America was one of many countries that gave a three-row SUV a lot of power. Perhaps you are taken aback by this information. Mercedes-Benz made a first-generation GLS with 600 horsepower during the muscle car era, so the Germans earned this award. But, as with most things, the style was perfected or at least made a lot better in America.
The Dodge Durango Hellcat will still be the world’s most powerful three-row gas-powered SUV when it comes out in 2021 (cue faraway eagle howls). This car can go from 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds, even if your kids are in the back seats and their stuff is squished between the trunk and the seats. In terms of horsepower, it boasts 710, and its torque is 645 pound-feet.
But the Durango Hellcat doesn’t last long, just like the Challenger and (gas-powered) Charger that came before it. The company that owns Dodge is switching the brand from gas to electric power. This means that the Hellcat line and V-8 Durango will soon be a thing of the past. But it is of the utmost significance to keep them in mind.
When you press the red starting button, your Hellcat adventure starts. The beautiful boosted V-8 engine comes to life. Anyone who lived next door didn’t mind hearing it every morning; I did. The same 6.2-liter engine powers the TRX truck, the Charger, and everything else. It takes more force than any other application to move the 5,710 pounds of weight that is sitting on top of it.
The Durango can also move. When you slam on the gas, this thing makes a terrible noise. The old-fashioned physical tachometer quickly rises to speeds that are against the law and a deep exhaust noise roars from the back of the quad exhaust tips. Inside, there is a lovely whine from the blower. It’s fast, and not just for SUVs with three rows.
Responses from the throttle are smooth and quick. It can be picky, even when going slowly, which makes it hard to sell in parking lots. It also means you can continue at a red light or stop sign. I was “testing” the Durango’s 0–60 times all the time.
The Durango gets even more excited when you put it in Sport or Track mode. It shifts smoothly and fast and works well with or without the paddles. The ZF eight-speed has a nice roughness to it, and the springs are also stronger.
Even though the Durango Hellcat isn’t a sports car, I was surprised by how well the 17-foot SUV turned. The steering is perfectly weighted, and the suspension is soft enough that it doesn’t sag in turns, even when the boost is turned up all the way. The Pirelli P Zero summer tires, which grip very well, are also made of rubber bands.
The main problem with the Durango Hellcat is that it is so big that it takes up almost the whole lane when turning sharply. Additionally, the brakes could be better. Although the huge 15.7-inch, six-piston Brembo brakes work well, the pedal itself feels soft and uneven. In an instant, the pressure goes from being barely visible to being too high. If you have to stop quickly, the kids should be in their seats.
The Durango’s house is getting old. This is, after all, a base that is ten years old that has been warmed up. Some of the materials may break easily, and the quality and fit aren’t great. There are way too many hard plastic parts and cheap fitments that look like metal on an SUV that costs $97,590. It’s less nice inside the Dodge Durango than it is inside the BMW X7, the Cadillac Escalade, or even the Kia Telluride.
The front seats are great and give you a break. The front seats’ seatbacks are made of red Nappa leather and have the Hellcat mark raised on them. The dashboard, door panels, and center armrest are all made of leather, which can be heated or cooled.
The current look comes from the 10.1-inch screen. There is a brand-new navigation system called UConnect 5 in the Durango Hellcat. It has a sleek, responsive layout. Additionally, it comes equipped with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard features. The Hellcat’s gauges are still real, which makes it more appealing, even though there isn’t a second panel with a fully digital display.
The captain’s chairs in the second row are very comfortable and are made of the same Nappa leather as the bucket seats in the front. There is a lot of space for your head, legs, back, and bottom. However, it’s hard to put people in the third row because the two seats there only offer 33.5 inches of legroom, which is less than the average for the class compared to a normal bench. Also, when the third row is folded down, the Durango only has 17.5 cubic feet of room for cargo. There are 85.1 cubes in all of the second and third rows are folded flat.
To get a three-row with 710 horsepower, you have to give up some things. Prices begin at $97,950 (or $110,685 as tried), making it neither the best nor the most expensive SUV to drive. But the Durango Hellcat does what it’s supposed to do: go fast in a straight line.
Dodge is no longer making the Hellcat series and its famous supercharged engine. The Durango is now the company’s only V-8 performance car until it is also taken out. It will be missed when it’s gone.
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