More than a year after dropping the insane Challenger SRT Demon 170, Dodge still isn’t finished with its V8 curtain call. While the Challenger and Charger as we knew them are out of production, one model still rocks eight pistons up front, and it’s getting its own cash cow tour of limited editions. The latest? The Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat Hammerhead Edition. It’s a dark-colored American three-row SUV on silver wheels. Talk about a sleeper.
Other than the satin black hood, there’s no obvious way of telling this 717-horsepower Durango apart from one you’d rent from Avis, and while that might not have the visual pizzaz some people want from a six-figure SUV, it’s one hell of a way to roll around relatively inconspicuously.
Yep, this thing’s got a Hellcat 6.2-liter supercharged V8, and when you combine that with all-wheel-drive, you get a zero-to-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds, a top speed of 180 mph, and a claimed quarter-mile time of 11.5 seconds. That’s freaking hauling for a family SUV, enough to press the family dog firmly against the rear window. And yet, aside from some badges and a satin black hood, no casual onlooker would ever know what power lurking within.
The inconspicuous visual treatment continues on the inside, where you’ll find grey leather upholstery that’s only controversial for its relative blandness. Sure, it’s airier than black leather and easier to keep clean than off-white, but it’s also not everyone’s cup of tea, especially people shopping in this price bracket.
Ah yes, the price tag. The Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat Hammerhead Edition, named after its interior color, stickers for a whopping $115,315 including freight. That sort of money buys all manner of interesting vehicles, but yet, there’s a definite niche here. However, given Dodge’s history of loud colors, don’t you just get the sense that the product planners could’ve gone harder?
Admittedly, it is difficult for plants to introduce new colors, but the Frostbite color available on the regular Durango SRT Hellcat is excellent, a sort of frozen blue like Gatorade. Pair that with say, bronze wheels and a tan interior, and you get an absolute classic color combination that just hits nicely. Or, if Dodge wanted to get really wild, it could spec an understated paint yet go 10,000-lux bright with the leather, offering some insane shade like purple.
The Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat Hammerhead Edition looks like one hell of a sleeper, but for the core audience, can we get something a little louder? Mind you, I guess beggars can’t always be choosers. Who’d have thought the last Hellcat-powered thing standing would be a three-row SUV?
(Photo credits: Dodge)
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Well, speaking as an owner of a 2021 model of an SRT Hellcat, all I can say is “don’t knock it ’till you’ve tried it.” I’m a single guy, but I LOVE this car. I don’t know how Dodge did it, but this car is the absolute best road car I have ever driven, and I have been driving for more than 50 years. I have owned a couple Jeep Grand Cherokees, which are clones of the Durango, and I can tell you that the driving experience of this Hellcat way exceeds the Jeeps. The thing FEELS like a race car, just one that you can carry 5 other people with you.
Who wants a 10mpg family vehicle? Plus who is putting 717hp to use with their family in the car? Makes no sense even before the eye watering price is taken into account.
Maybe it’s for those who have a family, but don’t really like them…
The regular Hellcat Durangos also sticker for $115k or so, and the have at least $15k on the hood on my local dealer websites.
At $100k, you are competing against a loaded BMW X5 M60i, which besides being slightly slower in a straight line, is probably a better vehicle in every way.
Ironic thinking that the resale and reliability will likely be better on the Durango. This isn’t a praise of a Stellantis product; this is a diss of BMW’s.
Two things I thought to be mutually exclusive, never to meet in a sentence: $115,315 and Dodge Durango.
Has anybody actually tried to do 180mph in one of these? Is it like going for 300 mph in the Hennessey?
Why would any automaker bother with these? Pretty much any halfway decent EV can smoke all but the most exotic ICE car.
So when will this come in Hertz Yellow? 🙂
I’m not sure why this thing gets celebrated for being an understated sleeper when pretty much every German car gets roasted here for being understated. It’s a 20 year old Dodge that’s slower than some of its competition, and they’re selling for over $100k without the “market adjustment”. Hard pass.
