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10 Things You Need to Know About the 2018 Dodge Durango SRT

Charles Krome
by Charles Krome
February 7, 2017
5 min. Reading Time
2018 Dodge Durango Power 3 4 front beauty ・  Photo by Dodge

2018 Dodge Durango Power 3 4 front beauty ・ Photo by Dodge

The 2018 Dodge Durango SRT premiere at the 2017 Chicago Auto Show, celebrates the first time the Durango gets a full complement of Street and Racing Technology right from the factory. As a result, once the Durango SRT hits dealerships during the fourth quarter of the year, the Dodge brand will lay claim to the industry’s fastest and most powerful muscle car, the fastest and most powerful sedan, and the fastest and most powerful three-row SUV. No, the Durango SRT won’t be quite as explosive as the Charger and Challenger Hellcats, but it will deliver something that pair can’t - the kind of cargo capacity and towing capability that customers expect from a large SUV. And while pricing and a few details have yet to be revealed, here are some of the important things we do know about this dynamic Durango.

1. It has a power-packed powertrain.

Naturally, the biggest upgrade for the 2018 Dodge Durango SRT comes under the hood, thanks to the deployment of a 392-cubic-inch HEMI V8. That’s 6.4 liters for the metrically minded, and compares to the 5.3-liter unit that was the most powerful HEMI offered for the 2017 Durango. Backed by the bigger engine, the SRT SUV can provide a whopping 475 horsepower and 470 lb.-ft. of torque; the so-called Sport model of the Ford Explorer tops out with 365 horses and 350 lb.-ft. of torque. The SRT powerplant also gets paired with a standard eight-speed automatic transmission that’s been specifically engineered for duty in the Durango SRT. Drivers can shift manually, too, with standard steering-wheel paddles. The setup even offers downshift rev matching for an “optimal transition between gears for improved performance.”

 Photo by Dodge

Photo by Dodge

2. A multi-mode drive system is standard.

Like most modern-day vehicles that are dedicated to all-out athleticism, the 2018 Dodge Durango SRT relies on a multi-mode driver system so that owners can fine-tune the vehicle’s dynamics for different conditions. Indeed, owners of the Durango SRT get lucky with a seven-mode setup that enables three increasingly high levels of on-pavement performance: There’s the standard “Auto” mode, of course, allowing the vehicle to outrun most mainstream competitors right out of the box. Next, a “Sport” mode mode dials in faster reflexes and shift times, and it’s followed by a full-on “Track” mode for the ultimate Durango driving experience. Also in the mix are a “Snow” mode for winter weather, a “Tow” mode for trailering, an “ECO” mode for maximum fuel efficiency; and, finally, a “Valet” mode so that the only one doing any joyriding is the owner.

 Photo by Dodge

Photo by Dodge

3. All that power pays off in performance.

Okay, the 2018 Dodge Durango SRT’s engine specs look fairly special on the screen, but how do they translate into the real world? Dodge partnered with the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) to find out, and when they got to the drag strip, the Durango SRT got through the quarter mile in a blistering 12.9 seconds. In terms of 0-60 acceleration—a key metric for the performance crowd—the Durango SRT clocked a 4.4-second time that also was certified by the NHRA. To put that into context, that’s about 11 percent faster than a Porsche Cayenne GTS, which only supplies two rows of seating. Heck, the Durango SRT is exactly as quick to 60 as a Porsche 911 Carrera—a “real-deal” sports car. The Dodge, though, should be less expensive by tens of thousands of dollar.

 Photo by Dodge

Photo by Dodge

4. The SRT team significantly enhanced Durango handling.

Given that the 2018 Dodge Durango SRT is a three-row SUV that stretches more than 200 inches in length, you might not think of it as a hot handler. SRT engineers, however, clearly wanted to change your thinking. With that in mind, the Durango SRT rides on a sophisticated suspension with an independent front setup and a multi-link rear configuration, both bolstered by Bilstein adaptive damping, stabilizer bars, and stiffer springs than in the standard model. Additionally, the Durango SRT’s all-wheel-drive system has been revised to better handle extreme enthusiastic driving maneuvers. The bottom line from Dodge is a suspension with “outstanding high-speed cornering capability.” Nor should drivers forget about the effects of the vehicle’s multi-mode drive system, which ensures the appropriate suspension settings for optimum handling in all driving scenarios.

