Dodge’s 710-HP Durango SRT is the SUV Families Need And Don’t Know It

The 3-row SUV market was missing one thing: a truly diabolical, muscle-car-inspired family hauler capable of producing well over 700 horsepower. Well, Dodge made it happen with the 2021 Durango SRT Hellcat — the world’s most powerful SUV, at the moment anyways. 

Propelled by a burly supercharged 6.2L HEMI Hellcat V8 engine, Soccer Moms can expect this fairly unassuming-looking sport utility to reach 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds, run the quarter-mile in an NHRA-certified time of 11.5 seconds, and reach 180 mph / 290 km/h to ensure Jonny makes it to practice on time.

Durango SRT Hellcat horsepower, 0-60, and top speed

Matted to an 8-speed automatic transmission, this beast will make 710-hp and 645 lb.-ft. of torque. Really, is this much power really necessary in a family sport utility that seems better suited for the track and not the local Walmart? Probably not, and we’re certainly not complaining. 

Managing all this power, Dodge is throwing in Launch Control and Launch Assist as standards, providing the Hellcat SUV more consistent straight-line acceleration and better grip by modifying torque attributes. And all this performance and handling means nothing without a proper brake assembly, particularly in a larger vehicle like the Durango which finds massive Brembo brakes and vented rotors requiring only 35 metres (116 feet) to come to a full stop from 97 km/h (60 mph).

For the more technically-inclined, here are some key details on the Hellcat engine:

• Cast-iron engine block with water jackets between the cylinders for optimal cooling
• Forged-steel crankshaft with induction-hardened bearing surfaces
• Specially tuned crankshaft damper, burst tested to 13,000 rpm
• High-strength, forged-alloy pistons
• Powder-forged connecting rods with high-load-capacity bushings and diamond-like, carbon-coated piston pins
• Piston-cooling oil jets
• Heat-treated aluminum-alloy cylinder heads
• Sodium-cooled exhaust valves, hollow-stem intake valves and steel-alloy heads that stand up to temperatures as high as 900 degrees Celsius (1,652 degrees Fahrenheit)

New Durango R/T Tow N Go Package

Even without the mind-boggling V8, the Durango is a leader in the 3-row SUV segment when it comes to towing capacity. Now, the optional Tow N Go Package new for 2021 will deliver 3,946 kg (8,700 lb.) towing capacity from a 5.7L HEMI V8, while increasing the SUV’s top speed to 145 mph or 233 km/h — all riding on 20-inch aluminum wheels wrapped in Pirelli Scorpion Zero all-season tires, exclusive to this package.

A nice bonus, the towing package also includes 4 modes (Track, Sport, Snow, Tow) for more fine-tuned performance, re-tuned SRT Active Noise Cancellation, new Electronic Limited Slip Differential and SRT Active Damping Suspension, and Performance Pages which come standard on all Dodge R/T models.

Durango SRT release date and pricing:

Orders for the Durango SRT Hellcat will begin in Fall 2020, with deal deliveries starting early in 2021. Here’s US pricing, excluding the $1,495 destination charge: