Can't Afford the Hemi? The Good News Is Dodge Put a V-6 Back in the 2026 Durango

When we last talked about the 2026 Dodge Durango, its return was welcome news for fans of the SUV. Jazzing them up even more was the news that it would only come with the Hemi engine, in 5.7-liter, supercharged 6.2-liter, and 6.4-liter flavors, but that came with its own set of headaches for parent company Stellantis. In response to “strong demand” from customers, Dodge has now decided it's time to bring back a cheaper engine option that lacks two cylinders and puts the price below the $40,000 mark. Say hello to the reintroduction of the 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 for the GT trim.

Not Everyone Who Wants a Hemi Can Afford It

While Dodge fans praised the return of the Hemi V-8 and the 2026 Durango as marking a return to normalcy, the nearly $45,000 asking price might have been out of reach for a significant portion of potential customers. By bringing back the 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 and making the rear-drive version standard, Dodge reduced the price of its large SUV to $38,995. While the V-6 GT RWD trim won’t win any drag races, it still punches out 295 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque.

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That’s more than enough power for most people, and this engine will be less thirsty. By not needing to feed two extra cylinders, the 2026 Durango GT V-6 RWD gets an EPA rating of 18 mpg city, 25 mpg highway, and 20 mpg on the combined driving cycle. If you spring for the all-wheel-drive option for $2,000 (bringing the price to $40,995), you’re still doing better on gas than the 5.7-liter Hemi AWD thanks to the six-cylinder's 17/24/20 economy numbers versus the V-8's 14/21/16.

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Big Hemi Engines, (Temporary) Big Hemi Problems

While news of the 2026 Durango returning with the Hemi V-8 helped drive sales, there was a hiccup. Not every state's Dodge dealers were able to offer every Durango. That's because CARB states had effectively barred sales of two of the Hemi engines. The issue was due to the dirty tailpipe emissions of the Durango SRT Hellcat with its supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 and the 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 found in the R/T 392. Without CARB approval of its pollution output, these high-performance SUVs were not for sale in 17 states until Dodge resolved the situation. That wouldn’t have been a huge issue for the R/T 392, as it was slated to have customer orders begin in Q1 2026, but the SRT Hellcat and SRT Hellcat Jailbreak were supposed to be available from day one.

However, that changed in just a few days as Dodge was able to obtain CARB certification for both engines. Ten states that follow those emissions standards now allow customers to place orders—Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Virginia—and the remaining seven states should do the same for the SRT Hellcat Durango by December. We're also told there shouldn’t be any additional delay in ordering the R/T 392.

As mentioned, the 2026 Dodge Durango GT with the Pentastar 3.6-liter V-6 is available to order now in rear-drive configuration for $38,995 and AWD for $40,995. You can also get the GT with the 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 and AWD for $44,490. The 2026 Durango R/T 392 will be available by Q1 2026, starting at $51,990. Finally, the 2026 Durango SRT Hellcat will start at $81,990, while the Jailbreak will start at $82,985 and is available to order in most states right now. Orders in remaining states should open by December.