Remember when Dodge was going to discontinue the Hemi V-8 engine? Dodge doesn’t. In fact, after the gas-powered Charger muscle car and 1500 pickup truck from Stellantis sister brand Ram switched to an all-six-cylinder engine lineup, the celebrated Hemi V-8s are now the only engines available in the 2026 Durango.
Related: 2026 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat Lives On With Customizable Jailbreak Edition
Pentastar Out
In an about-face, it’s now the 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine that is getting dumped from the Durango catalog. The V-6’s place in the entry-level Durango GT is now occupied by the 5.7-liter V-8, which makes 360 horsepower and 390 pounds-feet of torque, 65 hp and a whopping 130 pounds-feet more than the V-6’s output. This change also makes all-wheel drive standard on every Durango, as rear-wheel drive was only available with the V-6.
That extra power isn’t free, however. The GT now stickers $4,000 higher than the previously announced 2026 base price, at $44,490 (all prices include $1,995 destination charge). Still, Dodge says that makes the Durango GT the “most affordable AWD V-8 vehicle in the industry.”
Previously, the 5.7-liter was the sole province of the Durango R/T; with that engine now powering the base variant, the R/T gets an upgrade, too. It now packs Dodge’s largest V-8, the 6.4-liter Hemi, which has 475 hp and 470 pounds-feet of torque. Final pricing has not yet been announced, but Dodge says the R/T will represent the “most horsepower available in the industry for under $50,000.” Wild guess: The R/T’s MSRP will be $49,995 — the same as what Dodge was asking for a 2026 R/T with the 5.7-liter — which works out to $51,990 with destination.
Read More About the Dodge Durango:
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- 2021 Dodge Durango SRT or SRT Hellcat: Is the Hellcat Worth It?
- Which 3-Row SUVs Offer Captain’s Chairs?
- Research the Dodge Durango
Helluva Savings on the Hellcat
Pricing for the 710-hp Durango SRT Hellcat continues its rapid tumble of the last couple of years. Having cleaved nearly $30,000 from the price of the 2025 model earlier this year, Dodge is slashing another $4,600 from its supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 SUV. The Durango Hellcat now starts at $81,990, with the Jailbreak edition opening up extensive customization options for just $995.
Release Date
Orders for the 2026 Dodge Durango GT and SRT Hellcat open on Aug. 13, with vehicles arriving in dealership showrooms in the final quarter of the year. The R/T will be available later this year.
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