Dodge, is bringing the V8 back with a vengeance, starting with the 2026 Durango lineup, where the engine is now the only power unit on offer. When the three-row midsize SUV reaches dealerships later this year, buyers will have three different V8 engines to choose from, with outputs climbing past 700 horsepower.
One of them is the 6.4-liter mill, previously exclusive to the Durango SRT 392. The engine was dropped after 2024, with Dodge even rolling out a Last Call special edition to celebrate it. However, the engine is making a return, and for the first time, it will be available in the more attainable Durango R/T. The result is a new performance bargain, delivering serious muscle for under $50,000 and signaling that Dodge’s V8 era is far from over.
2026 Dodge Durango Prices And Specs
That’s right. You’ll be able to pick up a Durango R/T with a 6.4-liter V8 under the hood for less than $50,000, which is what you have to currently pay for just the 5.7-liter V8. That’s quite the deal as the previous Durango SRT 392 had a starting price closer to $77,000 in its final year. Final details will be announced closer to the market launch but Dodge has confirmed the R/T’s 6.4-liter V8 will pack the same 475 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque that the engine delivered in the SRT 392. Dodge said the 6.4-liter V8 will be an available engine, perhaps hinting that the 5.7-liter V8 will still be the standard unit in the R/T.
Beyond the R/T, the 2026 Durango lineup will include the Durango GT and Durango SRT Hellcat. Yes, the Hellcat supercharged 6.2-liter V8 also makes a return, making 710 hp and 645 lb-ft of torque here. It seems Dodge’s claim of the Hellcat’s impending death was also exaggerated. If you want one, you’ll need to pay $79,995, plus a $1,995 destination charge.
One engine that has gone away is the 3.6-liter V6 that was previously fitted to the Durango GT. Now the GT comes with the 5.7-liter V8 as standard, and it will only cost you $42,495, plus destination. The engine is rated at 360 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque. That’s also quite the deal as the current 2025 Durango GT with the V6 starts at $38,495, meaning the premium for the V8 is only $4,000.
Order books for 2026 Durango open in mid-August, though only for the GT and SRT Hellcat initially. Order books for the R/T will open at a later date. Deliveries will start in the fourth quarter of the year.
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2026 Dodge Durango Lineup |
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Durango GT |
5.7-liter V8 |
360 hp |
390 lb-ft |
$42,495 |
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Durango R/T |
6.4-liter V8 (Available) |
475 hp |
470 lb-ft |
Under $50,000 |
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Durango SRT Hellcat |
Supercharged 6.2-liter V8 |
710 hp |
645 lb-ft |
$79,995 |
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All prices exclude a $1,995 destination charge. |
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Serious Bang For Your Buck
There are very few vehicles where you get so much power for so little money. When looking at the Durango R/T in particular, only the Ford Mustang GT offers more hp per dollar. For $46,650, you get 480 hp in the Mustang. Of course, finding one at that price is rare, due to added options and dealer markups. A 400-hp Nissan Z starts around the mid-$45k bracket and in the electric camp, you can pick up a Mustang Mach-E with 365 hp for under $50k.
However, the Durango has other pluses, at least for some buyers. There’s seating for up to seven, a maximum 85.1 cubic feet of storage, and a towing capacity of up to 8,700 lbs. The maximum towing capacity is with the Durango’s available Tow N Go package, which is once again available as a standalone option on the R/T and costs $5,990. In addition to its Class IV receiver hitch and trailer brake controller, the package also adds upgrades like Brembo brakes, 20-inch wheels, a sports exhaust, adaptive dampers, and more.
The R/T also gets a Blacktop Redline styling package, which was previously limited to the GT. It’s available with the R/T’s Plus and Premium trim levels for an additional $3,495. It adds 20-inch wheels, front and rear spoilers, and a “Hemi” badge on each of the front fenders, among other tweaks. For the interior, the package adds standard captain’s chairs for the second row, leather and suede trim, and red accent stitching.
For buyers who can stretch their budget, the SRT Hellcat with its 710 hp is still the most powerful SUV powered solely by an internal-combustion engine. With so much oomph, it will deliver 0-60 mph acceleration in just 3.5 seconds, pass the quarter-mile in 11.5 seconds, and keep going until a top speed of 180 mph. There’s also a Jailbreak version that offers up additional color and wheel choices.
What Happened To The Whole Electrification Thing?
As mentioned above, Stellantis was not so long ago gearing up to phase out the V8 in light vehicles and replace them with new hybrid and electric powertrains. Brands like Dodge and Ram even started rolling out special edition models to bid farewell to the V8, with Dodge already skipping the engine in the latest Charger and planning to do away with it in the Durango, too.
Those plans were under former CEO Carlos Tavares, who wanted to streamline technology across Stellantis’ American and European brands and also avoid paying hefty fines for missing fuel economy targets under the Cafe (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) rules. In 2023, Stellantis paid $235.5 million in fines for failing to hit the targets for its 2018 and 2019 model year vehicles.
The current target is a fleet-wide average fuel economy of 53.4 miles per gallon, which automakers need electric vehicles to achieve. However, under the recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill, automakers no longer face civil penalties for noncompliance with the Cafe rules. This has provided some freedom to automakers to slow down the pace of their electrification transition, and, in the case of Stellantis, to revive previously canceled V8 engines.
The V8 engine has been added back to the Ram 1500 for 2026, after sitting out 2025, helping to bring back thousands of potential buyers. It is also sticking around in the Durango instead of being phased out as previously planned. There are also rumors that Dodge will now even work a V8 engine into its modern Charger, as an alternative to the electric powertrains and recently launched Hurricane inline-6 option, something that was never planned when Tavares was still CEO.
Dodge Quiet On The Future Of The Durango
The current third-generation Durango has been on sale since the 2010 model year, but despite its age the SUV is still Dodge’s best-selling vehicle, managing close to 60,000 sales in the US last year. Dodge is thought to be working on a redesign, and, given the strong sales of the current model, and the change in rules regarding Cafe, is unlikely to rock the boat, such as turning the Durango into an EV.
While there were rumors of Dodge introducing a larger, body-on-frame Durango for the next generation, freeing up space in the lineup to add a smaller crossover to be called the Stealth, the current thinking is that Dodge will stick with the three-row midsize SUV format with unibody construction for the next Durango.
Reports from earlier this year claim the next Durango will be built at Stellantis’ Detroit Assembly Complex starting around 2026. This means it could arrive as soon as the 2027 model year. The plant is where the current Durango is built, together with the current Jeep Grand Cherokee. While the two SUVs use separate platforms, it’s possible the next Durango will move to the modern platform found in the Grand Cherokee. The current Durango shares its platform with the previous-generation Grand Cherokee.
Sources: Dodge
