2024 Dodge Durango SRT Review: Hellishly Powerful Six-Seater

The Dodge Durango SRT performance SUVs are the last examples of sports-car performance from a blueblooded American V8 in a three-row midsize sports utility format. The Durango is so old that it can trace its roots back to the DaimlerChrysler-era W166 Mercedes ML of 25 years ago, yet it still does a remarkable job carting people around at break-neck speeds. With a naturally aspirated 475-horsepower 392 and a bonkers 710-hp supercharged Hellcat to choose from, SRTs are either quick or ballistic, so don't assume that with age came boredom.

With the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk now gone, rivals are few. The BMW X5 M and Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 don't really count because they're two-row cars, so the closest in spirit is the far more expensive Cadillac Escalade-V. The Audi SQ7 offers an intriguing European counterpoint for the same kind of money. A limited-run Last Call AlcHEMI trim reminds you that this year is your last chance to get your hands on a V8 Dodge of any description - don't let it slip through your fingers.

New for 2024

The 2024 Durango SRT and SRT Hellcat continue on with very few changes. This year, the Trailer-Tow Group IV includes blind-spot monitoring with trailer detection, but this package doesn't cost any more than before and is still priced at the same $1,195, despite the additional functionality. The biggest news is the new SRT 392 AlcHEMI last-call special edition, seeing that 2024 is the SUV's last model year in the USA. Lower down the range, there are more changes, but we review the regular Durango separately. Last of all, the price of every new Dodge Durango SRT trim increases for 2024.

2024 Dodge Durango SRT Price: Which One to Buy

For 2024, the price list of the Dodge Durango SRT starts at $74,995 for the SRT 392 trim, followed by the SRT 392 Plus at $80,995 and the SRT Premium at $86,200. The supercharged Hellcat lineup kicks off with the SRT Hellcat at $95,995. There are Plus and Premium versions of the SRT Hellcat as well, priced at $101,995 and $107,200, respectively. Pricing includes Quadra-Trac active on-demand four-wheel drive as standard, as no Durango SRT trim is available with rear-wheel drive. All these prices are MSRP and exclude Dodge's $1,595 destination charge.

If you want to keep up with an SQ7 and get better fuel economy than the Hellcat, the SRT 392 is amply quick and fully stocked in Premium format. For $88k, there's nothing to add, as it comes with all the features. But who could blame you for yearning for the fuel-slurping, tyre-melting Hellcat? If you're going to spend north of $100k on a roaring sledgehammer of a supercharged SUV, you might as well go for the Premium and lack for nothing. It's gloriously excessive and hideously thirsty, but it's your last chance to bag a rip-roaring tribute to internal combustion with the ability to outrun a BMW X5 M - for $15k less.

Interior and Features

The controls are easy to use, with physical HVAC buttons and a proper touchscreen giving access to vehicle functions and infotainment.

The Durango no longer feels like a modern car inside, and you can see some elements have carried over unchanged for years. The dashboard was redesigned for the 2021 model year and is solidly constructed, of decent quality, and with all the controls laid out logically. In these top SRT trims, the interior is expressed in its ultimate form, with the most features and the best materials, including standard leather on the seats, steering wheel, and door panels, and even a suede headliner and forged carbon fiber accents in the Premium trims. A modern infotainment system keeps track of media, phone connectivity, and navigation. With a ground clearance of less than eight inches, the step up to board isn't excessive, but there are a few blind spots fore and aft due to the wide pillars, so you'll appreciate the backup camera and standard parking sensors.

Space

The Durango SRTs are configured as six-seaters, with two second-row captain's chairs and a two-seater third row. With a near-120-inch wheelbase and a length of over 200 inches, it's big for a mid-size SUV, and this translates to the cabin. The sliding and folding second row makes it easy for even adults to get into the third row, where they will be quite comfortable if they're of shorter stature. The Durango's interior space is a lot better than that of the Audi Q7, especially in the third row, turning the Dodge into a proper six-seater. The second row is still a lot more comfortable than the third, though, with the heated chairs offering plenty of legroom.

