2018 Dodge Durango SRT

Powerful doesn’t begin to describe this Hemi-powered beast.

By Isaac Bouchard

My first exposure to the most powerful version of the Durango took place in the great state of Texas, and while it was a wonderful vehicle to tool around the highways of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex—and even surprise a motorcycle rider with a blast up to almost six figures—this foreign venue had its limitations as a place to evaluate the SRT. Six months later I had a week with it again, on home territory, and the Dodge more than exceeded my expectations.

What makes this Durango a “392” is an SRT-designed 6.4-liter Hemi with outputs of 475 horsepower and 470lb-ft of torque. It replaces the 5.7L V8 that comes in the R/T model and the 3.6L Pentastar standard in all other models. The 8-speed automatic’s modified software rev-matches downshifts adroitly and offers multiple modes to best exploit the extra muscle.

The front/rear torque bias is generally more rear-biased in the SRT as well, though there are configurations where it is split evenly. This Durango’s exhaust note is mellifluous and boastful when you floor it, exuberant in all the best ways. It proudly boasts of the joys of a big, honkin’ V8. Once you’re cruising however, it recedes into the background so as not to annoy.

The suspension is modified with stiffer springs and a larger rear antiroll bar. The SRT handles very well for a 5300-pound, six-passenger SUV, with linear and accurate steering making it easy to place. This doesn’t come at the expense of ride quality, which is actually quite excellent in the Dodge.

This is very impressive, in that it can be hard to get a large, heavy SUV to both absorb bumps and still control body motions. The SRT does it adroitly. I think much of the credit goes to the Dodge performance team deciding to stick to 20-inch wheels, which are actually comparatively small in diameter compared to some of the huge rims available today.

Doing so means that the tire sidewalls (all-seasons or summer-biased rubber are available) are tall enough to soak up many little bumps and bruises the horrifically maintained Denver-area roads inflict. They’re also quiet, so not much in the way of road noise gets transferred into the cabin. The customizable Bilstein dampers also can claim credit here.

The cockpit itself is successful at being a roomy, pleasing place to spend travel time. The front seats, while lacking any adjustability beyond the basics, are extremely comfortable and supportive enough laterally to handle the g-forces the SRT can generate. They are also heated and ventilated. One of the features I find really great is that the Dodge can be set to turn them—and the heated steering wheel—on when you remote start the vehicle, helping to create a more welcoming environment when you climb aboard.

The middle row’s seats are decent as well and the third row big enough for actual human habitation. Back seats folded, the Durango is usefully commodious with 48 cubic feet of space, which is not a lot less room than bigger machines like the Chevrolet Tahoe. UConnect, the name for the Dodge’s touchscreen infotainment system, continues to provide an intuitive and reliable way to interface with all the systems, and also provides a way to customize the SRT systems themselves, including ride quality, stability control intervention threshold, torque split between the front and rear axles and more.

Saving favorites into a personalized setting makes for a nicely tailored driving experience. Most all the semi-autonomous safety and driver aids work well, but the blind spot monitor’s beeping—which is pumped through the audio system speakers and mutes any music you’re listening to—need a rethink. Material quality is decent throughout and the optional stitched sand wrapped dash ups the interior ambiance significantly, though it is not actual leather.

In addition to riding smoothly, the SRT also rides quietly. This applies to all Durangos and to the Jeep Grand Cherokee with which it shares a platform and factory, and is a legacy of the Mercedes chassis both are based on. It subdues wind noise well too, making it a great highway cruiser.

But the real reason you’d get one is for the performance. Here the 392, while quite fast, with a 0-60mph dash of 4.6-4.7 seconds (based on independent testing) can’t run with the absurdly overendowed—and much pricier—SUVs at the top of the food chain. What it will do is provide excellent towing ability, a legitimate practicality for such a vehicle in my own experience, with an 8,700 pound rating. Dodge goes so far as to pump in active noise cancellation (like headphones for airline travel) when in Tow mode, to reduce the boominess of the exhaust.

The body changes that go with the Durango’s transformation to an SRT, which include functional intakes and vents for cooling the 6.4-liter engine and big Brembo brakes, are noticeable in just the right way; while I had the car at a BMW Club race, many folks who one might think would be snobbish of such a vehicle were actually really intrigued by it, and those who had spent any time with one sung its praises to all who would listen.

Dodge needs such support as it continues to transform its image into that of a performance brand, essential in a market that seems to have bifurcated into high end and value offerings, leaving the middle ground somewhat adrift. The company still lives up to its reputation for value; while the cost of entry for the SRT certainly is well above that of the average vehicle, it is tens of thousands less than any other six-passenger hot rod SUV of similar potential.

 

EPA ratings: 13/19mpg; 15mpg combined

0-60mph: 4.6sec (indep. test)

Price as tested: $71,270

Here is what Dodge has to say.

4.5 Stars

Contact Isaac Bouchard for help saving time, money and hassle when buying or leasing one at [email protected]