CARS.COM — When the first 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon arrives at the drag strip later this year, there'll be hell to pay. And when the owner's first car payment comes due, there'll really be hell to pay. The hotly anticipated performance halo gets a supercharged starting price of $86,090, including a $1,095 destination charge and a $1,700 gas-guzzler tax.
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While that starting price rockets the Demon well into luxury territory and well out of reach for the average enthusiast, a slate of additional features is as cheap as the dollar menu at McDonald's used to be. Exactly like it, in fact, in that everything's a dollar, but nothing like it in that instead of a double cheeseburger, you get, for example, a front passenger seat.
"We know it's a lot of money and a significant upcharge over a Challenger Hellcat," said Tim Kuniskis, head of passenger cars for Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and Fiat in North America. "We worked very hard to build as much value into the Challenger SRT Demon as possible."
Standard features include the Demon's supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V-8 mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, a Demon embroidered head logo on the driver's seat, Brembo high-performance brakes, the SRT Power Chiller liquid-to-air intercooler system, the Air-Grabber induction system with a 45.2-square-inch hood scoop, a flat-bottom performance steering wheel wrapped in Alcantara suede, Demon head logo fender badges, a two-speaker stereo, 18-inch by 11-inch aluminum wheels, remote start, a manual tilt/telescoping steering wheel and a serialized dash plaque.
In addition to that front passenger seat (the Demon comes standard with just a driver's seat, a production-car first), a buck'll buy you a rear passenger seat available in cloth or leather, a trunk carpet kit, and perhaps most importantly, the Demon Crate packed with additional components that fully unleash the muscle car's recording-shattering 840 horsepower and 770 pounds-feet of torque. The personalized, serialized package is valued at $6,140, according to Dodge, and includes:
- A pair of narrow, front-runner drag wheels
- A replacement instrument panel with high-octane button
- A personalized ID badge
- A conical air filter
- Two valve stems
- A passenger mirror block-off plate
- Track tools, such as a hydraulic floor jack and carrying bag, cordless impact wrench with charger, torque wrench with extension and socket, tire-pressure gauge, fender cover and tool bag
Other available add-ons include red seat belts ($195); the Leather Front Seat Group with Alcantara suede seat coverings embossed with the Demon head logo ($1,595); the Comfort Audio Group with a premium 18-speaker Harman Kardon stereo ($995); a painted Black Satin hood ($1,995); the Comfort Group with Laguna leather and Alcantara suede seats, heated and ventilated in front with a heated steering wheel, premium floormats, and a power tilt/telescoping steering wheel ($2,495); the Painted Black Satin Graphics Package ($3,495); and a power sunroof ($4,995).
Among the 15 available paint colors, some of the more theme-appropriate ones are Destroyer Grey, F8 Green, Maximum Steel, Octane Red, Pitch Black, Redline, White Knuckle and Yellow Jacket.
Owners will also receive a customized, leather-bound owner's Track Tech Manual that includes a copy of the vehicle build sheet and comprises all of the vehicle's performance enhancements as well as pages for logging track runs. In addition, everyone who buys a 2018 Demon gets a free one-day session at the Bob Bondurant School of High-Performance Driving in Chandler, Ariz.
