Seven months ago, I reviewed the Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat. 710 horsepower, 640 pounds per foot of torque, zero to 60 in 3.6 seconds.
Say hello to what you get if you ask your Dodge dealer for something a bit less wild---the still-crazy-just-not-bat***t-insane Dodge Durango SRT 392 AWD.
Moderation, you see, can only be judged by the extremes it resides between. The least-powerful engine you can get in a Durango has 295 horsepower. It's a V6. If you gave me sodium pentathol, I would tell you it is also only about five horsepower less than all the horsepower you really need to have some fun and retain your license to drive.
Once you step up into a V8, the minimum is 360, the max is the aforementioned Hellcat's 710 and this---well, this is the middle. 475 horsepower. 470 pounds per foot of torque. It's a 6.4-liter V8 (6.4 liters is 390.552 inches. Somehow, that gets translated to 392, even though it's closer to 389, but then that was a Pontiac engine and math is hard and so is branding). In any world that didn't include the Hellcat, this would be the most extreme interpretation of a seven-seater SUV. Zero to 60 in 4.1 seconds (Brembo brakes with SRT performance pads are standard for when the fun needs to stop in a hurry). Dodge itself calls it "monstrous" on its website. Your neighbors with the Sierra Club memberships will likely agree. The EPA fuel economy estimate is 13 city/19 highway.
$65,887 gets you a base Durango SRT 392 AWD. The window sticker is at the end of this review so you can see for yourself, but among the standard equipment highlights at that price are heated front seats, wireless charging and a 9-speaker Alpine audio system with subwoofer.
There were, of course, extra-cost options---in this case, $15,285 worth. Check the window sticker for the details. If I were playing with my own money, the Black Package, rear seat entertainment and the stripes would probably go, saving $4,835, but I'm all in on the leather and the upgraded 19-speaker, 825-watt Harman Kardon audio system.
With $1,595 delivery (I think this is the fourth-highest delivery charge I've seen---behind the Rolls-Royce Ghost, the Rolls-Royce Wraith and the Acura NSX), the as-tested price of the 2021 Dodge Durango SRT 392 AWD is $82,757.
Is it worth it? That's a question only you can decide. There are a lot of seven-seat SUVs on the market. If you bought one of the others, and this pulled up next to you in traffic, how badly would you beat yourself up for not buying one? That answer will tell you whether the Dodge Durango SRT 392 AWD belongs in your garage.
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