Demon was actually developed mostly in secret; engineers going cloak and dagger, and even working on their own time, until they knew they had something the brass would devour.
We all know the basics for more horsepower, more air, and more fuel to react with it; but cranking the Hellcat’s 6.2-liter HEMI V8 up to 840-horsepower and 770 lb-ft. of torque required a lot of work, a few more revs, and 100-octane fuel. On premium grade gas it’s a mere 808 horse ride.
Such output also demanded cranking the supercharger up to 14.5 psi to shove said air into the combustion chambers.
Along the way it passes through an SRT-developed Power Chiller which uses the A/C’s refrigerant to reduce air temps by up to 18-degrees.
On the other end of the engine, they beefed up everything that carries the power to the rear wheels, added a production-car first TransBrake for nailing killer launches, and a line lock for simplifying burnouts.
Now, with all of that in mind, what you might not expect, is at the dragstrip, the Demon is not that insane at all. And by that we mean doing ten second ¼-miles in a car properly set up for drag racing, is similar to hitting a road course in a perfectly balanced race car.
The Demon launches extremely hard, but if you hit it just right, all of the car’s weight gets pushed to the rear, and it just hooks up and takes off; carrying all of that power down the track with no drama whatsoever.
Sure, you can get some wheel-spin if you want, but using Drag Mode with Launch Assist and Torque Reserve makes launching super simple.
All Demons come equipped with the TorqueFlite 8HP90 8-speed automatic transmission, which fired through gears without missing a beat; as we made passes continuously for an entire afternoon, without a hiccup.
So, don’t think of this as some one-off car just to do a couple runs and get some crazy numbers for publicity.
With temps in the 90s and high humidity, we couldn’t match Dodge’s NHRA-certified run of 9.65 but we ran consistent low-10s, and came real close to matching the claimed 2.3-seconds to 60.
Other things that set the Demon apart from standard Hellcat fare, are the Air Grabber hood and wide-body styling that adds fender flares to fully cover the standard 315/40/18 Nitto drag radials. Wheels for those front skinnies are part of the $1 Demon Crate option.
Unique touches inside, include a numbered Demon badge, and Demon logo on the seats. A Speedlogix 4-point harness is also an option…
…as is the front passenger seat, though Dodge will throw it back in for just a buck more.
Even though every update has been made with drag racing in mind, it remains a very street-able car. And as a value-added bonus, due to the flexible sidewalls of the drag radials, ride quality is actually better than the Hellcat.
Now, you would think that’d be enough SRT news for one year, but Dodge has got something else headed our way for ’18, it’s the Durango SRT.
Believe it or not, it’s the first time Dodge has applied the SRT treatment to this 3-row SUV.
For power, it gets the 392 HEMI V8, which supplies 475-horsepower and 470 lb-ft. of torque. The all-wheel-drive system, 8-speed automatic transmission, suspension, and 7-mode drive system all get upgraded to handle it.
This Durango will hit 60 in 4.4-seconds, and clear the ¼-mile in less than 13. But even more impressive, is that you lose none of the functionality that you buy an SUV for; as this Durango will tow 8,700-lbs.
There’s a body kit of course, and plenty of interior treatments as well.
The 2018 Dodge Durango SRT rolls out of showrooms for $64,090.
But, back to the Demon. For a turnkey 9-second drag car, base pricing of $86,090 doesn’t seem that evil. That’s less than what some of the original Hellcat’s were going for. 3,000 of them will be available here in the U.S.
The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon may be a hellishly fast car, but we say God Bless the U.S.A.; as the forces of good and evil have combined to create one of the most amazing cars to ever lay down rubber on America’s streets.
Specifications
- Engine: 6.2 liter
- Horsepower: 840
- Torque: 770 lb-ft.
- 0-60 mph: 2.3 seconds
- 1/4 mile: 9.65 seconds
2025 Infiniti QX80
Infiniti’s Flagship SUV Sets A Course For Extravagance
This full-size Infiniti QX80 started out as the QX56, a hastily rebadged version of Nissan’s truck-based Armada full-size utility. That was in the early 2000s when the luxury SUV craze was exploding. It wasn’t as much as a game-changer, as it was “try to keep upper”. Now, this new QX80, Infiniti is promising to “Reimagine the luxury SUV”. Let’s see if Infiniti has turned their imaginations into reality.
