Placing 710 horsepower into a three-row family SUV may sound preposterous, but that’s exactly what Dodge has ordered. Unassuming, unapologetic, and unfiltered, the Durango SRT Hellcat is an esoteric machine appreciated by many but understood by few. It’s the do-it-all, no-compromise household hauler, with the capability of strapping seven passengers into their seatbelts while lighting the fuse to a 91-octane rocket.
Want to cruise along the boulevard and acoustically harass bystanders with your eight-cylinder war drum? No problem. Need to be in the next province by sundown? Check. Whoever green-lit the Hellcat powertrain for the Durango clearly envisioned the perfect one-car garage. The 6.2-litre supercharged HEMI V8 ensures there’s no shortage of propulsion, generating 710 hp and 649 lb-ft through an 8-speed automatic transmission, backed up by the confident grip of all-wheel drive and meaty, 20-inch, 295-section-width wheels. To hell(cat) with turbos. It’s a strange alchemy that looks absurd on paper but somehow makes sense when in use.
The Durango is friendlier, more forgiving to drive, and easier to explore its limits than the previous, rear-driven Charger and Challenger Hellcats. With all four wheels clawing for grip, the villainous V8 is tame and exploitable. Yet, from behind the wheel, you always get the feeling that you’re merely sitting at the tip of the rocket, somehow tracking ahead while the nozzles vector the thrust into its best impression of a straight line. The acceleration is addicting and intoxicating, backed up by the high-pitched whine of the supercharger. You won’t hear it under gentle acceleration, but the moment you depress the pedal past half, that signature whine emerges in glorious falsetto.
Strong brakes easily reel you back from unholy speeds, but this is still an SUV best exploited in straight lines rather than corners. While it will still boogey in the bends, it lacks the stiffness, rigidity, and agility to keep up with other sporty SUVs like the BMW X5 M and Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S. Yet, the ride is quite supple and supportive, justifying its use as a daily driver and augmenting its seven-seater capability as a road trip warrior.
Far from minty fresh, everything about the interior screams last-generation, from the bulky steering wheel to the panel arrangement, especially after experiencing the reinvigorated cabin in the new Dodge Charger. But the Durango has aged well and remains functional and ergonomic without heavy reliance on touchscreens. That alone is cause for celebration. While antiquated if migrating from a recently released, gadget-driven competitor, having a dedicated button for heating controls and the SRT driving mode shows how effortless user functionality used to be.
That includes the rear-seat adjustments for the second and third rows, which aren’t operated by slow, sluggish electric rails that feel like watching grass grow, but are adjusted manually and much quicker as a result. There’s a surprising amount of head- and legroom for our six-foot figure in the back row as well, and it’s an empowering feeling to be able to haul large pieces of furniture and cargo around with over 700 horsepower in tow.
Still, the Durango shows its age in many other areas, including the lack of a 360-degree camera or a high-definition rearview camera, the handbrake latch in the footwell, and the washer nozzles embedded in the front hood. The amount of plastic used for the panels and surfaces for a $150,000 car can feel insulting, but these Hellcats appear to embody the old Ferrari adage where you’re simply paying for the engine, while the rest of the car comes for free.
The Durango SRT Hellcat will appear brutish, overcompensating, and arrogant to some, but for a select few enthusiasts, it will be a 710 horsepower roller coaster ride with space for seven. A hairy-chested SUV that still requires a level of respect and finesse to operate, even with its chunky tires and AWD system, the Durango bites, sings, and entertains in ways that no other SUV can.
Specifications:
Model: 2026 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat Jailbreak
Paint Type: Octane Red Pearl
Base Price: $134,495
Price as Tested: $148,575
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Horsepower: 710 hp
Torque: 645 lb-ft
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Engine & Drive Configuration: Front engine, AWD
Observed Fuel Consumption (L/100km): 20.5
Tires: Pirelli Scorpion Zero; 295/45ZR20
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