2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat AWD Quick Look
6.2 L V8 (710 hp @ 6,100 rpm; 645 lb-ft @ 4,300 rpm)
Eight-speed automatic transmission, all-wheel drive
20.5 Cities / 13.8 Highways / 17.4 Merger. (NRCan rating, L/100km)
Base Price: $80,995 (US)
Tested: $89,665 (US)
Prices include a $1,495 destination fee in the U.S. and $1,995 to $2,895 in Canada for shipping, PDI, and A/C taxes, which cannot be directly compared due to cross-border device differences.
"You don't need it, but you'll want it."
This is a common narrative when discussing crazy performance vehicles, especially those based on home porters. I've said this version once or twice in reviews I've written here and elsewhere. But some clichés are clichés because they are true.
On the other hand, sometimes just because you want something cool, it's not the actual choice.
Go to 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat.
You'd think cramming a 710-horsepower/645 lb-ft torque V8 (6.2 liters, supercharged) into a home-shipped SUV would lead to grinning madness. You are right. However, as much as you might want this, you don't need it.
Part of the reason is that Dodge offers the V8 Durango, which is almost crazy for less money.
That said, since the decision to buy a car is often irrational, if you want to put the coin on hemi-powered Durango (and fuel coins), you'll get what you pay.
It's a large SUV that accelerates very fast, handles well enough for its size, and sacrifices fuel consumption and a stiffer ride on the altar of performance. Oh, and there's engine noise, but that's not really a damaging thing for most buyers.
If your throttle is light (which you won't), the Hellcats drive a lot like a normal Durango, only driving rougher (though still acceptable). Expansion joints aren't fun, though) and sharper handling (again, relative to size and SUV tasks). It's even fairly quiet until the revs go up.
Big engines exist to make passing and merging a breeze, and it does. It also makes you grin. The Durango Hellcat is an SUV version of the older full-size sedan I grew up with, with the V8 in it. Think of the Impala SS or Mercury Marauder in the mid-'90s. Large family car + big/powerful engine + slight tweaks to suspension and brakes = fun as long as the wheels are straight and the road is empty.
By the way, this suspension is the same as the one in the SRT 392 I tested earlier. This means that the setup is SRT-tuned short- and long-arm independent front suspension with aluminum down-control arms, coil springs, Bilstein adaptive damping shock absorbers and hollow stabilizer bars. At the rear, the setting is an SRT-tuned multi-link with Bilstein adaptive damping, coil springs, aluminum lower control arms and stabilizer bars.
Inside, you'll get a version of the usual Durango interior decoration (see below for details). This is a good thing because the cabin controls are easy to use, even if not super sexy in terms of design.
I've hinted at it, but you'll pay a fine on the pump for having a bold V8 hood – and driving a vehicle that weighs more than 5,700 pounds. Fuel economy is listed as a frustrating 12 mpg city/17 mpg highway/13 mpg. However, you can pull up to 8,700 pounds.
You'll also have to spend a lot of money to get this beast (and you'll have to work hard as this car is only available in 2021). At a base price of over $80,000, standard features include Brembo brakes, adaptive damping suspension, electronic limited-slip rear differential, high-performance exhaust, electric lift doors, keyless entry, navigation, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, premium audio, satellite radio, wireless fi hotspot, wireless charging pad, heated front seats, cooled front seats, 20-inch wheels, LED lighting, lower separator and Pirelli Four Seasons tires.
Options include a technology package ($2,395; advanced brake assist, lane departure warning plus, full-speed forward collision warning plus, adaptive cruise control with stop), advanced interior group ($2,495; suede canopy, premium dashboard, forged carbon interior), double paint stripes ($1,195), Pirelli Three Season tires ($595), and blind spot and crosspath detection ($495). The destination is $1,495, for a total of $89,665.
Nearly $90,000 vehicles can travel in a straight line, have the ability to corner (relative to size), and still offer most of the utilities Durango promises.
Yes, you don't need this stuff. It has no use case. But who cares? It's a retro beast that delivers on promises — and that promise is fun.
The SRT 392 Durango is a better option for those who want an oversized Durango because it's cheaper, consumes slightly less fuel, and strikes a better balance between performance and everyday driving. If you have 8 cylinders and don't need to take the SRT route, you can also get the 5.7-litre V8 Durango.
But the "better option," at least in a more logical way, doesn't matter here. There is no reasonable reason to buy a Durango Hellcat. That's the point.
What's new in 2021
Hellcat will only join the Durango production line in 2021 and 2021.
Who should buy it
Wealthy family members, interested in the large V8, and boast of exclusive models.