The price is for another discussion, but the look is great. Who doesn’t like a q-ship?
It’s glorious in in understatedness. I’d be happy to slip into traffic all nondescript until you hear me idling at the stoplight. I’m too mature now for all the boy racer crap anyway. The price is insane, but there’s an ass for every seat and someone will buy it.
As I sit at my dodge dealer for yearly inspection, there’s plenty of loud-colored and/or vividly striped Durangos on the lot for those needing to make a statement 🙂
$115,000 for a Dodge product. Am I taking crazy pills!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
More common than you think.
There’s the Durango Hellcat and the Escalade V.
Why no Tahoe SS and why no Expedition Raptor or other SVT edition? Why no GR Land Cruiser or Sequoia? Why no Nismo Armada or QX80 Eau Rouge?
There’s no faster vehicle then a rental car, right?
So, wouldn’t making an actually fast “rental car” be a good thing?
I really like this thing. I’ve always had a soft spot for the Durango, and when I get one out of the rental fleet it seems to drive better than its age suggests. I would debadge mine; the stealthiness and 25-gallon fuel tank could make for quite a highway cruiser (especially on the two-lane highways that I live on).
That price though…..I would consider at $75k, but this is the price of an E63S wagon…
We just had an R/T for two weeks as a rental, and I’ll have to admit that I had a bit of a holiday romance with it. It drives way better than an 3 row boat deserves to. I don’t get the idea of a Hellcat version, though. Never did I feel “this needs more power.” Then, it wasn’t built for me.
To be fair, I’m not sure their target market thinks “this needs more power” either. I thinks its more about “wouldn’t it be stupid fun if this more power”. I feel its more about the potential hijinks feelings, than it is need.
I suppose you’re right. I guess I see SUVs as more of an appliance than something fun, for the most part.
Something about the srt durango has always called out to me. The price on this moves it deep into the fantasy file. A sticker of 110 usd is madness.
Why couldn’t they use this and have made an AWD Charger/Challenger Hellcat?
I said that for years. they dropped the basic 300C 5.7 AWD a few years back, but then followed up with a Trackhawk Jeep. Outside of space maybe, there is no other good excuse for not having all 4 wheels kicking and screaming to contact the 700 plus HP.
counterpoint… this will hold its value much better than any of the similar priced German fast SUVs (and probably be more reliable)
But, will the Durango stick around long enough to get the Goes Like Hellcat S’more treatment?
What I’m most surprised by is…Dodge is still making the Durango?! This is right up there with my surprise over the Malibu.
Without the Durango they would have 1 Dodge on sale. The uber successful Hornet.
Hornets are sitting on lots with $10,000 on the hoods right now. It’s incredible. Almost as incredible as the fact that Alfa wants 50-$60,000 for the Toe Nail. Stellantis has fucked so much up hideously that it’s hard to pick a favorite flavor but the launch of this stupid car has been hilarious. Better hand Tavares another 30 million to celebrate!
A no one likes to have to deal with a crowded show room, right?
That’s because everyone is lined up for the service bays.
Dodge Durango Hellcat Hammerhead Thundercougarfalconbird.
This might actually be my favorite one, and this is why… the seats. Sure, this car looks relatively unassuming, which is fine, but my biggest beef is that you can only get a loaded or even semi-loaded Durango Hellcat with the red interior. That is the only option. I dislike red interiors, but the black interior is only available on the base model Hellcat (which doesn’t even have blind spot monitors (!). This would be the one to get if I ever won the lottery. Something about a muscle car that carries 7 that I really dig. I also love the silver wheels.
I didn’t believe you so I went to the builder and messed around and holy crap you’re right. Of all the color options between paint and interior, why would Dodge lock you into the red interior on that trim?? Also, why not let the Durango have Sublime or Go Mango??
Classic Dodge.
this thing gives me Typhoon Vibes. they were also priced high and often were pretty nondescript.
