The soundtrack of Death Valley is the hiss of sand across hot asphalt, the whistle of wind through the hollow eyes of ghost towns, and the supercharger whine of a 710-hp Hellcat V-8 cradled in the engine bay of a 2026 Dodge Durango—at least, if you’re lucky. If you aren’t lucky, it’s 1849, and you’re trudging along on foot and considering eating the lesser of your traveling companions.
What the occupants of wagon trains in the Gold Rush would have given for the Durango SRT Hellcat’s effortless propulsion through the twisted volcanic remnants and spiky vegetation of this most famously unwelcoming landscape.
Death Valley is an intimidating 140 miles at the north end of the already daunting Mojave Desert near the border of California and Nevada. The indigenous tribes who lived in the area before prospectors disturbed the valley visited seasonally, using its red ochre rock for paint and hunting there during its mild months. They named it after the red rocks, and it only earned its morbid English moniker during the westward expansion of the 1800s, when wagon trains hoping to avoid the Sierra Nevada mountains attempted a rumored shortcut to the south. It went about how you’d imagine it would to earn a place the name Death Valley.
For Sale Near You
See all results for 2026 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat for sale near 04621
Even today, the area claims unprepared tourists with alarming regularity. It’s capable of reaching temperatures above 130 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer, and its dry lakes and salt pans become shallow, sticky oceans during the rainy season. Despite these dangers, or perhaps because of them, Death Valley is one of the best drives in California, especially in a vehicle well suited to long high-speed stretches past abandoned mines and with the power to effortlessly climb rising mountainside curves over panoramic views, something exactly like the Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat Jailbreak edition.
Although I’m sure this opinion could strike a flame or two in a Mopar forum, I think the Hellcat Durango is the best of all the Hellcat-powered options (at least until Stellantis gives in and puts its supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 in a Pacifica). It’s not the most powerful of the Hellcat variants and nowhere near as rowdy as a Demon or even a Red Eye Challenger or Charger. It’s not as silly-fun as a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk or as macho as a Ram TRX, but it’s the most well balanced of any Hellcatted model. The Durango is sophisticated, almost sensible, if any three-row SUV with a 3.6-second 60-mph time and a serious drinking problem can be considered sensible in 2026.
A brief recap of some specs, since they don’t change for 2026. Dodge has threatened discontinuation of the Hellcat Durango more than once over the past few years and then performed a tire-smoking J-turn, offering yet another year of excess, sometimes with new colors or themes, but with the same 710 horses and 645 pound-feet of torque ladled out through an eight-speed automatic and full-time all-wheel drive. The Durango’s 12.0-second quarter-mile time, as we’ve verified in the past, borders on ridiculous for a truck of this size and near-three-ton girth, but what’s more impressive still is how stable—nimble, even—it is at high speeds. I’ve been in self-proclaimed sports cars that won’t take a turn with the unruffled grip of the big Durango. Props to the engineers who figured out the stiffer suspension and adaptive dampers for the SRT. It’s a beefy ballerina, but it can dance.
The only challenging part of driving a Durango through the desert is keeping it below triple-digit speeds. Even in its mildest drive mode, with the most conservative throttle mapping, it will happily crack 100 mph with the accelerator halfway down and handle turns at speeds you’ll only realize you’ve attained when the time comes to stop. Happily, the six-piston front and four-piston rear Brembo brakes are sized for the speed, and even when startled by a bighorn sheep in the road, the Durango can stop with the same unflustered panache with which it accelerates.
Adding one last entry to the Durango’s spreadsheet of impressive traits, its maximum tow rating is 8700 pounds, making it ideal for boaters, campers, or racers. Heck, you could tow a race car to the track and enter the Durango as well for a fun couples weekend.
Dodge doesn’t often get accolades for its interiors, but I like the Durango’s accommodations. The seats are plush, the adjustability works for drivers on all points of the size spectrum, and Dodge’s infotainment interface, although aging, remains straightforward and quick to respond. If you don’t like a setting—say, the lane-keep warnings—there’s a hard button on the console to turn it off. Stereo controls are well placed on the back of the steering wheel. There are plenty of places for phones and snacks and passengers. Even the Jailbreak’s available third row is bearable, and if riders back there are uncomfortable, at least they know they’ll reach their destination quickly.
As a bonus on the Hellcat, the hood vents are flat enough and just the right size to hold a coffee cup. I don’t believe Dodge intended them to act as drink warmers, but they worked splendidly while I toured the ruins of Rhyolite, Nevada, and the jewel-box wonders of Death Valley Junction’s Amargosa Opera House. Fenders that can hold beverages during parking lot meetups or outdoor excursions are an underrated feature in modern car design.
None of this should come as a surprise, since, as I mentioned, there’s nothing major that’s changed on the Durango for 2026. Instead, think of this more as a reminder; hey, the Durango SRT Hellcat still exists, and if you’re already shopping in the upper reaches of SUV pricing ($82,985 to start for the Jailbreak), it’s a lot of engine and surprising capability for the money.
➡️ Skip the lot. Let Car and Driver help you find your next car.
It’s also very customizable, as one thing Dodge did change for the new year is loosen up ordering restrictions. Want green with gold wheels? Dodger blue and white stripes? Red seatbelts and slate-gray leather? Want to work with the Dodge concierge for a custom color? It’s all possible. The Jailbreak option lets Durango buyers choose from six different wheel designs, six exterior colors, six different exterior badge colors, five interior colors, four seatbelt colors, and three seating configurations, including a middle seat for the second row or forgoing the third row for an in-floor storage box instead. Finish it off with five dual-stripe options and four brake-caliper colors. For crossing the country, it’s a pretty big step up from an ox-pulled covered wagon.
Specifications
Specifications
2026 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat Jailbreak
Vehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-, 6-, or 7-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE
Base: $82,985
ENGINE
supercharged and intercooled pushrod 16-valve V-8, iron block and aluminum heads, port fuel injection
Displacement: 376 in3, 6166 cm3
Power: 710 hp @ 6100 rpm
Torque: 645 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm
TRANSMISSION
8-speed automatic
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 119.8 in
Length: 201.0 in
Width: 76.4 in
Height: 69.8 in
Passenger Volume, F/M/R: 54/51/36 ft3
Cargo Volume, Behind F/M/R: 85/43/17 ft3
Curb Weight (C/D est): 5550 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 3.6 sec
100 mph: 8.9 sec
1/4-Mile: 12.0 sec
Top Speed: 180 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 13/12/17 mpg
Like a sleeper agent activated late in the game, Elana Scherr didn’t know her calling at a young age. Like many girls, she planned to be a vet-astronaut-artist, and came closest to that last one by attending UCLA art school. She painted images of cars, but did not own one. Elana reluctantly got a driver’s license at age 21 and discovered that she not only loved cars and wanted to drive them, but that other people loved cars and wanted to read about them, which meant somebody had to write about them. Since receiving activation codes, Elana has written for numerous car magazines and websites, covering classics, car culture, technology, motorsports, and new-car reviews. In 2020, she received a Best Feature award from the Motor Press Guild for the C/D story “A Drive through Classic Americana in a Polestar 2.” In 2023, her Car and Driver feature story “In Washington, D.C.’s Secret Carpool Cabal, It’s a Daily Slug Fest” was awarded 1st place in the 16th Annual National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards by the Los Angeles Press Club.
Nguồn: Chi tiết
- Chưa có bình luận nào.
