2026 Dodge Durango R/T Blacktop Tested: Getting a Second Wind?

Sometimes less really can be more

written by Nick Yekikian
edited by Kirk Bell
9/12/2026
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What's new: Not this thing — this generation of Durango has been around for over 15 years.
Why it matters: Despite its age, the Durango still sells in strong numbers. We took one in for testing to find out exactly why that might be.
Edmunds says: After a week behind the wheel, the charm of its big V8 and wonderfully simple cabin makes it a rare (and genuinely compelling) offering in 2026. Just beware that fuel bill ...

The 2026 Dodge Durango is the worst vehicle you can buy. At least, that's what our ratings and rankings say. Its overall score of 4.9 is lower than every single other automotive offering currently made available for sale.

Not only that, but this generation is technically so old that someone born the first year it came out (2011) is now old enough to have a driver's license and purchase their very own brand-new Durango.

Not only that, but, somehow, this generation of Durango had its best sales year in 2025. That means this supposedly dog-tired, archaic SUV is on a massive roll. Naturally, I had to see what all the fuss was about.

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2026 Dodge Durango R/T Blacktop interior

No muss or fuss, anywhere

It's certainly not the interior. A foot-actuated parking brake, a screen no bigger than the new iPhone Duo, and hard plastics basically, well, everywhere don't exactly scream "best-seller" to me. But if you look past the fact that the Durango is clearly behind the curve, what you find are some strong bones.

Every single key control for the climate functions exists in the physical realm. That means the Durango provides buttons and knobs for all the stuff you're going to use all the time — you can fiddle with the climate menu in the screen, but you genuinely never have to use it. There are other physical shortcuts for disabling the annoying lane-keeping function and a button that takes you to this SRT's Performance Pages data screens. Even the gear selector moves with a satisfying "thunk."

Not only that, but the Durango's interior is properly cavernous without being compromised for it. There is ample space in the first, second and third rows for adults, but visibility doesn't suffer. It might not be the most feature-rich third row of all time, but sitting in the back feels about on par with the Ford Expeditions and Chevy Tahoes of the world. Dodge got the packaging of the third row right more than a decade ago, and some brands are still playing catch-up.

Pricing

2027 Dodge Durango pricing in Ashburn, VA

Base MSRP by trim

As a result, the Durango simply works as an everyday driver. There's no strange newness to get used to. You won't find some hopped-up austere chrome-laden version of the future in here. Simply put, not everyone needs or wants to embrace adjusting the direction of your air vents through the screen, and I'm one of those people. Plus, I'd be happy to offer all of my friends a capacious seat without having to listen to complaints.

Doing more with less, and a huge V8

But, and of course, there's going to be one of those, the reason you buy a Durango in 2026 isn't the space or the simplicity. The reason you go for one is what's under the hood. The R/T Blacktop we tested hides a huge 6.4-liter Hemi V8 in front of its passengers.

It makes 475 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque. It’s not the 700-plus-hp monster you get if you spring for the Hellcat, but aside from the more brutal acceleration, it absolutely delivers what you want from a muscle-bound crossover. In fact, it's actually a touch more balanced than that SUV.

The problem with Hellcats is they're always straining at the leash. They want to show you just how powerful they really are, and despite how tempting it is, using all that grunt is typically either impossible or just a bad idea. The less powerful naturally aspirated unit in this R/T Durango allows you to bury your right foot into the carpet whenever you see fit within reason. The all-wheel-drive system hooks up and speed builds in tidy lockstep with the revs and that glorious V8 bark.

You're not going to find yourself in a ditch because of it either. The Pirelli all-seasons provide good grip (it pulled 0.91 g on our skidpad), and the steering is direct without being too light or too darty. The brakes are solid, too, hauling this 5,406-pound behemoth down from 60 mph to a dead stop in 114 feet.

In our testing, the Durango R/T Blacktop hit 60 mph from a standstill in 4.9 seconds and cleared the quarter mile in 13.2 seconds at 102.7 mph. The Kia Telluride, Hyundai Palisade and Honda Pilot might all be newer and fancier, but this ol' Durango would still beat their brakes off at a set of lights. And that's why you'd buy one of these, isn't it?


2026 Dodge Durango R/T Blacktop	Edmunds test results
Engine	6.4-liter V8
Transmission	eight-speed automatic
Horsepower	475 hp
Torque	470 lb-ft
Driveline	all-wheel drive
Weight	5,406 pounds
0-60 mph	4.9 sec
Quarter mile	13.2 seconds at 102.7 mph
60-0 mph braking	114 feet
Lateral grip (200-ft skidpad)	0.91
As-tested price	$58,420

The old-fashioned simplicity of the cabin is neatly mirrored by the brutal effectiveness of the non-hybrid, non-augmented V8 under the hood. It is, after all, one of the only three-row SUVs on sale that still offer eight naturally aspirated cylinders humming along in lopey harmony — and at $58,420 as tested, it's definitely the least expensive.

So go ahead. Spring for the V8, and don't feel the need for the Hellcat. Zoom around at the helm of your own thunderstorm. Dine on the crackles and burbles and rasps of the exhaust. And then maybe wince a little (or a lot) at the 12 mpg you're getting.

But most importantly, don't take it for granted. A V8 silly-mobile like this is a rare thing in 2026, and even though we give it a low rating, we're happy Dodge has kept this one alive. We just can't be sure how much longer it's going to be around.

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by Nick Yekikian

Nick Yekikian has worked in the automotive industry since 2019. He has written close to a thousand car-related articles and tested and reviewed more than 200 vehicles over the course of his career. Nick is Edmunds' manager of news content and has also contributed to MotorTrend, Automobile Magazine and Super Street. When Nick isn't zipping around town in his latest used-car find, he's probably making digital art in Photoshop or playing disc golf with friends.

edited by Kirk Bell

Cars have been an important part of his life since Kirk learned to identify them by their headlights as a toddler. He grew up helping pit crew for his dad’s highly unsuccessful drag racing escapades, and he turned his knowledge of the car culture into a career when he became an editor at Scale Auto Enthusiast magazine starting in college. Kirk has been writing about full-scale cars for more than 20 years and was named to the North American Car and Truck of the Year jury in 2014. He was most recently senior editor at Motor Authority, where he specialized in luxury and performance cars. Kirk also authored and edited several car books, including the award-winning Hot Rod & Custom Chronicle and NASCAR Chronicle when was managing editor at Consumer Guide Automotive. Kirk enjoys nothing more than a track day, but he’s also a Wisconsin sport fan and he enjoys spirited drives in his 2006 Porsche 911 Carrera S.

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