2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat

NARRATOR: This is ferocious 710 horsepower 645 pound feet of torque in a '57 100 pound SUV. Seriously it is beastly, it is a monster. It is good for one thing and one thing only, [ENGINE REVS] Terrifying right. Does this Mr Hyde monster car have a sophisticated and sensible Dr. Jekyll inside, it's possible. But we are going to have to tire this creature out before we try to tame it. Do you like this video ? Do you want more like it. Hit subscribe. And if you would be interested in a cash offer for your car visit us at edmunds.com/sellmycar [MUSIC PLAYING] [CAR ENGINE REVS] I am going to say that the Dodge Hellcat is the most famous currently produced American engine. Feel free of to argue with me in the comments if you don't agree with me. But I just feel like even people who don't really know what it is 6.2 litre supercharged V8, that makes between 707 and 717 horsepower depending on which year and model you get there's also a 797 horsepower red-eye version. Even people who don't know that they know that it's something special, maybe something kind of violent. Certainly they know that a Hellcat is a performer. It's almost a joke. How many different cars you can get with the Hellcat engine. I mean there's charger's, challenger's, RAM T-Rex, Jeep Grand Cherokee Track hawk, and now the Dodge Durango. Fingers crossed for the Hellcat hybrid Pacifica that would be a ride. I mean you can understand what Dodge is doing here, with a product that is this hilarious and this popular, and let's be honest with changing environmental rules in the future, likely with a limited lifespan. Why wouldn't you get all the use out of it that you can. Hellcat all the things I'm not mad. We are at Irwindale Speedway to do some drag racing with the Durango, because this brute needs to be set free. But first let's take a look at some of the changes for 2021. The Durango got an exterior update for 2021 to make it look more like the Charger Wide body. So it's got a new front feature, a big scoop in the hood, LED headlamps and running lamps, and a rear spoiler in the back. It's not all for looks either. The chin splitter in the front balances out with the wing in the rear for better aerodynamics, and behind all the openings and grills is an updated engine oil cooler duct and passages for cold air induction. It kind of looks like a crouching Grizzly Bear doesn't it ? Let's go give it some exercise, before it eats somebody. [CAR ENGINE REVS] [THEME SONG] It's really busy here, I think people have been just dying to go racing. So super crowded a long wait to get through the lanes and then it was like go, go, go. [CAR ENGINE REVS] You wouldn't normally think of a big SUV as a drag racing champ. But Dodge knows it's way around a drag strip. With all wheel drive the Durango just up and goes. Dodge says the Durango can run 0 to 60 in 3.5 seconds and 1/4 mile time in 11 0.5. AUDIENCE: Got a Hellcat engine ? NARRATOR: How do you know, thank you. We raced on an eight mile track, and we were just kind of goofing around but we still ran a seven six which is sort of a high 11 second time. So not too far off the perfect time you'd get on a perfect track. Now in the original story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde Dr. Jekyll was nice on the outside. But he had an evil side and the Durango is kind of the opposite in that it looks and sounds evil and it certainly stomps the drag strip like a monster, but it has a cultured sensitive side. And to prove it we're going to take it on a day trip. [MUSIC PLAYING] [CAR ENGINE REVS] On the rare occasion when you're not giving in to the urge to floor this thing on straightaways, the Durango takes curves and winding roads with surprising grace for something so large and so loud. [CAR ENGINE REVS] This is because the suspension was redesigned for more comfort in the street setting and better handling, in the track setting. And I would say it delivers. [CAR ENGINE REVS] Steering is electric, so you can change the settings for more or less weighty feel, depending on what you like. And the brakes are really good in the Durango. Now this is something that we actually complained a little bit about in the Trackhawk, which is the other big Hellcat SUV. Just felt like when it came to stopping the thing, it was like Oh no is it going to. This is the same brake setup but because of the new suspension and the better weight distribution. It stops, right when you need it to. Now the Durango does remain beastly when it comes to fuel economy and price. If you're interested in the style and utility of the Hellcat Durango but you don't like that big price tag, look at some of the other trim levels. For example, the 392, still gives you a HEMI, and it costs a lot less. Neither of the HEMI's is going to give you a great fuel economy. But if that is the conversation that you want to have might need to shop for a different car. All I can say about that, is that there are a lot of trucks that get similar fuel mileage, and aren't nearly as fast or as fun. [MUSIC PLAYING] Remember how I said Dr. Jekyll was mean on the inside, not the Durango. It is soft, plush, and loving in here. Really like everywhere that you're going to touch this car is padded. Very safe feeling. And it's also very attractive, you know it's got swede stuff here on the dash, as well as this forged Carbon Fiber, that is not my favorite look it looks kind of like camo, but it is kind of cool like it's bragging rights I mean Lamborghini's uses it. It has this nice big center screen, and it uses Dodges Uconnect Infotainment system, which is one of my favorites. It's just always been very easy to use, and they have made it even better. Now you can customize the screen to have like shortcuts to whatever you use the most, like cooled seats, or the performance pages, or Apple CarPlayer, Android auto. And then you can still have your map up. So that keeps you from having to go through a bunch of menus to find what you're looking for. It's safer and it's quicker, also it looks cool. You got charging ports, you got a wireless pad, cup holders, lots of little cabbies here and there. It's useful I mean room in general is not a problem in a Durango I mean. The philosophy of making it easy to get to the controls doesn't just apply to climate and music. It applies to performance as well. There's SRT button right here it takes you straight to the dashboard where you can go through all the different modes. So track, sport, auto that's more for comfort, then there's a snow mode, and a tow mode. How many race cars have a tow mode ? There's also a custom mode, so you can set it to anything you like. So if you like the hard shifts and the steering and track what you want the suspension to be more comfortable, you can leave the suspension and street and put everything else in track. There's also a launch control button, one touch you can floret, take off, ready to go. It's very easy and it's very cool. The transmission is an eight speed automatic. But if you want to control that manually, you can do that too with paddle shifters. Personally I like to just leave it on track and let it do its thing. You know legally drag strips won't allow you to race with passengers in the car, and that's probably a good idea. But if they did, you could do it with six adults sitting in total comfort. [MUSIC PLAYING] Not only is the Durango a sweetheart inside, but it's also quite useful. Plenty of room behind the third row for groceries, obviously there's more with it down. And if you have all the seats down there's a massive 85.1 cubic feet, which is more than enough to carry everything you need for a picnic. Heck it's big enough that we could just have the picnic in the Durango. Would a monster take you on a picnic ? Never. If only I had a boat, I could have towed it and we could have had lunch on the water. The Durango is rated to tow an impressive 8,700 pounds, which is nearly 4,000 more than many popular three row competitors, like the KIA Telluride, the Volkswagen, Atlas, and the Toyota 4Runner. [MUSIC PLAYING] The Hellcat Durango is definitely a car with a split personality. But hey who doesn't relate to that sometimes, you're feeling rowdy, and other times you just have to get the job done. Sometimes you want a day in the sun other times a day at the track. If you're moving to a family sized SUV, after a lifetime of driving sporty cars, the Durango allows you to get the job done without giving up your personality. Even the rowdy side. If you like this video, hit like and subscribe for more. If you'd be interested in a cash offer for your car visit us at edmunds.com/sellmycar and let us know in the comments what you'd put a Hellcat engine in. [THEME SONG]