Dodge Demon is ‘Too Intense for Average Drivers,’ Says Vehicle Virgins

Dodge Demon will make you tremble with its sound, power and driving comfort, even when limited to pump gas.

The YouTube channel Vehicle Virgins recently got a hold of a 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon from a private owner who was kind enough to let  show host Parker Nirenstein take it for a quick spin. Although the title suggests that the car is too much for the street, Nirenstein praises pretty much every aspect of the quickest production road car in the world – even though he barely experiences what the Demon has to offer.

Initial Formalities with the Demon

The Vehicle Virgins review of the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon starts like most YouTube reviews, with the host standing with the car, talking about all of the features that make it unique from the Hellcat. He talks about the 840-horsepower engine with its enlarged supercharger, the flared body and the Nitto drag radials at all four corners.

Once he gets into the car, he talks more about what the Demon can do – dashing from a stop to 60 in 2.3 seconds and running the quarter mile in just 9.65 seconds. He talks about the few road cars in the world that come closest to the newest SRT Challenger and he raves about the experience of driving the Demon.

Experiencing 808 Horsepower

While the Nirenstein talks about how the Demon offers 840 hp, we can see on the infotainment screen that he is running the car in 808-hp mode, so he doesn’t get to experience the full fury of the Mopar monster. He talks about how the power output of the rear-drive Demon isn’t for everyone and then he makes a few ugly 0-60 runs, showing us that he is one of those people. With times of 4.1, 3.9 and 3.6 seconds, he turns out comparable numbers to the average stock Hellcat, even though he has drag radials and 808 hp.

Aside from turning in lackluster 0-60 times, the Nirenstein loves the sound of the 2018 Demon, praising both the sound of the blower and the roar of the exhaust. As he cruises around his local roads, he addresses the smooth ride and solid handling of the Nitto-clad Challenger, both of which impress him for a car with that much power and that much weight.

In the end, while the title suggests that the video might find some fault with the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, he has nothing but good things to say about the car – even though he doesn’t get to experience the car on a drag strip with features like line lock, torque reserve and the TransBrake.

This proves once again that even when driven like a normal (yet very powerful) road car, the Demon is far more than just a drag car. As owners across the country are learning, the 840-horsepower SRT Challenger is a great daily driver.

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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