At Stellantis, the current product strategy seems to be recidivism. Not long ago, the company was swearing off its Hemi V-8s and their gas-guzzling, antisocial ways. It loudly professed its intentions, selling “Final Edition” versions of the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 in 2024—and again in 2025. Ram’s Hellcat-powered TRX had its Final Edition in 2024, but it just returned and is more powerful than ever. The 2024 model year was also supposed to be the last for the regular Hemi V-8 in the Ram 1500, but it returned for 2026. Dodge was a particularly hardcore user, addicted to big displacement and tire-searing horsepower, and it sold a slew of “Last Call” Chargers and Challengers for 2023. Even its three-row family SUV, the Durango, partook heavily, with offerings including the SRT 392 and supercharged 707-hp Hellcat.
For 2025, though, the Durango put down the horsepower highball—or at least tried to. It couldn’t give up the Hellcat, despite the 2024 model’s Final Edition designation (this, after the 2021 Durango Hellcat was to be one year only). Outside of the Hellcat, last year’s Durango did abstemiously limit buyers to the 3.6-liter V-6 or the 5.7-liter V-8, and Dodge nonetheless rang up 81,168 sales—the Durango’s best year since 2005 and the best ever for this generation, which debuted in 2011. This year, Dodge has completely fallen off the wagon as the Durango runs back into the arms not only of the Hellcat but also the 392 Hemi as well.
That’s right. The 6.4-liter Hemi is back, baby! And it’s standard in the Durango R/T. Ours was the Launch Edition, but Relaunch Edition would be more accurate. Or the Relapse Edition.
For fans of big-displacement V-8s—and we count ourselves among them—the 2026 Durango R/T is just like you remember. Except that in one important characteristic, it’s better. When we last left the Durango SRT 392, in 2024, Dodge was asking $76,590 to $91,390 for the high-powered SUV. The 2026 Durango R/T, with that same 392-cubic-inch V-8, can be had for an inflation-fighting $51,990.
That whopping price cut has not come at the expense of standard equipment. The R/T has pretty much the same list of features as it did before: all-wheel drive, a stiffer suspension with adaptive dampers, Brembo brakes with six-piston front calipers and four-piston rears, an electronically controlled limited-slip rear differential, leather and suede seating, heated and ventilated front seats, heated second-row captain’s chairs, and a heated steering wheel.
Our test example was the Premium version, which for an additional $7800 adds a sunroof, roof rails, a leather-wrapped dashboard and door panels, a suede headliner, forged carbon-fiber trim, a 19-speaker Harman/Kardon stereo, adaptive cruise, lane departure warning, two-piece Brembo front rotors, and a trailer towing package. With a coating of Green Machine paint ($595), it stickers for $60,185.
The Durango’s styling has aged well (which is a damned good thing considering how long it’s been around), and the R/T is pumped up with flared wheel arches, wheelwell-filling 20-by-10-inch wheels, a rear spoiler, and—is that three hood scoops? No, one is a scoop, the other two are air extractors.
As all of this suggests, the Durango R/T is a burly, muscular machine, and its personality is immediately apparent as soon as you climb in. You sit on firm, deeply bolstered seats, grab a thick-rimmed steering wheel, twist chunky knobs for the audio system, and look out past the stocky A-pillars. Everything about this Durango is beefy. It’s a vibe, and it’s a coherent vibe, one that’s also undeniably old-school.
The Durango isn’t just old-school; it’s genuinely old—well into its second decade. But the upside is that it’s endearingly analog. Dig the mechanical shift lever and the physical switchgear, the progressive throttle response of the naturally aspirated engine, and the throaty rumble of the big V-8. Fire it up, and the 6.4-liter speaks with a deep-throated voice. The R/T does not offer the active exhaust system that’s paired with this engine in the Wrangler 392, so it’s always vocal.
The resolution of the backup camera is laughably bad, but if that’s your priority, you have every other SUV on the market to choose from. The infotainment screen, 10.1 inches, is totally acceptable, and its logic is better than most (infotainment ease-of-use having historically been a Stellantis, née FCA, strong point).
The accelerator pedal is a little soft—combine that with the aggressive throttle mapping and the high degree of thrust on offer, and you’re just about guaranteed to be the first away from every stoplight. Plant your right foot, and 60 mph comes up in 5.4 seconds—that’s from a 5-mph rolling start. Use the launch control (because of course this Dodge has launch control), and the Durango R/T rips to 60 mph from rest in 4.5 seconds. It can also lay down a 13.2-second quarter-mile at 104 mph.