I actually think this is cool. If you take the Hellcat badging off it will be virtually indistinguishable from a high trim Durango. I really like the idea of a mostly anonymous family car that can keep up with all sorts of serious sports cars.
…that being said, the price is absurd. Lol. Lmao even. I cannot even begin to fathom paying $115,000 for what’s basically a 20 year old family hauler with a fancy V8 strapped to it. Durangos are just not particularly nice cars…and this is base 911 money. Or if for god knows what reason you just have to have a super SUV that much money can get you a well equipped Cayenne S and is about 10-15 grand away from Cayenne GT, RSQ8, X5M, etc. money.
Hell if you want to scream to the world that you have terrible taste you’re not even that far off from secondhand Urus dinero. Anyway, I think Doge made way too much of this last call shit, and the quantity of rich baby boomers that it appeals to are a finite and shrinking. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of it doesn’t hold its value. At 115 grand this is asinine. At 60 grand though? Hmmmm.
This one will be made in the 100’s. it is in fact for the boomers and/or Gen x’ers looking to blow their boomers remaining retirement money after said boomers croak. It serves as the Dodge Halo car for now and will be lusted after by Millennials like the Typhoon and Syclone are for many of the X’ers.
I did the same thought process – the price puts it up against a lot better, if perhaps not as fast, competition. I’ve sat in a Hellcat Durango and it wasn’t appreciably nicer than the V6 Durango GT rental cars I’ve had. Honestly, the quality is a stretch at the $45k those rental cars cost, and is an absolute joke at six figures.
I’ve looked at listings for V8 Durangos since they’re something I could sneak past my wife and they’re hilariously expensive for what they are. Even 392 ones are like $70,000+. Secondhand ones with the ubiquitous 5.7 liter are still usually in the mid to high 40s around me.
I legitimately don’t know who they’re selling them to. They’re really expensive and not great. V8 or not, sit in an X5 and tell me with a straight face that you’d rather have a Durango lol…they’re basically the same price!
I’ll take an X7 M60i and one more second to 60 for $5k less than this Dodge, thank you. Or, you can have an RSQ8 that’s even faster than this Dodge for only $10k more, which is chump change when you’re talking $100k+. Figure in the expected “market adjustments” and I bet the Audi actually comes out cheaper. And for once, the Audi actually comes in more actual colors than this particular model.
Agreed here. Boomer here, near 70. First car 69 Dodge Super Bee.
Still feel the need for speed, and juvenile behavior at times.
Have driven a few of the older Durangos and hated them, especially the seats, interior, and handling.
But things appear to have changed somewhat. At 60K this would be a sweet buy.
Millennial here, near 30. The 1969 Superbee is my dream car.
I know why. I bought a 69 Yellow coupe, 383 built, 4 speed, ex undercover cop car. $500.00 bucks cash in 1974. It was probably an 8 out of 10 for overall condition.
Now wish it was possible to find another that nice for under 50-60K.
I hope one day you can score a decent one.
Most fun I ever had as a 16 year old. Except for the crazy Alabama and Colorado girls.
But that’s another story. lol
“If you take the Hellcat badging off it will be virtually indistinguishable from a high trim Durango.”
Not to your insurance company.
Well that’s fine, because it’s totally a Durango Citadel! I promise
Hellcats tend to be driven like rental cars with the full damage waiver anyways.
“I’ll take dumb ass ways to spend my money for 400 Alex.”
what is anything at a Stellantis store?
I can’t top this so I won’t try, but I would like to remind everyone what a damn dumb name Stellantis is. It sounds life a staffing agency, or provider of medical supplies like soap, emesis basins, etc.
Whatever the case, if after taking Stellantis you feel a sense of happiness, euphoria, mania, or generally having made the right decision, consult your doctor as this may be a sign of a serious and potentially life-threatening reaction
I mean, it’s not terribly different from Phillip Morris renaming itself to Altria.
The Jeopardy board doesnt go high enough for this one.