With 710 horsepower on faucet, that is the one view you may possible have of the Durango SRT Hellcat.
Craig Cole/Roadshow
The 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat is silly. Stupid fast, silly loud, silly thirsty and, at occasions, silly enjoyable. I’m not going to lie, I sort of like silly. This three-row brute will haul ass down a freeway onramp or quarter-mile monitor in addition to it hauls your brood of younger’uns to socially distanced out of doors actions. With ludicrous energy and sufficient poise to handle that mayhem, this Dodge is the final word flag-waving, red-meat-eating, all-American SUV.
LikeStupefying acceleration and speedExcellent infotainment systemTheatrical exhaust sounds
Don’t LikeNovelty can put on off in day-to-day useFrightening gas consumptionStill feels outdated
Aside from some fairly substantial enhancements made to your complete Durango vary, for one mannequin yr solely, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is dropping its famed 6.2-liter supercharged Hellcat Hemi into the prow of this growing older SUV, a battle plan that to this point has labored famously with the model’s Charger sedan and Challenger coupe. Providing the fireworks, a 2.4-liter blower is strapped to the highest of this V8, pushing out as much as 11.6 psi of increase. All that is wanted is your proper foot to gentle the fuse. And while you do, the V8 delivers an astonishing 710 horsepower and 645 pound-feet of torque. This SUV is able to rain down fireplace and brimstone on even unique vehicles within the subsequent lane.Matched to a ZF eight-speed automated transmission, which is all the time on-point, delivering well timed shifts each rapidly and easily, this drivetrain can ship 60 mph from a standstill in a supercar-rivaling 3.5 seconds. The Durango Hellcat may annihilate your native quarter-mile dragstrip in as little as 11.5 seconds and speed up to 180 mph, a pace Dodge claims makes the SRT the world’s quickest three-row SUV. Ensuring this SUV by no means slips or slides (until you need it to, after all) is a regular full-time all-wheel-drive system, which offers unflappable composure, even when executing onerous launches on poor surfaces, like filth roads. The Durango Hellcat simply spins all 4 Pirelli Scorpion Zero all-season tires mounted on fashionable 20-inch wheels till it scrabbles sufficient grip, then rockets forward, straight as a laser beam, no squirming or lurching for the ditch on both facet.
When it is time to sluggish your roll, the Durango Hellcat’s Brembo brakes are greater than as much as the problem. With six-piston calipers up entrance clamping down on 15.8-inch rotors and four-pot items out again squeezing a pair of 13.8-inch discs, they will drag this SUV down from 60 mph to a standstill in a curt 116 ft. Despite their immense energy, the brake pedal itself is straightforward to control, with out grabbing or feeling too tender. That stopping prowess additionally helps grace the Durango with a powerful tow ranking. When correctly geared up, it may well drag as much as 8,700 kilos, a determine Dodge claims is finest at school.Similarly, the Durango’s steering is properly dialed in, delivering surprising crispness, which helps this massive SUV really feel much more agile than you would possibly count on for one thing with three rows of seats. The steering’s weighting can be simple to vary by switching by varied driving modes, one thing you are able to do rapidly on the snazzy new-for-2021 Uconnect 5 infotainment system(extra on that a little bit later). Damper stiffness could be adjusted, too, enabling this Dodge’s journey to vary on a whim from easy to starchy.
This supercharged V8 is a fire-breathing monster.
Craig Cole/Roadshow
With this SUV, you’d higher be in love with V8 noises (and intoxicating supercharger whine!) as a result of whereas the powertrain eagerly broadcasts an internal-combustion symphony, its exhaust additionally drones annoyingly at decrease speeds, sufficient, in reality, to make the Durango’s flooring pans reverberate. Mercifully, the Hellcat V8 pipes down on the freeway to a quiet, contented purr. A driver-selectable lively exhaust system can be good so you possibly can have that rumble while you need it with out getting a headache in rush-hour visitors.
