2018 Dodge Durango SRT - POV Track Drive REVIEW
Channel: Premium Cars
Date: 10/01/2018

My first moments in this new Durango SRT are spent adjusting the heavily bolstered leather seats and flat-bottom steering wheel -- it’s important to get these right at a track day. Once settled in, it's time to look around and gauge my surroundings. From the windshield, turn 1 is clearly marked and easy to spot after peering down the long straightaway. To the right, a 153-foot-tall pagoda. To the left, a yard of bricks. In back, two additional rows of seats.

Wait. Why am I about to run the infield road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a Durango?

SRT is why. They bolted in a 6.4-liter Hemi engine, good for 475 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque, and an equally capable eight-speed automatic transmission. Mega Brembo brakes work with 295/45R-20 Pirelli P Zero tires to arrest progress as quickly as it builds. SRT also stiffened up the front and rear springs, fattened up the rear stabilizer bar and added Bilstein adaptable shocks. Then there’s the electronics. The stability-control system, throttle mapping and power steering weight all adjust. That’s common, but SRT also quickens gear-shift time, sends more power to the rear of the all-wheel-drive system and tightens up shock absorbers.

The aforementioned adjustability comes from choosing one of seven different drive modes available. And two of those modes are sport and track. In track mode, this SUV, with seating for six, is able to withstand hot (well, very warm) laps on a track. The default setting is automatic, which makes the Durango SRT its most comfortable self. There’s also eco, to squeak out a (very) little extra mpg, valet mode, which takes away all the hoonability, and snow mode for spotty weather.

But the seventh driving mode is tow, and it feels out of place in this SUV. After all, a tow vehicle and a track car are two different things. But not in this case. All the extra cooling systems, beefy suspension and brakes required to make the SRT hold up on-track also aid in pulling 8,700 pounds around without trouble. For good measure, SRT iced this particular cake with luxury, wrapping the Durango in Napa leather with suede inserts and installing a fancy stereo.

The Execution

This Durango SRT is a jack-of-all-trades, in the broadest sense, in the automotive world. And, generally speaking, it achieves its goal. Romping around Indy in a two-and-a-half-ton, high-center-of-gravity stuff hauler should bring about exorbitant understeer and body roll, or worse. But no, the SRT is competent, which is high praise for this class of vehicle.

The throaty V8 growls and howls, like '60s era Trans Am race cars, and shifts bang off in just 160 milliseconds with the violence of a mule kick. It's easy to see better than 120 mph before stomping on the binders for turn 1. At turn-in, the Durango, well, does. Body control is composed, yet not unnaturally stiff. And SRT tuned chassis balance darn near perfectly for a track machine of this size. There's understeer at the limit, but it's easy to erase with a dab of brake or a dollop of throttle. It drives like a tall Challenger, which drives like a muscle car. Don’t believe me? Watch:

Admittedly, the brake pedal did get long over the morning but never faded enough to concern anyone. All the air inlets, vents and heat exchangers did their job to keep the powertrain from losing its cool, too. And when track time ended, a Durango SRT was fueled and ready to commute to the next stop.

Switched to auto mode, the transmission calms way down and the suspension happily absorbs bumps and ruts in the road. The same animal that hustles its way around Indy commutes down the highway with aplomb. The front seats are both heated and cooled. And the Uconnect infotainment system works well, causing less frustration than most systems on the market today. This one comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and also controls a nine-speaker, 506-watt sound system. And did we mention it tows things? Dodge strapped a big ol' boat to the SRT to prove it.