2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat Unveiled, GM Has No Rival
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FCA has unveiled the 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, framing it as an SUV “for muscle car people with families.” The new high-performance utility joins the Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger in the Hellcat lineup, and comes with an upgraded exterior and interior, plus more than 700 horsepower under the hood. General Motors has no direct rival.
Let’s cover the most important numbers first. Making the go is the familiar 6.2L Hemi Hellcat V8, which is stuffed by a twin-screw rotor supercharger to produce 710 horsepower and 645 pound-feet of torque. Output is routed through the TorqueFlite 8HP95 eight-speed automatic transmission.
The new Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat is quick by any measure, sprinting to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds, and down the quarter mile in 11.5 seconds. Top speed is rated at 180 mph. FCA also states the Hellcat SUV will run around a 2.1-mile road course 1.5 seconds quicker than the previous top-dog Durango, the SRT 392.
The new 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat also boasts 8,700 pounds of towing capability. “No SUV in the world can tow more or carry more with a faster quarter-mile time than the Durango SRT Hellcat,” Dodge claims in a press release.
Slowing the new Hellcat SUV is a set of mammoth Brembo brakes, with six-pots in front and four-pots in the rear. The calipers clamp vented 15.75-inch rotors in front, and vented 13.8-inch rotors in back. The suspension was also upgraded to match the power on tap.
The new Durango Hellcat takes after the Charger in terms of front fascia styling, and comes with LED lighting. The fascia also sports a pronounced chin splitter, an engine oil cooler duct, and cold air induction. The rear boasts a unique rear spoiler, which creates 140 pounds of downforce at 180 mph.
The interior was redesigned as well, and is highlighted by Uconnect 5 infotainment and a 10.1-inch touchscreen.
Dealer orders for the 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat open this summer, with deliveries arriving in the fall. FCA states this particular model will only be built for the 2021 model year.
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It was a cool conference to watch like always! The folks over at dodge know their customer base and have the cool factor. Too bad GM does not treat its performance vehicles the same.
What is the point of these “grass is always greener outside of GM” posts? The Durango is a revised 10 year old vehicle on an even older Mercedes platform. Slapping an overpowered engine and a nicer interior on the car doesn’t change that.
Why no mention that Lincoln just killed it’s last passenger car yesterday? Something that GM would be lambasted for if Cadillac did the same thing. Is it because that doesn’t fit the narrative that GM is falling behind all competitors?
You’re bang on and tons of the people in the comment just love to poo poo everything GM does. And where’s the market for this ridiculous vehicle? They’re going to sell like 8.
Not to mention bad fuel economy, questionable reliability and 2011 looks. With those statements yes GM do need some “herbs and spices” in the mainstream, truck and utility markets.
Have you ever actually DRIVEN a Durango? /I didn’t thnk so.
I have! It was a courtesy upgrade at an enterprise near me when I rented a car to drive to Toronto from Montreal 4 years ago. It was……not a nice drive, not comfortable to sit in, not quiet and felt cheap oh and it ATE gas. And it was brand new mind you, less than 2000 kilometers (1200 miles)
You are incorrect. The platform was all new for 2011, actually mainly developed by Chrysler, it was in the process of being started when it was still DaimlerChrysler and already was to be the basis of the new M Class wich came out shortly after Durango/Grand Cherokee. Look up the facts before you talk.
So many mind numbed robots on here…GM makes dozens of FWD Crossovers off the same platform and a few other vehicles…. there is zero excitement at GM and wait until the EV’s arrive!!! This Durango is as in your face as it can get and its exciting, edgy, unconventional and FUN! GM’s bean counter brigade doesn’t know how to spell fun… they’re too busy competing for who has the coolest slide rule, for them the Blazer is fun… seriously.
If you guys think GM walks on water go for it, but a lot of us don’t and do you want everyone to agree with you? We think GM COULD be sooooooo much better if they’d spend some money and break some rules. Give us a real GNX, give us a K5 Blazer off the new Tahoe…. nope…. EV is where Frumpy Barra the feminista wants us to have and don’t question her….
