This week I bring you the 2026 Dodge Durango R/T 392 Blacktop AWD Launch Edition, and while the Durango itself has certainly been around awhile, there is something very significant happening under the hood this year. Dodge has put the big 392-cubic-inch HEMI V8 into the R/T for the first time, giving buyers 475 naturally-aspirated horses, standard all-wheel drive and serious SRT-derived performance equipment at a base price of just $49,995. In today’s SUV market, where it seems like you can spend $60,000 without getting anything particularly exciting, this is an impressive amount of performance for the money.
You may remember Dodge spending the past few years telling us the HEMI was on its way out, complete with Last Call models and plenty of farewell celebrations, but clearly something changed along the way (like leadership, thankfully). HEMI-powered Durangos never completely disappeared, and now the 6.4-liter 392 has moved into the R/T, which I think is great news.
What’s New
For 2026, the R/T makes a huge jump from the 5.7-liter HEMI used last year to the naturally aspirated 6.4-liter 392 HEMI V8. The old R/T produced 360-horses and 390-pound feet of torque, while the new one jumps to 475-horses and 470-pound feet of torque, an increase of 115-horses and 80-pound feet. Dodge says 0-to-60 drops from 6.2 seconds to just 4.4 seconds, and the quarter-mile comes up in 12.9 seconds.
Dodge also gives the R/T 392 a lot more than just a bigger engine. You get an adaptive damping high-performance suspension, an electronic limited-slip rear axle, high-performance exhaust, performance-tuned steering, red Brembo brakes with six-piston front and four-piston rear calipers, SRT Performance Drive Modes and standard all-wheel drive. Dodge also increased standard towing capacity to 8,700 pounds, so this is one of those rare SUVs that can haul six people, tow a good-sized trailer and run with a lot of sports cars.
Exterior
I have always liked the way the Durango looks, and although this basic body style has been around for a long time, I think it has aged remarkably well. It sits low and wide for a three-row SUV, the hood has a performance bulge and functional-looking vents, the front fascia is aggressive without being ridiculous, and from the rear you get the familiar racetrack-style taillights, spoiler and dual exhaust.
My tester is finished in Red Oxide, a $595 color that is very dark and rich, and depending on the lighting it can look black, burgundy or deep red. It works especially well with the $2,045 Blacktop Package, which gives you 20-inch by 10-inch Lights Out aluminum wheels, gloss-black exterior mirrors and badges, and Eclipse Black exhaust tips. You know I am a tire and wheel guy, and the black wheels with those big red Brembo calipers showing through really set this Durango off.
This one also has the $1,695 Low-Gloss Gunmetal dual stripes by Mopar, which run over the top of the Durango. I usually have mixed emotions about spending almost $1,700 on stripes, but on this particular color combination they look terrific and are subtle enough that they don’t overpower the rest of the SUV.
Powertrain
Now let’s get to the heart of this Durango, because this is why you buy it. Under the hood is a 6.4-liter naturally aspirated HEMI V8, also known as the 392 because that is the cubic-inch displacement for those of us old enough to remember when we talked about engines that way. It puts out 475-horses and 470-pound feet of torque and is mated to the excellent TorqueFlite 8-speed automatic transmission.
Power goes through a standard active all-wheel-drive system that continuously varies the amount of torque going to the front and rear wheels. The Durango is built on a rear-wheel-drive-based architecture, which gives it a much different feel than most front-wheel-drive-based three-row crossovers, and when you put your foot into it, the AWD system does an outstanding job of getting all that HEMI power to the pavement instead of simply turning it into tire smoke.
Dodge says this SUV will go from 0-to-60 in 4.4 seconds, run a 12.9-second quarter-mile and reach a top speed of 160 miles per hour. Those are impressive numbers for anything, but they are particularly impressive when you consider this is a three-row SUV weighing well over 5,000 pounds.
Throttle response is instant, which is one of the things I love about a big naturally aspirated engine. There is no waiting for turbochargers to spool up, no electric motor filling in a weak spot, and no artificial exhaust note needed to make you think something exciting is happening. You push the accelerator, the big HEMI responds immediately, and the exhaust tells everybody around you that this is not the regular family Durango.
Interior
Inside, the Durango is familiar but still very nice, and this particular one gets a major upgrade from the Premium Package. The front seats are Nappa leather and suede with large performance bolsters, red stitching and R/T touches, and they are exceptionally comfortable. Both front seats are heated and ventilated, the driver gets memory settings, and the flat-bottom leather steering wheel has controls and large paddle shifters.