HIGHS: Big power, big personality, big price cut.
There isn’t much that compares with this Durango for simultaneously hauling kids and hauling ass, but the Ford Explorer ST isn’t far off. The high-performance version of Ford’s family wagon uses a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6. With 400 horsepower, it can’t quite keep up with the mighty Dodge, posting a 4.9-second 60-mph time and a 13.5-second quarter-mile at 102 mph in our testing.
On the move, the R/T is always ready to roar ahead, accompanied by a satisfying roar from under the hood. That represents the core of this SUV’s appeal, but if you need to justify the Durango R/T in polite company, you could say that you bought it for its towing capacity. The R/T is rated to tow a hearty 8700 pounds, which is more than some full-size SUVs.
LOWS: Hearty thirst for unleaded, ride can be stiff-legged, perhaps overly familiar.
Steering effort is adjustable, and the lightest of the choices would be Sport mode in most cars; it gets heavier from there, though the heft seems appropriate. The suspension is tightly coiled, but tires with reasonably thick sidewalls (295/45R-20) cushion impacts. To keep things civilized, stay away from the firmer chassis settings, which seem set up for canyon runs but are jarringly stiff in the day-to-day. Speaking of canyon runs, the R/T’s body motions are extremely well controlled for such a tall, heavy beast; calling up Track mode sends more power rearward (70 percent) but also lessens the stability-control safety net.
The brake pedal is firm underfoot. Mash the pedal, and the R/T stops from 70 mph in 175 feet, not a bad performance for an SUV that’s on the high side of 5000 pounds (5370 pounds on our scales). Those looking for more bite should check the box for the $595 summer tire upgrade.
The naturally aspirated big-displacement V-8 brings an equally old-school attitude toward gas mileage: It doesn’t give a crap about it. The EPA estimates 15 mpg combined, and during the Durango’s 700-mile stay with us, we averaged 16 mpg. So at least there’s that.
VERDICT: Welcome back, Hemi.
But hey, you know what you’re getting with this big-engined beast, and it’s something you couldn’t get last year. How long it will stick around is impossible to say, and even if Dodge says it’s going to drop the big Hemi, we’re not sure we’d believe it. Powerful V-8 engines can be powerfully addictive.
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Specifications
Specifications
2026 Dodge Durango R/T 392 Launch Edition
Vehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 6-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $51,990/$60,185
Options: Premium trim (two-piece Brembo front rotors, microfiber headliner, trailer tow equipment with brake controller, premium door-panel trim, integrated roof-rail crossbars, premium instrument panel, Forward Collision Warning Plus, powered sunroof, 19-speaker Harman/Kardon stereo, auto high-beams, adaptive cruise control, black roof rails, forged carbon-fiber interior accents, blind-spot monitoring with trailer detection, leather armrest, Lane Departure Warning Plus), $7600; Green Machine paint, $595
ENGINE
pushrod 16-valve V-8, iron block and aluminum heads, port fuel injection
Displacement: 392 in3, 6417 cm3
Power: 475 hp @ 6100 rpm
Torque: 470 lb-ft @ 4100 rpm
TRANSMISSION
8-speed automatic
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: control arms/multilink
Brakes, F/R: 15.0-in vented disc/13.8-in vented disc
Tires: Pirelli Scorpion Zero All Season
295/45R-20 (110Y) M+S RunFlat
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 119.8 in
Length: 200.8 in
Width: 76.4 in
Height: 72.1 in
Passenger Volume, F/M/R: 54/51/36 ft3
Cargo Volume, Behind F/M/R: 85/43/17 ft3
Curb Weight: 5370 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 4.5 sec
100 mph: 12.2 sec
1/4-Mile: 13.2 sec @ 104 mph
130 mph: 24.1 sec
Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.2 sec.
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 5.4 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 2.8 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 3.2 sec
Top Speed (C/D est): 155 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 175 ft
Braking, 100–0 mph: 360 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.85 g
Interior Sound
Idle: 54 dBA/8 sone
Full Throttle: 82 dBA
70-mph Cruising: 69 dBA/25 sone
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 16 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 15/13/19 mpg
C/D TESTING EXPLAINED
Reviewed byJoe Lorio
Deputy Editor, Reviews and Features
Joe Lorio has been obsessed with cars since his Matchbox days, and he got his first subscription to Car and Driver at age 11. Joe started his career at Automobile Magazine under David E. Davis Jr., and his work has also appeared on websites including Amazon Autos, Autoblog, AutoTrader, Hagerty, Hemmings, KBB, and TrueCar.
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