Well, if over the top is what Infiniti was shooting for in the all-new 2025 QX80, mission accomplished. There’s an overall feeling of extravagance here that we haven’t experienced from Infiniti in quite some time.
It’s not just the open pore ash wood trim with aluminum inlays, 24-speaker audio, and plush quilted leather seating; there’s also nicely integrated ambient lighting, a massive glass roof, plenty of tech, lots of active driving assistance, and even chilled center console storage. Forward of that is a dual touchscreen setup; the top 14.3-inch touchscreen for infotainment sits next to the digital gauge display in a single housing; while just below, there’s a 9-inch one for climate controls.
You are reminded this is still a body-on-frame utility the moment you have to climb up into the cockpit, but there’s also the commanding view of the road that comes with that. Captain’s chairs are standard for the second row, but a three-place bench is optional with all trims except for top Autograph which comes exclusively with these climate-controlled massaging chairs, along with a touchscreen control panel. The third-row experience is great, too, with heated leather seating, and adult size room for three.
Now, there is a whole new experience coming from under the hood. The last gen’s V8 has been replaced with a new twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 rated at 450 horsepower, 50 over the V8. More notably, torque is up by more than 100 lb-ft to 516. Transmission is a nine-speed automatic, two more gears than last year, with rear-wheel drive standard, four-wheel drive an option. Max tow rating is 8,500-lbs.
And at the test track, it did pull strongly off the line, getting up to speed in a hurry with the 0-60 sprint taking just 6.3 seconds. There is roughly 3 tons of weight to push through the quarter-mile, but that twin-turbo does it well, finishing in 14.7 seconds at 95 mph. Gear changes are incredibly smooth, while not hindering acceleration in any way.
It's an impressive looking utility from any angle.
In panic braking runs, there was some fade and a considerable amount of nosedive, but our average stopping distance of 115 feet is not bad for a vehicle as big and heavy as the QX80. Last gen, the QX80 moved from the Titan truck platform to the global Patrol SUV chassis, which shifted the vibe from budget Escalade to Lexus LX fighter. The attending improvement in ride and handling was the real bonus, and that largely continues for this gen with air suspension and Dynamic Digital Dampers on all but base QX80s. While we could certainly feel all that weight through our cone course, body roll was well-controlled and without significant oversteer or understeer.
It’s an impressive looking utility from any angle, starting right up front with the big “bamboo forest” grille. The overall shape is boxy, but all body panels are smooth; and for better or worse, Infiniti joins the flush door handle fad. Look for its “Artistry In Motion” design theme to work its way down through the rest of the Infiniti lineup. All QX80s ride on 22-inch wheels except for base Pure trim which makes do with 20s.
A full power play includes standard motion-activated rear liftgate and power operation of both second and third row seats, expanding cargo capacity from 22 cu-ft behind the third row to 59 behind the second, and a max of 101.0 cu-ft with both rows folded.
Government Fuel Economy Ratings with four-wheel-drive are not great: 16 city, 19 highway and 17 combined. We averaged 18.6 mpg of premium. That’s a much worse than average Energy Impact Score, using 17.5 barrels of oil annually, with 8.6 tons of CO2 emissions.
Driving such a PUREly LUXEurious SENSORY overload, you’ll probably be expecting people to want your AUTOGRAPH, which we’re guessing is how Infiniti came up with their grade structure; pricing starts with Pure at $84,445 and climbs to $112,590 for Autograph.
The 2025 Infiniti QX80 is a massive SUV that delivers massive amounts of power and luxury. They aimed for the moon here and have clearly blasted themselves into a much more competitive orbit in the big buck, big hauler, sport-utility galaxy.
Specifications
As Tested
- Engine: 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6
- Transmission: 9-speed automatic
- Horsepower: 450
- Torque: 516 lb-ft.
- EPA: 16 City | 19 Highway | 17 Combined
- 0-60 mph: 6.3 seconds
- 1/4 Mile: 14.7 seconds at 95 mph
- Braking, 60-0 (avg.): 115 feet
- MW Fuel Economy: 18.6 mpg (Premium)