Cargo

Trunk space is not traded for cabin space, with a very usable 17.1 cubic feet available behind the third row - more than you'll find in the trunk of a mid-size sedan such as the Honda Accord or in the rival SQ7. With the 50/50-split third row folded flat, trunk space expands to 43.3 cu-ft. The second-row captain's chairs don't fold completely flat, but still liberate a total trunk volume of 85.1 cu-ft when stowed - a long way ahead of the Audi's sub-70-cube figure.

In the cabin, you get a decently sized glovebox, four door pockets containing bottle holders, an overhead sunglasses holder, and a center console with a storage bin, wireless charging pad, and dual illuminated cupholders. The second-row captain's chairs have access to a mini console with a little storage and dual cupholders between them, but this is upgraded to a big console with a lidded storage box and illuminated cupholders on Premium trims. The third row gets cupholders in the side moldings.

Materials and Colors

The main interior colors in the sporty SRT trims are black and red. The base trims get a Black cabin with a combination of Nappa leather and suede on the seats, a cloth headliner, Apex Hydro interior accents, leather door trim, and a leather-trimmed steering wheel. The Plus and Premium trims upgrade to Laguna leather upholstery and a Demonic Red cabin, with the striking red hue on the seats, dashboard, and center console, red stitching on the steering wheel, center console, and doors, and black contrast stitching on the red seats. The Premium trims get carbon-fiber interior accents and a faux-suede headliner.

Features and Infotainment

Since the SRTs are higher up in the range, the feature specification is generous. The SRT 392 has remote keyless entry, push-button and remote start, seats trimmed in Nappa leather and suede, heated and ventilated eight-way power front seats with four-way lumbar adjustment, driver's memory functions, heated second-row captain's chairs with armrests and a mini console with cupholders, tri-zone climate control with rear-seat vents, leather door trim, a power-adjustable and heated tilting/telescoping steering wheel trimmed in leather, column-mounted shift paddles, a leather shift knob, and a garage-door opener. The Plus and Premium trims add features such as upgraded Laguna leather, a suede headliner, a power sunroof, carbon-fiber interior accents, and more.

The SRT 392's Uconnect 5 Nav infotainment system comprises a 10.1-inch touchscreen, voice-activated GPS navigation, 4G LTE Wi-Fi, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, connected travel and traffic services, three USB ports, HD Radio, SiriusXM Guardian and 360L, SRT Performance Pages, a wireless charging pad, voice commands, and an Alpine audio system with nine speakers. At the Premium level, an additional USB port is added, and a 19-speaker Harman Kardon audio system is fitted.

Performance

The ride is stiff but liveable and handling way better than expected, with the double bonus of being able to combine your favorite drive settings.

SRT means performance, and the naturally aspirated 6.4-liter V8 engine in the Dodge Durango SRT 392 packs 475 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque, enabling it to get to 60 mph in around 4.3 to 4.6 seconds. Thanks to a supercharged and intercooled 6.2-liter V8 kicking out a fearsome 710 hp and 645 lb-ft of torque, the Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat's 0-60 sprint is dispatched in a blistering 3.5 seconds, on its way to a top speed of 180 mph. The same drivetrain is used in all SRTs - Quadra-Trac active on-demand 4WD with Selec-Trac and an eight-speed automatic transmission. The Durango is the last model year you'll be able to buy either of these eight-cylinder powerhouses in a Dodge product. Despite the performance focus, the Durango SRT retains excellent trailering credentials and has a maximum towing capacity of 8,700 pounds with the Trailer-Tow Group IV fitted, which is standard on the top trims and optional on the base trim. You wouldn't want to venture off-road with those summer tires, but you'll be able to take on most bad roads, thanks to 7.8 inches of ground clearance.

Dodge has done an amazing job of making this sporty SUV stick to the blacktop, fitting it with summer tires and adaptive sports suspension. Body roll is contained very well, and body control is excellent, enabling the big brute to post cheek-bulging g's around corners for an SUV. The trade-off is ride quality, which is acceptable most of the time, but can get harsh on the worst surfaces. Track mode is a jaw-breaker best avoided on anything but smooth roads. The steering provides surprising feel and feedback, but can get a bit sticky in the sportier modes. It's great, then, that you can customize these modes to give you the best combination; we'd put the suspension in Sport and the steering in Street for some backroad blasting. The Durango does this very well, lifting its nose and roaring towards the next corner with grin-inducing vigor and an intoxicating soundtrack. Thankfully, the Brembos manage to shrug off the speed effectively.

