Reports of the Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat’s ever pending demise a few years ago were premature.
Once deemed to be a bit of a dinosaur as carmakers head toward an EV future, Stellantis has announced that the last of its Hellcat-powered Dodges would “continue into 2025 calendar year,” capping the 20th annivrsary celebration of the HEMI-powered SUV’s production. But it really wasn’t the end. Later Dodge announced a new 2026 Durango R/T Blacktop Redline package, and even a 710-horsepower Durango SRT Hellcat
For 2025, though, there are four special-editions, from our Hammerhead to the Brass Monkey, Silver Bullet and 20th Anniversary edition. That’s good news for a design that has been around since 2005, and saw 59,300 of the third-generation sold last year.
Durango Hellcat Turns Heads At Car Shows
Parked with some new and classic Dodges at a recent cruise-in in Jacksonville, FL’s suburban Fruit Cove neighborhood, this 3-row SUV came in a Night Moves metallic blue paint job with black satin-painted aluminum hood. That’s a 1971 Dodge Demon behind EV Rider’s Durango test vehicle, which got compliments. Yes, its black grille with LED-framed projector beam headlights hasn’t changed in recent years, and neither has its aggressive, deep lower intake with serious chin spoiler and functional side intakes.
The cold-air scoop in the lower fascia feeds the supercharger, while the power bulge hood’s center scoop and dual vents are functional. Serious 20-inch Pirelli Scorpions live on pewter alloy wheels with huge black Brembo calipers visible inside. The flanks get a gentle Coke bottle pinch at the waistline, same as the base Durangos. The wrap-around LED taillights have glowing design lines in between, over a black lower fascia with big twin pipes.
Durango Hellcat Interior
Inside, the last-gen Charger-like interior in Hammerhead-only gray leather looks good and works well. Bolstered 2-tone leather bucket seats are comfortable and supportive enough. They are heated and cooled with dual memory presets for the driver and SRT Hellcat logos embroidered on seatbacks. Hand-stitched leatherette covers the smooth dashboard cowl and doors, with forged carbon fiber dash and console accents and lush suede headliner.
The steering wheel’s fat, grippy stitched suede rim joins a red-glowing central SRT badge. It power tilts and telescopes and includes small alloy paddle shifters integrated with stereo controls in back.
There’s an SRT-specific gauge package which is red-lit with a 200-mph speedometer and gas/engine temp gauges with floating needles. A digital 7,000-rpm tach is on board with audio, navigation, multiple trip computer and mileage and engine gauges configurable inside. Or, the driver can set a digital speed readout with performance info.
Between flimsy-feeling vents is a 10.1-inch touchscreen with navigation, solid 825-watt audio system and performance pages with big engine gauges, G-force, acceleration times and more on display. There’s real buttons for A/C, drive modes and launch control, plus big volume, tuning and fan speed knobs. My favorite features include an easy-to-use launch control and SRT drive mode buttons along with the figure on the climate control screen wearing a racing helmet.
The center console has a meaty T-top shifter next to a cellphone charger pad near USB ports and an MP3 input. Uconnect has Wi-Fi, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
This powerful family SUV has two more rows of people room behind the cockpit. Back doors open on two reclining bucket seats with just enough leg room for adults under overhead a/c vents and controls, plus multiple USB power ports and a 110-volt outlet. The third row had adequate adult head and leg room, with 17-cu.ft. of space behind it. Or fold second and third row seatbacks for 85.1-cu-ft. The power hatch opens high.
OK, the overall design is a bit long in tooth, with some basic plastics. But there’s nice leatherette and stitching, although I wish the voice commands weren’t so slow to respond.
Durango Hellcat Performance
This Hellcat SUV has a supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI V-8 delivering 710 hp and 645 lb.-ft. of torque. That ribbed supercharger is huge – you hear it’’s whine at low speed, and its scream when you lay into the throttle, accompanied by the twin-pipe exhaust.
In full Track mode, we hit 60 mph in 3.4 seconds, upshifts rifle-bolt quick. To use Launch Control just tap that button, hold the brake and throttle, and hit it when the gauge display flashes go. Wheel speed sensors dampen wheel hop for best grip as all four Pirellis spin a bit en route to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds, and 100 mph in 9.8 seconds, shoving us back with 1.11Gs on launch. The best fuel economy we saw was 13 mpg. But that’s not the point of a HEMI.
Drive modes are: Eco, Auto, Snow, Tow, Street, Sport and Track, as well as Custom to set engine, transmission, steering and suspension feel. Eco dumbs down the throttle and some power, but even with that, there’s still more than enough power.
The short/long arm front suspension with isolated multi-link rear suspension, plus twin-tube shocks with load-leveling, gave a nice mix of supple ride with a hint of tautness in Eco mode. It handled bumps quickly with buffered rebound, just right for daily running.
The SRT dialed in a 20 percent increase in total rebound control so ride motions in Sport and Track mode are quickly handled. The Sport setting gave us a much tauter ride, still supple enough on most highways but probably too tight for daily running unless you live in one of those rare areas with pothole-free, freshly paved roads.
This 5,710-lb. SUV can tow up to 8,700 pounds, but can also handle. Dodge claims its engineers reduced understeer, allowing it to go into a corner faster and exit quicker. In sweeping curves, the Durango Hellcat had a bit of body roll, but the Pirellis just grabbed as it carved corners with a good 1.03Gs of grip. We could just power through with its rearward-biased all-wheel-drive allowing the tail to power out a bit on turns, easily catchable as power spread forward. We just smiled at how well this 2-plus tons of SUV handles.
Power steering had decent feel in Sport mode, with a nice, tight turning radius. There are six-piston, two-piece (front) and four-piston (rear) Brembo calipers on big disc brakes with decent initial bite and solid stopping power that pulled 1.12Gs. There was a hint of fade after some repeated hard stops.
The base price for a V-6 rear-wheel-drive Durango GT is $41,995. Our Durango Hellcat starts at $97,425 with the $15,900 Hammerhead option for paint, sports seats, satin black hood and more, for a heady final $115,315.
Bottom line: This is the Hellcat I’d get, although its pricey. It’s daily driving manners are comfortable, it’s roomy enough for six, it likes to play and go REALLY fast. And when it’s gone, it’s gone – I guess.
2025 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat Hammerhead Edition Specifications
Vehicle type – mid-size all-wheel-drive SUV
Base price – $80,995 ($92,040 as tested)
Engine type – supercharged OHV, 16-valve cast iron block V-8
Displacement – 6.2-liter
Horsepower (net) – 710 @ 6,100-rpm
Torque (lb-ft) – 645 @ 4,300 rpm
Transmission – 8-speed automatic with manual and paddle shift
Wheelbase – 119.8 inches
Overall length – 201 inches
Overall width – 85.5 inches
Height – 72.1 inches
Front headroom – 39.9 inches
Front legroom – 40.3 inches
Middle headroom – 39.8 inches
Middle legroom – 38.6 inches
Rear headroom – 37.8 inches
Rear legroom – 33.5 inches
Cargo capacity 17.2 cu. ft./43.3 w/3rd row folded/85.1 w/all rows folded
Towing capacity – 8,700 lbs.
Curb weight – 5,710 lbs.
Fuel capacity – 24.6 gallons
Mileage rating – 12 mpg city/17 mpg highway