Some folks get sucked in by the smoke a motors of marketing here.
I am a gear head all the way threw but I also understand what is in play here.
An auto company is more like a Cake. The boring everyday vehicles are what make up that cake and make the money for the company. When it comes to cool cars that is all frosting. While the may make some money they are not a profit point. More often they are more marketing.
GM had the GM Performance Division where we had a number of great vehicles coming from. I owned one of their products. It yet they did nothing to stop GM from going bankrupt.
Now also GM is not totally void of any interesting vehicles, The Camaro is a great car though coupes are a declining segment. The V Serie cars are great sedans. Now we have the C8 that will be a top notch sports car. Then don’t forget the ZR2 and coming full size GM off road truck.
FCA only really has Ram and Jeep. The Chrysler line is just an old heavily discounted 300 and Dodge is some minivans and the Charger and Challenger. Both are not profit centers but are both well marketed products. It has not exactly got them selling in great numbers but it is more to make them more attractive to another mfg like PSA to merge with them.
Odds are still not good these cars will survive the merger.
While 800 hp is good marketing it adds little to the car as we saw in the video. The rest of the can not use the power and it will not put it to the ground. The truth in slapping an engine in like this is cheap and dirty and makes headlines and fools a lot of people but leaves a car wanting for a chassis that can really use it.
GM built the Z28 and it was the whole package. But they failed to market it well.
GM just needs to better market what they have like the C8.
GM is a disaster and we keep hearing, “they should do this…” “if only they’d do that…” the problem is the current Mgt Team is doing exactly what they want. THEY should be fired as the company is not moving the needle in any way shape or form. But wait for the EV’s….!!!! Did you see the new ones Audi is marketing soon, they’re fantastic. Their range is only around 255 but execution, fit and finish are fabulous. That said they’re extremely expensive which means the Cadillac Lysol will be marketed in that range vs making sure America embraces them… it will be another fail for this Mgt Team….
They’re still doing better than any other American brand! Numbers don’t lie just because you don’t like them.
You gotta admit however, the Cruise AV looks pretty sexy with all the crap attached to it LOL.
Classic move by Dodge, shove a huge engine in an old platform. Seems to work for them though, as the first comment says “they know their customer base”
The opposite would be to shove a tiny engine in a new platform.
Where have we seen that…
Cadillac Lyriq.
Cool vehicle but still not enough to keep FCA independent.
How long until Fiat drops Chrysler?
Chrysler is basically a costless brand since it is sold under the same roof as the Rams and Jeeps.
Once FCA merges with PSA, they will be ahead of GM in terms of revenue and size.
Better than being Chinese owned……
The outgoing 2020 Tahoe/Suburban body on frame vehicle is a completely different approach to 3 rows of seats, and are vastly better vehicles, let alone the next-gen 2021 Tahoe/Subs launching right now! Rightfully the headline grabbing highest horsepower number will earn feverous clicks, but the unibody Durango is better matched to the Traverse, minus the headlines. I’m sure one can be picked up for just half a song and dance. The market is unjustified to compete in this niche. Bring back the Suburban 2500/3500HD and you’ll have a winner!
Durango is Midsized not Fullsized so leave the GM twins out of this convo, GM has nothing. the Blazer, by name, should have been the Uni-body competitor to the Durango and Explorer.
Dodge has established itself as the Muscle Car Company and that’s a great thing, everybody need alittle Excitement in there life. No Bean Counters Here haha
I’m most impressed by the interior. FCA has been killing it in that department. Combined with the power and Dodge climbing the reliability charts, this is an impressive vehicle.
With all the SUV s GM has put out, would be nice if they made one with rwd.
Lol, fwd Tahoe?… Yes I get GM need a smaller performance CUV/SUV. I’m thinking it will be a E/Vs like the Mach E but no ICE performance truck smaller than the big K2s, we’d be lucky to see a VSS-R CUV at this point .
Of course I still advocate the 5.3 should be offered in the Traverse, Blazer, Acadia and Enclave for a performance variant.
sleepy GM