DODGE DURANGO SRTNOT YOUR ORDINARY FAMILY-FRIENDLY RIDE
No three-row SUV should be as speedy and high-performing as this 475 hp beast
An SUV with three rows of seats should not be able to reach nearly 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds. It should not sound like hell on wheels, or howl through the bends like a large sports sedan. Yet here we are, all four tires screaming around a track at Indianapolis International Speedway — home to the Indy 500 — in the 2018 Dodge Durango SRT, entering turn one at close to 200 km/h.
Have the people at Dodge lost their minds? Who would build something like this? Actually, Dodge engineers and executives might never before have had such a melding of minds, all of them seemingly united in proving there’s still a lot of love for real performance cars, that the world is indeed not rushing out to join autonomous and EV parades, that the desire — and in some cases, need — for lots of horsepower and torque wrapped in a gorgeous body are still highly desirable tenets in an automobile.
Hence the 475 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque from the 392-cubic inch Hemi V-8 in the 2018 Durango SRT. Hence its quarter-mile time of 12.9 seconds — just 3.3 seconds slower than the feral Dodge Challenger Demon, currently the fastest quarter-mile production car on the planet. Hence the ability to tow up to 8,700 lbs (3,946 kilograms) in an SUV that will carry groceries just as well as it carries speed. It’s the Hemi Charger of SUVs.
Out here on the track, the Durango shows its weight of about 5,500 lbs (2,495 kg), and naturally, feels a little top-heavy clipping apexes. Yet it does so as easily as a landscaper trims hedges. With the on-board electronics set to Track mode (yes, really, a track mode in a family hauler, but there’s also Street, Sport, Snow, Tow and Valet) the Durango is happy to execute its duties. Only when compared with the 707-hp supercharged Hellcat does it feel wanting in power.
Shifts of the eight-speed automatic transmission are somewhat abrupt under full throttle in Track mode, accompanied by a bark from the specially tuned dual exhaust that will frighten pedestrians. But what else would you expect when shifts occur at 160 milliseconds?
Under normal driving, the transmission, controlled by paddle shifters or a new electronic T-shifter, snaps through the gears without hesitation or abruptness. Equally smooth is the electronic steering, accurate and on point, if a little stingy on feedback. In Track mode, about 70 per cent of the torque is sent to the rear wheels.
Even when the Durango begins to slide out at the limit, it’s totally without drama, completely controllable and responsive to more throttle. Give it some gas in a slide and the AWD system will pull the truck out from any errant trajectory because it has been tuned for performance. Thanks to an independent rear suspension, even beaten roads won’t register any complaints from occupants, even though the Durango SRT rides on stiffer springs front and rear. And with a Bilstein adaptive damping suspension system, the driver can choose how soft or firm a ride by activating one of the SRT modes. All SUVs should be this manageable.
Huge, six-piston front Brembo brakes on 15-inch rotors gain a little pedal travel after a few heated laps, but do not give up bite. Dodge says the Durango will stop in a remarkable 115 feet from 98 km/h. Traction from the optional Pirelli P Zero rubber is good; four-season Scorpion Verde tires come standard.
Out on the street, the Durango is noticeably quiet and more silent that any Dodge I can recall, even with that mad-dog exhaust, which is partly achieved through active noise cancellation. The exhaust certainly makes itself known all the time, but there’s no drone to complain about. Married to such tremendous power and with such a good suspension, driving the Durango SRT is a genuinely rewarding experience.
It also looks the part; it’s fast without being overdone. Sure, the SRT hood and its air inlet and extractors are dead giveaways that this isn’t any ordinary kid hauler, but the cold-air duct above the LED fog light is appropriately discreet.
At $72,495 to start, the Dodge Durango SRT can’t quite compete with the interior of a Range Rover Sport or Mercedes-Benz GLSClass, but it’s a far cry nicer than the aged interior of a Chevy Tahoe or GMC Yukon, which tow 100 lbs less. The customizable TFT instrument panel is excellent, as is the 8.4-inch Uconnect touch screen. Leather and suede sport seats are standard, as is a Beats audio system with nine speakers, a subwoofer and a 506-watt amp. It’s all very satisfying.
The only problem is the whole family will be constantly yelling at you to slow down.