The 710-HP Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat's Cancellation Was Just Canceled

The zero-to-soccer-practice time is about to remain drag-strip quick: Dodge is bringing back the 710-hp Durango SRT Hellcat three-row SUV for the 2023 model year.

Remember this kitty? Dodge offered a Durango SRT Hellcat for the 2021 model year but warned us at that time it was a one-model-year offer: emissions and fuel efficiency requirements meant the automaker would stop making the supercharged SUV after one year.It led to a lot of angry emails, says Dodge brand CEO Tim Kuniskis.

Engineers used the hiatus and the pandemic to tackle the problem. As a result, the 2023 Durango SRT Hellcat is back with the supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi Hellcat V-8. "We are hoping to do more than one year but at this point we are only committed to one," Kuniskis tellsMotorTrend.

Power remains unchanged: the 2023 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat boasts 710 horsepower and 645 lb-ft of torque and a top speed of 180 mph in a six-passenger SUV. In testing,MotorTrendlaunched the family hauler from 0-60 mph in 3.4 seconds and ran an 11.7-second quarter mile at 117.3 mph.

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When Dodge first told us in July 2020 that the Durango SRT Hellcat would be a one-hit wonder, the explanation was it would not pass new emissions rules. So, what changed? "We overcame the emissions hurdle," Kuniskis says, sending us to the powertrain expert to explain how.

There were no hardware changes, just fiddling with the 1s and 0s in the software coding, Head of Global Propulsion Systems for Stellantis Michael Bly tells us.

The problem was that the 2021 Durango Hellcat, with an EPA rating of 12/17/13 mpg city/highway/combined, was hurting the company as a whole because it increased the automaker's Corporate Average Fleet Economy. Exceeding CAFE standards results in penalties. So, the automaker made the decision to remove the Durango Hellcat from the equation. Since then, product planning and calibration changes to improve the efficiency of the SUV and the fleet overall were enough to put the Durango Hellcat back into production, Bly says.

As for hardware, the 2021 Durango Hellcat SUV was already equipped for performance; no point wasting all that effort for the roughly 2,000 that were sold previously. For 2021 the Durango Hellcat's suspension was tuned for comfort in the Auto setting but better handling in Track mode. It was also equipped with a two-piece chin splitter and new rear spoiler for downforce at 180 mph. An opening in the lower front fascia fed air to the Hellcat's intercooler. The Durango can also tow 8,700 pounds.

Orders open in September and the 2023 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat will reach dealerships in early 2023. The 2021 Durango Hellcat started at $82,490. No pricing yet for the 2023 version but expect its bottom line to add thousands of extra bucks, as all vehicles have seen larger than usual price hikes in recent years. Customers will be able to add Plus and Premium packages for additional features, and a Blacktop package tosses in glossy black mirror caps, badging and 20-inch black aluminum wheels for even more testosterone.

For Dodge, the 2023 model year is a milestone as it marks the end of an era. The brand will stop building Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger muscle cars with internal-combustion engines prior to the introduction of an electric muscle car in 2024.