There are soft-touch materials across the dash and doors, and the Premium Package adds a premium instrument panel, suede headliner and forged carbon-fiber accents that really dress up the cabin. There is also a power sunroof, and while this is not the newest interior design in the segment, it remains extremely functional and has a more traditional cockpit feel than many newer SUVs.
The center console has the short electronic shifter that fits your hand nicely, two large cupholders, a wireless phone charging area and good storage. I also appreciate that Dodge has not eliminated every physical button and knob in the name of progress. Climate controls, audio controls and other things you use every day are right there where you can find them without taking a college course in touchscreen operation.
Standard Features
The R/T 392 comes very well equipped before you ever start checking option boxes. Standard equipment includes remote start, a power liftgate, heated and ventilated front seats, heated second-row captain’s chairs, heated steering wheel, power front seats, three-zone climate control, wireless phone charging, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, navigation, SiriusXM, an Alpine audio system with subwoofer, performance paddle shifters and the 10.1-inch Uconnect 5 touchscreen.
More importantly to me, much of the expensive performance hardware is standard rather than buried in some giant option package. That includes the adaptive damping high-performance suspension, electronic limited-slip rear axle, performance exhaust, performance-tuned steering and those serious red Brembo brakes.
Safety
Standard safety equipment includes ParkSense front and rear parking assist, ParkView rear backup camera, Blind Spot Monitoring and Rear Cross-Path Detection, electronic stability control, four-wheel traction control and a full complement of airbags.
Because my tester has the Premium Package, you also get the more advanced driver-assistance systems, including Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop, Full-Speed Forward-Collision Warning Plus, Advanced Brake Assist, Lane-Departure Warning Plus, automatic high-beam headlamps and Blind Spot Monitoring with Trailer Detection. This is an important distinction with this particular Durango because the Premium Package turns it into a very complete vehicle from a safety and driver-assistance standpoint.
Options
The base price of this Durango R/T 392 AWD Launch Edition is $49,995, and my tester has a substantial list of options. Red Oxide paint adds $595, while the Premium Package is the big one at $7,600. That package includes the upgraded safety systems, premium instrument panel, suede headliner, forged carbon-fiber accents, power sunroof, black roof rails and crossbars, trailer brake controller, Class IV receiver hitch, upgraded front brake rotors and a 19-speaker Harman Kardon audio system with an 825-watt amplifier and subwoofer.
Next is the $2,045 Blacktop Package with the Lights Out wheels, gloss-black exterior touches and black exhaust tips. The Low-Gloss Gunmetal Mopar stripes are $1,695, and there is also a $1,500 charge for one day at the Dodge/SRT High Performance Driving School.
Add the $1,995 destination charge and the bottom line is $65,425. That is a long way from the $49,995 base price, but you certainly don’t have to load one up this heavily to get the part I like best. The 475-horsepower HEMI, AWD system, adaptive suspension, performance exhaust, limited-slip differential and Brembo brakes are already there.
Driver Information Screen
In front of you is a very easy-to-read gauge cluster with a large digital information screen in the middle and analog-style gauges on each side. The graphics are colorful and performance-oriented, with plenty of red, which seems appropriate in a vehicle like this.
Using the steering-wheel controls, you can scroll through vehicle information, fuel economy, trip information and performance data. I continue to like this setup because you get the benefits of a configurable digital display without losing the look of a traditional tachometer and speedometer.
Center Screen
Center dash is the terrific Uconnect 5 system with a 10.1-inch touchscreen, and I continue to believe this is one of the easier systems in the industry to learn and operate. The graphics are crisp, response time is quick, menus make sense, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto work well.
This is also where you can get into the SRT Performance Pages, which are a lot of fun if you are a car person. There are performance gauges, timers and vehicle information, plus settings that allow you to configure the powertrain, suspension, steering and other systems. You can spend a lot of time exploring all this, and unlike some complicated infotainment systems, you don’t need the owner’s manual sitting beside you to figure it out.
The Premium Package replaces the standard Alpine system with a 19-speaker Harman Kardon setup with a subwoofer and 825-watt amplifier. It sounds excellent, although there were plenty of times during my week that I turned the stereo down so I could listen to the HEMI instead.
