Some Folks Already Want the Dodge Demon Off the Road
How can a car that’s yet to hit showrooms be the cause of so much drama? Is the scary Dodge Demon haunting folks already?
Arguing about a car’s roadworthiness isn’t new, especially when it comes to high-end exotics from Europe. Manufacturers often push the envelope to achieve extreme levels of performance, oftentimes forgoing safety and other rules. FCA, and more specifically Dodge, isn’t one of them.
A recent story by Automotive News has ignited the internet by claiming that the just-announced, not-driven-by-anyone-yet, not-available-for-purchase, still-somewhat-of-a-protoype Dodge Demon is “so inherently dangerous to the common safety of motorists that its registration as a road-worthy automobile should be banned.” Yes, you read that right. Someone’s actually claiming the Demon is a menace to society, and should be kept off the road.
Who the heck is saying that? We don’t know. The popular trade publication omitted the author, and published it as an “Editorial”. Furthermore, the story reveals there is more than one Demon-hater in the organization.
“We don’t reach this conclusion lightly,” they write. “There are more powerful, and even faster, vehicles available from other automakers that are rightly street legal.”
CHECK OUT: What Forum Members Are Saying About These Recent Complaints
So, what arguments does this group of unknown Demon haters have? For starters, they believe: “Dodge is wrong to offer a purpose-built drag racer as a road-legal automobile.” They also add: “From its barely legal slick tires to its monstrous acceleration, the Challenger Demon introduced in New York this month is the result of a sequence of misguided corporate choices that places bragging rights ahead of public safety.”
Okay, so not only is the Demon unsafe, but Dodge is making bad choices as a company? Gotcha. I believe — and I’m saying “I” because you can actually see my name on this story — that all of this is complete BS. Allow me to explain.
Motorcycles are pound-for-pound some of the fastest vehicles on the road. A $15,000 motorcycle could easily out-accelerate, out-brake, and out-maneuver some of the world’s fastest sports cars. When ridden by a responsible rider, things are fine, but in the hands of someone irresponsible, the story changes.
How about another Dodge product, like the Hellcat? The Demon’s 840 horsepower (on race fuel) is a strong figure, but only 133 ponies more than a “regular” Hellcat. Yet, why didn’t we see a similar story from them when the Hellcat was unveiled? Or is it that a 707-horsepower car isn’t a menace to society like a 840-horsepower car?
Think about it this way: if you were to ride a 750-cc motorcycle in a stupid and irresponsible manner, would it make a difference if you were riding a 1000-cc motorcycle? Besides slightly higher acceleration and top speed, I think we can all agree that 99% of the damage would be identical.
Enough said.