Horsepower Wars: 600 HP Becomes The Norm In Sport Sedans - Will It Ever Stop?

Sometime in the next couple of months, the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon and its 808 horsepower will show up in dealership windows like some kind of tiny, red, tire-melting factory. Yes, 808 horsepower. There's no typo.

Teenage boys will lose their minds. Some older ones, too. But beyond the Vin Diesel fan club, it's actually not such a big deal anymore. Last year, U.S. drivers on the hunt for more than 600 horsepower had 18 models to choose from, including a Cadillac sedan that looks more swanky than angry. Meanwhile, even boring commuter sedans are posting power specifications that would have been unheard of during the Ford Administration.

TheSteve - 5/19/2017 11:52:21 AM

+3 Boost

Calling the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon a "Sport Sedan" is a stretch, in my mind. Dumping a ton of ponies into a sedan does not transform it into a Sport Sedan. I wonder how it would do at the Nürburgring against a Porsche Panamera or a BMW M5.

As for the "Horsepower Wars," they're aimed squarely at people who believe that "Bigger Means Better" -- my car is better than yours because I have more horsepower. In my mind, it's the automotive equivalent of bros flexing their muscles to determine who's more "swole."

MDarringer - 5/19/2017 4:14:42 PM

-1 Boost

Given that the sedan market is imploding, I'd say buy now or soon because that ship's sailed.

rockreid - 5/19/2017 6:44:09 PM

+1 Boost

I'm just wondering where and how all this horsepower is going to be used based on the bumper to bumper traffic nowadays and stop light to stop light stuck behind a Toyota Camry.

TomM - 5/20/2017 10:42:05 AM

+2 Boost

Maybe it might slow a little with ON THE ROAD cars = but Drag racers will always be looking for more.

iamdabest1 - 5/23/2017 11:37:58 AM

+1 Boost

enough of this craziness with hp wars, use more carbon fiber, lower weight, make cars better balanced .