Drive Modes
The SRT Performance Drive Modes allow you to change the personality of the Durango depending on where and how you are driving. You have settings for normal driving, Sport, Track, Snow and Tow, and the system can change transmission behavior, throttle response, steering feel, suspension settings and AWD operation.
Sport mode is where I spent a lot of my time because it sharpens everything without making the Durango difficult to live with on the street. Track is obviously more aggressive, while Snow is there for slippery conditions and Tow optimizes things when you have a trailer hooked up. The adaptive suspension is a big part of why this Durango can play both roles so well; it can be comfortable enough for everyday use and then tighten things up considerably when you want to have some fun.
Second and Third Rows
The second row consists of two heated captain’s chairs, and there is excellent headroom and legroom for adults. Rear occupants have their own climate vents and controls along with USB connections and power outlets, and the fold-and-tumble seats make access to the third row quite easy.
The third row seats two, giving this Durango a six-passenger configuration, and the room back there is better than you might expect. Two adults can use the third row without feeling like they are being punished, certainly for shorter trips, and kids will have plenty of room.
Cargo Area
There are 17.2 cubic feet of cargo room behind the third-row seat, approximately 43 cubic feet with the third row folded and a generous 85.1 cubic feet with both rear rows down. The third-row seatbacks fold flat and give you a long, usable cargo floor.
Even with all three rows in use, there is enough room behind the third row for groceries or luggage, and there is additional storage under the rear cargo floor. This remains one of the things that makes the Durango so usable as a real family SUV instead of simply a performance vehicle with a couple of extra seats stuck in the back.
Ride and Drive
This is where the R/T 392 really won me over, because it does not feel like Dodge simply dropped a giant engine into a regular Durango and called it a day. The adaptive suspension, big Brembo brakes, AWD system, wide tires, electronic limited-slip rear axle and performance steering all work together, and the result is a large SUV that feels remarkably composed when you start pushing it.
Acceleration is tremendous, and more important to me, it feels effortless. You don’t have to wind the engine out or wait for anything to happen; there is power everywhere, and when you lean hard into the throttle, the Durango squats down, the exhaust comes alive and it just takes off. The AWD system launches it cleanly and the 8-speed transmission is very quick, smooth and smart enough that I generally let it do its own shifting.
The brakes are equally impressive. With this much weight and this much speed, you need serious stopping power, and the Brembos give you a very solid pedal and tremendous confidence. My Premium Package also adds upgraded two-piece front rotors for improved braking performance and cooling.
What surprised me most, however, is how easy the R/T 392 is to live with during normal driving. The ride is firm as you would expect with this type of suspension and 20-inch wheels, but it is never objectionable, the seats are comfortable, the cabin is quiet when you want it to be, and highway driving is effortless. Then you hit an entrance ramp, switch to Sport Mode and suddenly remember you have 475-horses sitting in front of you.
The exhaust sound deserves special mention because we are simply not going to hear sounds like this forever. There is something uniquely satisfying about the deep rumble of a big naturally aspirated V8, especially when it is connected directly to what your right foot is doing. This Durango does not need electronic tricks to manufacture excitement, which is a big part of its appeal to me.
Verdict
I really like what Dodge has done with the 2026 Durango R/T 392 because it gives performance buyers a terrific middle ground. The 710-horsepower Hellcat is still available and is absolutely insane, but it also costs considerably more and is overkill for a lot of people. The R/T 392 gives you more performance than most people will ever need, a wonderful V8 exhaust note, AWD, three rows of seating, real towing capacity and a surprisingly nice interior.
My tester is $65,425 because somebody checked a lot of boxes, but don’t lose sight of the $49,995 base price. Dodge could easily have put the 392 into the R/T, added a fancy badge and priced it much higher, but instead it made the big V8 standard and included the suspension, brakes, exhaust and AWD system needed to handle it. Dodge calls it the most horsepower in its segment for under $50,000, and from a performance-for-the-dollar standpoint, it is difficult to argue with what you are getting here.
The Durango may be one of the older designs in the three-row SUV segment, but there is also something refreshing about that. Everything inside is easy to operate, visibility is good, it has plenty of room, and instead of trying to reinvent itself as some sort of rolling computer, Dodge has concentrated on making this thing fast, capable and fun.
If you are a Car Guy or Car Gal who needs a family SUV but refuses to give up the sound and feel of a big American V8, this is going to be hard to beat. The 392 HEMI is not just back in the Durango R/T; Dodge has made it powerful, useful and, at its $49,995 base price, remarkably competitive.