Fuel Efficiency

An SRT buyer is unlikely to be fazed by poor gas mileage, and the supercharged 6.2-liter Hellcat drinks unleaded at an alarming rate, posting EPA estimates of 12/17/13 mpg for the city/highway/combined cycles. The naturally aspirated 6.4-liter Dodge Durango SRTs' mpg figures are better at 13/19/15 mpg - that highway figure helped by the MDS system that switches off half of the cylinders at cruising speeds.

All trims have a generous fuel tank capacity of 24.6 gallons, but this will ensure a range of only about 369 miles with the base powertrain on the combined cycle. The Hellcats are unlikely to make it past 320 miles.

Safety

The Durango’s old design means it no longer does well in the latest crash tests, while the driver assists are skimpy at the base level.

The NHTSA's safety review of the Dodge Durango covers SRT and Hellcat models as well, and it shows the car's age. The results were middling, with four stars out of five for most tests, including the overall rating. The 2023 and 2024 models were partially tested by the IIHS, with various Good scores interspersed with Marginal for newer tests such as the agency's stringent small overlap front test, and Poor ratings for some tests, such as the strength of the structure and safety cage and the front accident-prevention system.

In terms of driver assist, the base trim has an auto-dimming interior and driver's exterior mirror, reverse auto tilt-down side mirrors, automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, hill-start assist, an accident-response system, front and rear parking sensors with automatic stop, cruise control, and trailer-sway damping. More driver assists are fitted to the Plus, notably rain-sensing wipers, front-collision alert with automatic emergency braking, brake assist, lane-departure warning with lane-keep assist, and adaptive cruise control with stop. To this list, the Premium adds nothing but a trailer-brake controller.

US NHTSA Crash Test Result

Reliability

JD Power has not recently evaluated the reliability of the Dodge Durango or the SRT/Hellcat models, with its last rating for Quality & Reliability dating back to 2021, when the score of 81 out of 100 was considered very good. Hopefully, this has remained in place, but we won't know until the agency has released newer results. There haven't been too many recalls, with none recorded for the 2024 Durango at the time of writing and only two for the 2023 model - for a rear spoiler that may detach while driving and for a shifter that may slip out of gear while driving.

There's nothing exceptional about the warranty of the 2024 Dodge Durango SRT and SRT Hellcat. The three years or 36,000 miles for which the limited warranty is valid is the industry minimum, though the powertrain warranty runs for five years/60,000 miles.

Warranty

Design

The Durango is a boxy SUV with squared-off lines promising good interior space, not a wind-cheating drag coefficient. It's been updated over the years and is a familiar sight on our roads, though it's clearly not contemporary in styling. The SRT 392 comes with black 20-inch alloys, black mirrors, a power liftgate, LED-projector headlights, LED taillights, a performance hood, and a roof spoiler. The only change to the exterior of the Plus is the addition of roof rails.

The 392 Premium is eligible for the limited-run 1,000-unit AlcHEMI special edition, which adds yellow exterior accents and striping, 20-inch satin-black alloys, and a Midnight Metallic grille. The Hellcats get machined 20-inch alloys, a modified grille, and a performance front splitter. An optional Black package fits black 20-inch Lights-Out alloys, black exhaust tips, a satin-black 'Dodge' taillight badge, and metallic gray exterior badging. Stripe and decal packages in various colors, including red, blue, black, and silver can liven up the exterior even more.

Verdict: Is The 2024 Dodge Durango SRT A Good SUV?

If your criteria are efficiency and a suave, upscale cabin, you'd be better off with a Mazda CX-90, but that would be missing the point. The SRT Durangos are the last opportunity to buy a high-performance American SUV with a V8 engine, and the Hellcats are in a class of their own in terms of drama, noise, and fun. In exchange for plenty of fuel, these Dodges give you one last chance to own a roaring family car that will rip your face off as it reels in the horizon at an alarming rate while at the same time being capable of transporting six people in comfort. There's nothing left like it out there, and next year they'll be gone, so secure your order now.