The 6.4-liter Hemi V8 is back in the Dodge Durango, slotted into a resurrected R/T trim that nobody saw coming. Starting at $49,995 before destination, the 2026 Durango R/T 392 delivers 475 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque in a three-row SUV that’s been riding the same platform since 2011. And somehow, improbably, it’s working.
Dodge killed the Durango SRT 392 after the 2024 model year. Now the same engine returns under a different badge, at a lower price point, in what amounts to a greatest-hits repackaging of a vehicle that refuses to die. The 2025 Durango posted its best sales year ever, moving more than 81,000 units. Stellantis clearly read the room.
Compared to the outgoing 5.7-liter R/T, the new 392-powered version gains over 115 horsepower and 80 pound-feet of torque. The zero-to-60 sprint drops to 4.4 seconds, a 1.8-second improvement. Towing capacity jumps 20 percent to 8,700 pounds.
Quarter-mile time sits at 12.9 seconds, and top speed hits 160 mph. That 4.4-second run is quicker than the twin-turbo inline-six Charger SixPack R/T, which is an awkward look for Dodge’s supposedly modern muscle car.
Standard equipment reads like the old SRT 392’s spec sheet. Adaptive dampers, an electronic limited-slip rear differential, Brembo six-piston front brakes, a high-performance exhaust, SRT Performance Drive modes, and a rear-biased all-wheel-drive system all come included. The eight-speed automatic carries over, because what else would it be.
The Launch Edition piles on body-color fender flares, red 392 fender badges, a rear spoiler, and 20-inch wheels wrapped in Pirelli Scorpion Zero run-flat 295s. Inside you get Nappa leather and suede seats with beefed-up bolsters, heated second-row captain’s chairs, and ventilated front seats. Step up to the Launch Edition Premium at $57,595 before destination and Dodge throws in an 18-speaker Harman/Kardon stereo, carbon-fiber accents, suede headliner, a full driver-assistance suite, trailering package, and sunroof.
Dodge reshuffled the entire Durango lineup to make room. The base V6-powered GT still starts at $38,990 including destination. The GT Hemi AWD, the cheapest V8 entry at 360 horsepower, drops $595 to $45,670.
At the top, the 710-horsepower SRT Hellcat gets a couple thousand shaved off, now starting at $81,990, with the Jailbreak sitting slightly above. The R/T 392 slots neatly in the middle, which is exactly where the volume lives.
A 475-horsepower, all-wheel-drive, three-row SUV under $52,000 is genuinely hard to match in today’s market. Ford’s Explorer ST makes 400 horsepower and costs roughly the same. The Chevrolet Tahoe RST with the 6.2-liter V8 starts well north of $60,000.
Fifteen years on the same bones, and Dodge keeps finding ways to squeeze life out of this platform. The formula is almost embarrassingly simple: take a proven engine, drop it into a proven chassis, price it aggressively, and let the displacement do the talking. No hybridization, no electrified torque-fill strategy, no apologies.
There is something almost defiant about selling a naturally aspirated 6.4-liter V8 in a family hauler in 2026. Stellantis has spent years signaling an electric future, pouring billions into the platforms that are supposed to replace machines exactly like this one. Yet here’s the Durango, ancient and unapologetic, posting record sales and getting more power for less money.
The market doesn’t always care about the future. Sometimes it just wants 475 horsepower and a tow rating.
Share this Story