2025 Dodge Durango

You have probably hear that Dodge has stopped selling V8 powered Chargers and Challengers. And you may know that Ram 1500 trucks are no longer available with V8s, either. Neither is the Jeep Grand Cherokee or any other Jeep vehicle.

But there is one new Dodge vehicle that’s still available with the V8s – plural – you can no longer get in other Dodge (or Jeep/Ram) vehicles.

It’s the 2025 Durango.

Last of the Mohicans.

What It Is

The Durango is a slightly larger than mid-sized, three-row SUV based on the no-longer-made Dakota pick-up.

It’s a little larger than a Ford Explorer – but not as large as a Chevy Tahoe.

It’s also a kind of living fossil in that it has not changed much since the 2011 model year – which is a happy thing, if you’re someone who prefers SUVs as they were made 14 years ago, before turbocharged fours replaced standard V6s (and turbocharged, hybridized V6s replaced big V8s).

It’s available with either a full-time AWD system or a 4WD system with a two speed transfer case (and Low range gearing) or just rear-wheel-drive.

Prices start at $41,995 for the base GT trim, which is rear-wheel-drive and comes standard with a 3.6 liter V6 (no turbo). A full-time AWD system is available as a stand-alone option.

So equipped, the GT stickers for $43,995.

The R/T – which stickers for $54,495 to start – comes standard with a 5.7 liter Hemi V8 and either the full-time AWD system or a 4WD system that incudes a two speed transfer case and 2.72 low range gearing.

Also available is the Hellcat iteration – which comes standard with a supercharged 6.2 liter V8. As this is the final iteration of the Hellcat, Dodge is offering it in three different trims – Silver Bullet, Hammerhead and Brass Monkey.

All three carry the same MSRP: $113,325.

What’s New For 2025

The three Hellcat trims are new for what will likely be the last year you’ll be able to buy the 6.2 liter supercharged V8.

Or any V8.

The previously available SRT 392 – which was centered on a 6.4 liter version of the Hemi V8 that was bigger and stronger than the R/T’s 5.7 liter Hemi – but not as strong as the supercharged 6.2 V8 in the much more expensive Hellcat – has been discontinued.

What’s Good

The only SUV its size that offers a standard third row, a standard V6 – and two optional V8s.

Does not come standard with the array of “driver assistance technology” – such as Lane Keep Assist  – that is generally standard equipment in newer-design SUVs such as the Explorer (which is not available with a V8) and the Jeep Grand Cherokee (which only has two rows of seats and is also no longer available with a V8).

Stout (8,700 lbs.) max towing capacity.

What’s Not So Good

Big jump in price ($12,500) to get a V8 rather than the standard V6.

Hellcats with the supercharged V8 are exotically priced.

Probably your last chance to buy a Durango with a V6 – let alone a V8.

Under The Hood

The Durango’s standard engine is the 3.6 liter V6 that used to be commonly found in numerous Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep and Ram truck vehicles. It is now found in just a few of them, such as the Durango’s cousin, the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The V6 makes 295 horsepower and is paired with an eight speed automatic and your pick of rear-drive (standard) or (optionally) a full-time all-wheel-drive system that automatically routes power to the pair of axles – front or rear – that have the most traction. Unlike most crossover-type AWD systems, the Durango’s usually sends most of the engine’s power to the rear rather than the front wheels.

Equipped with this engine, the Durango can pull up to 6,200 lbs.

If you want a V8, you have your pick of two.

The first is the 5.7 liter V8 that was recently available in many Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep and Ram truck models that is now available only in the Durango. It has been replaced – in those other models – by an inline six that’s turbocharged, which is fine if that’s what you’re wanting. But if you’d prefer a V8, the Durango’s still available with one.

This one makes 360 horsepower and is also paired with the eight speed automatic and comes standard with the AWD system – but you can select a heavier-duty 4WD system with Low range gearing that provides extra leverage for slogging through deep, unplowed snow and mud.

The R/T comes standard with a 7,200 lb. max tow rating that can be increased to 8,700 – class highest – by opting for the Tow & Go package.

There’s one more V8 that’s still available. It is the supercharged 6.2 liter version of the Hemi that was until recently available in Hellcat versions of the Dodge Charger and Challenger as well as the Trackhawk versions of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, among others. It is now available exclusively – and finally – in the Hellcat version of the Durango.

This engine makes 710 horsepower – enough to launch this mid-sized SUV to 60 MPH in 3.6 seconds and through the quarter mile in the high 11 second range.

It does not have that much range, of course – due to its appetite for gas  (12 MPG city, 17 MPG highway) but unlike comparably quick electric vehicles, the Hellcat Durango’s short range doesn’t matter much – beyond the cost of those fill-ups – because it hardly costs any time.

The Durango’s 25 gallon tank can be refilled to full in about five minutes – as opposed to at least 20-30 minutes to partially charge an EV.