Of course, you’d higher not be afraid of pumping fuel, both, and plenty of it. The Durango Hellcat burns gas like a cruise ship and it wants at the least 91 octane to be completely happy. Official EPA figures haven’t but been launched, however count on them to be someplace between atrocious and appalling. In testing, I averaged simply 13.9 miles per gallon in blended driving and I wasn’t even terribly irresponsible whereas driving.This supercharged SUV’s safe dealing with and straight-line efficiency are definitely praiseworthy, however the novelty of 710 horsepower can completely put on off after some time. And as soon as you get thinking about different points of the Durango, its attraction does fade a little bit.Designers have carried out a pleasant job sprucing up the Durango’s cabin for 2021.
Craig Cole/Roadshow
This is an outdated car and in some methods it feels it, from the high-effort exterior door handles to a few of its uncommon secondary controls. Underscoring this level is less-than-stellar small-overlap crash-test efficiency and an iffy headlamp ranking from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. I keep in mind reviewing a Durango almost 10 years and two jobs in the past and it was principally the identical as this instance, which, regardless of its age, nonetheless sells surprisingly effectively. To its credit score, FCA has carried out an admirable job conserving the Durango recent and this 2021 mannequin is the nicest ever. Its dashboard has been redesigned to be extra driver-focused, the middle console and higher parts of the doorways have been improved and you may get a sublime wrapped-and-stitched instrument panel, a premium contact.The Durango Hellcat’s entrance seats look approach overstuffed, however they’re surprisingly agency and supportive. This instance is fitted with soft second-row bucket seats and an non-obligatory heart console, a mixture that is spacious sufficient for grownup passengers (a skosh extra legroom can be good). As for the third-row bench, it is shockingly roomy and cozy, with an elevated place so you possibly can see the street forward. As for cargo house, you get 17.2 cubic ft behind the third row, 43.3 aft of the second and 85.1 cubes all-in. These figures are comparable, if only a whisker behind what the Ford Explorer affords.My tester’s cabin is properly constructed, the stitched dashboard seems to be and feels nice and all 4 doorways are trimmed with leather-based. The local weather controls are strong and could not be easier to make use of, comprised of chunky knobs and buttons. Unfortunately, all shouldn’t be excellent, because the Durango’s A-pillars are ginormous, hampering outward visibility, and the under-armrest storage cubby within the heart console is sort of ineffective, principally taken up by the obtainable Blu-ray participant. The reconfigurable display screen within the instrument cluster ain’t nice, both. It’s gritty-looking and torpid, taking ages to cycle between screens.The new Uconnect 5 infotainment system is a winner.
Craig Cole/Roadshow
Fortunately, FCA’s new Uconnect 5 infotainment system is a winner. This obtainable multimedia array is displayed on a shiny and colourful 10.1-inch touchscreen that is angled barely towards the motive force. The consumer interface is gorgeous, clear and really simple to make use of, plus it affords various extremely customizable dwelling screens. It additionally wirelessly helps Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a function that pairs properly with the newly added wi-fi charging pad. For essentially the most half, this technique could be very aware of inputs and I like among the small SRT-specific touches designers included, just like the climate-control graphics that present a picture of an individual sporting a racing helmet. Lower-end Durango fashions come customary with an 8.4-inch Uconnect system, which remains to be a strong association.This SUV’s infotainment choices are wonderful, however its different tech falls quick. Features like keyless entry with push-button begin, trailer-sway management and hill-start help are customary throughout the Durango vary and my tester is fitted with blind-spot monitoring in addition to entrance and rear parking sensors (the latter of which retains giving false warnings when stopped at visitors lights), however different superior driver help programs (ADAS) are conspicuously absent. Features like adaptive cruise management, ahead collision alert with lively braking and lane-departure warning are all non-obligatory, even on this $91,455 (together with $1,495 in vacation spot charges) Hellcat.When seen from the entrance, rear and even in profile, the Dodge Durango is a good-looking SUV, particularly in Hellcat kind.
Craig Cole/Roadshow
And that, proper there, is maybe the most important situation with this SUV. While it may be an absolute riot to drive and it is graced with a snug inside, the Durango doesn’t really feel prefer it’s price almost six figures. Even the Hellcat’s base value of round $82,500 appears a bit ridiculous. I imply, the mannequin proven right here is sort of as costly as a base BMW X5 M, which is much nicer and almost as potent.Still, in the event you’ve completely obtained to have considered one of these red-hot kitties, you’d higher act quick. Dodge is just providing the Durango Hellcat for 2021. The order books are open now and deliveries are anticipated to start early in 2021.