 Photo by Dodge

Photo by Dodge

5. It stops as quickly as it goes.

Obviously, to be taken seriously by modern-day enthusiasts, vehicles have to furnish all-around great performance in all aspects of the driving experience—including braking. That’s why so many current high-performance cars carry brakes from Brembo. In fact, you’ll see the brand’s calipers peeking out from behind the wheels of Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches and more. Now you can add the 2018 Dodge Durango SRT to the client list. Behind its standard 20-inch aluminum wheels, which can be wrapped in Pirelli PZero rubber, there will be Brembo’s six-piston front calipers, four-piston rear calipers, and vented rotors at all four wheel positions.  Press the brake pedal with that kind of hardware attached and the Durango SRT will go a mile a minute to a dead stop in an estimated 115 feet.

 Photo by Dodge

Photo by Dodge

6. You can lap the track in the lap of luxury.

The 2018 Dodge Durango serves up premium performance with a definite emphasis on the “premium” part of the equation. The cabin, for example, showcases striking Nappa leather seats with suede inserts. The front row, with silver-stitched SRT logos, is both heated and ventilated, while the standard second-row captain’s chairs are heated as well. Those luxury cues are set off by a hand-wrapped dashboard with silver accent stitching, a flat-bottomed, racing-style steering wheel, and Light Black Chrome accents on the center stack, HVAC vents, door handles and console. The floor mats? Those are made from velour and boast embroidered SRT logos. Upscale options for the Durango SRT then include a Laguna leather cabin in Demonic Red, with embossed seat logos, and a Durango first: instrument panel and door bezels made from real carbon fiber.

 Photo by Dodge

Photo by Dodge

7. SRT maintains the Durango’s SUV capability.

Perhaps the No 1 advantage of the 2018 Dodge Durango SRT is that it combines all those previously mentioned performance benefits with true SUV capability: Not does the Durango SRT have the highest engine outputs and lower acceleration times in its class, it also has the top tow rating. More specifically, the vehicle’s robust HEMI engine can haul up to 8,600 lbs. worth of trailer—that’s 200 lbs. more than a four-wheel-drive Chevy Tahoe. For cargo inside the vehicle, the Durango SRT provides 17.2 cubic feet of storage space behind the third row, 47.7 with the third row folded, and a total of 84.5 cubic feet when the second and third rows are folded.

 Photo by Dodge

Photo by Dodge

8. Dodge delivers with infotainment technology.

Managing infotainment resources for the 2018 Dodge Durango SRT is the highly praised Uconnect 8.4 system. It’s the same technology that was called the industry’s “standout” last year by Consumer Reports, and it features one of the largest touchscreens in the class, at 8.4 inches. Navigation and voice recognition are standard, as are the newest SRT Performance Pages and smartphone-integration functionalities, the latter of which supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Other apps also can be downloaded to the Uconnect homepage, which further provides access to HD Radio and a five-year complimentary subscription for SiriusXM Travel Link and Traffic services. The finishing touch for audiophiles is a standard BeatsAudio system with a 506-watt amplifier and nine speakers, including a subwoofer.

 Photo by Dodge

Photo by Dodge

9. There have been some dramatic design updates.

Not many rivals will catch up to the 2018 Dodge Durango SRT at full speed, yet it will certainly catch the eyes—even when it’s not moving at all. For instance, right up front is an SRT hood that’s been modified for better engine breathing and cooling, complete with functional air-inlet ducts and heat extractors. A new cold-air duct—and LED fog lamps—also detail the front fascia and lower valance, and the grille sports an SRT-inspired mesh pattern. Accentuating that aggressive face are integrated wheel flares and body-color rocker panels, with the rear distinguished by 4-inch dual exhaust tips that are finished in Nickel Chrome and integrated with the Durango SRT’s lower rear fascia. For a bonus blast of style, owners can swap the standard “Goliath” design wheels for 20-inch forged aluminum wheels with a split five-spoke design.

 Photo by Dodge

Photo by Dodge

10. Each Durango SRT comes with a complimentary track day.

You read that right: The purchase of every 2018 Dodge Durango SRT comes with a major hi-po payoff, in the form of a complimentary, full-day learning session at the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving. Located in Chandler, Ariz., it’s the official high performance driving school of Dodge/SRT and has its own 1.6-mile road track on site. The Bondurant package will get you out onto that track, too, after some in-depth, in-class instruction from the school’s expert drivers. (Note: The Bondurant team will provide the vehicles, track and teachers, and more besides, but not airfare or accommodations.)

 Photo by Dodge

Photo by Dodge


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