Fiat Chrysler says the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon can do 0-60 mph in 2.3 seconds, a claim that sent Tesla fans into a tizzy when it was first announced, prompting them to remind everyone the Tesla Model S P100D did 0-60 mph in 2.28 seconds in a Motor Trend test. The thing is, though, that the Dodge Demon actually does 0-60 mph in 2.1 seconds and if the Model S were measured by the same metric, it would actually have a 0-60 mph time of 2.53 seconds.
The deciding factor here is a variable referred to as ‘rollout’. When measuring 0-60 times or 1/4-mile times at the drag strip, ‘rollout’ is the seven inches in which the car is rolling but the timer has yet to start. Since the car is technically rolling and this isn’t a true measure of the 0-60 time, Dodge was sure to measure the Demon’s 0-60 time to account for rollout. Without the rollout time factored out, the Demon will actually sprint from 0-60 mph in 2.1 seconds.
“Lately some people are trying to go for big stats, so they are including rollout, and they are being honest. Most people don’t know what rollout is, so it’s kind of a throwaway disclaimer. They are saying, ‘Hey, with rollout it runs blah blah blah blah.’ So we ran it both ways,” FCA passenger car boss Tim Kuniskis told Motor Authority in an interview. “Zero to 60 pure is 2.3 seconds, but with rollout it’s 2.1, and that’s important because that’s the fastest 0-60 mph of any production car, I don’t care what the technology is.”
The only catch here is that the 2.1-second 0-60 mph time is for a Demon without a front passenger seat or rear seat, with the optional Direct Connection powertrain controller installed and on 100 octane racing fuel. We imagine the test car was also strapped with the lighter skinny front tires and driven by a certified drag racer like Leah Pritchett, who did much of the development driving for the car.