On The Road

The Durango is a kind of Goldilocks SUV in that isn’t a big as a full-sized SUV like a Chevy Tahoe or a Ford Expedition but is bigger than mid-sized SUVs such as the Ford Explorer.

It feels almost full-sized (and almost is) but isn’t so big that it’s hard to fit in a typical garage or in between two other parked vehicles at the supermarket.

But what really sets it apart is the six it comes standard with  – and the V8s it can be optioned with.

The turbo four that’s standard in the Explorer makes about the same power as the Dodge’s standard V6 but the sound of the four is incongruent with the size of the Explorer. A vehicle – an SUV – this size ought to come standard with at least six rather than four cylinders if only for the sake of appearances – but it’s also more than just that. A four sounds like a four and that sound isn’t the right sound for a big SUV.

And the Durango’s optional V8s make exactly the right sound.

If you don’t think so, then consider the fact that several other automakers (and Dodge, too) have resorted to augmenting the sounds made by the new crop of turbo fours (and sixes) to make them sound more like the V8s that used to be available in vehicles like the Durango. Why would they do that – except because the sounds made by a turbo four don’t sound right for a vehicle that ought to have a V8?

The supercharged V8 makes a sound that’s worth every cent of the $113k Dodge wants you to pay in order to hear it. Once you do, the money you spent – assuming you have it – will seem very well-spent. Unlike a turbocharger, which is driven by exhaust pressure, a supercharger is a belt-driven device that makes a very unique sound that increases in pitch from a background whirring sound to an uproarious howl that Dodge has done nothing to suppress.

God bless them.

There are quicker EVs, but their quickness is silent and so kind of boring. Or at least, it doesn’t feel almost dangerous – as it does here, which is part of the thrill. Floor the Hellcat Durango and it’s as if you’ve summoned a demon, his otherworldly howl heralding his manifesting. Do you dare keep your foot down?

Can you handle it?

There truly is nothing like it – other than another Hellcat. And that makes it entirely unlike any EV, because all of them are pretty much the same.

One more thing to like about the Hellcat’d Durango – and all the other Durangos, too – is that none of them try to parent your driving unless you freely want them to, by choosing to pay extra for “driver assistance technology,” such as the obnoxious Lane Keep Assist that is essentially unavoidable in pretty much everything else.

Here, it’s optional, Which means you can skip it – and just drive this Dodge without an electronic nanny countermanding your driving.

At The Curb

As mentioned earlier, the Durango is unusual in that it is larger than other SUVs such as the Explorer and is the only SUV its size that offers a standard third row. Depending on your preferences, – captain’s chairs or second row bench – this Dodge can seat six or seven people.

There are a number of crossovers this size – such as the Kia Telluride – that come standard with three rows (and a V6) but they are lighter-duty vehicles that do not offer V8s or real 4WD (with a two speed transfer case and Low range gearing). Not that there is anything wrong with crossovers – but the relevant point is they’re not SUVs and not made to pull an 8,700 lb. trailer and aren’t able to do burnouts.

So if you’re wanting an SUV, the fact that a crossover has a third row is as irrelevant as the merits of lean chicken breasts are to the guy who wants a New York Strip steak.

The funny thing is how many crossovers – including the Telluride – pay stylistic homage to real SUVs like the Durango. The idea seems to be to sell the look rather than the actuality.

Not – again – that there’s anything necessarily wrong with that.

There’s much that’s right about the Durango’s “dated” interior layout. The air finger quotes meant to mock the reviewers who think replacing every knob and button with a touch/tap/swipe interface is an improvement over knobs and buttons that can be operated by feel, without having to take your eyes off the road. And there is an LCD touchscreen. You just don’t have to touch/tap/swipe it to adjust the cabin temperature, fan speed or switch from heater to defroster.

The grab-handle gear selector is also just more engaging – physically as well as psychologically – than a button or magic wheel. Those kinds of interfaces are fine for appliances.

But the Durango isn’t an appliance.

All of the Hellcat trims come with 19 speaker Harman Kardon audio system that’s as powerful in its own way as the supercharged Hemi V8, along with high-performance Brembo brakes, a sport-tuned adaptive suspension with multiple driver-selectable performance configurations (accessed via the Performance Pages app) along with an array of performance data readouts, such as real-time 0-60 times, peak horsepower, cornering G forces and so on.

You can also get some of the R/T and even Hellcat bits and pieces (just not the supercharged V8) by ordering the GT Plus package for the base GT. It adds a sport-tuned suspension, 20 inch wheels and exterior/interior trim upgrades.

The Rest

This is it, folks.

Your last chance to buy a new Dodge with a Hemi V8 rather than a turbo-hybrid six (or a battery and electric motors). It is much like the scene circa 1974 –  half a century ago – when the last of the V8 Challengers rolled off the line.

Those of us who remember those times thought that was it. That animals like that would never be released again. As it turns out, we got a second chance.

But we might not get a third chance for another 50 years.

The Bottom Line

What was it that poem said about gathering ye rosebuds while ye may?

. . .

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