http://www.torquenews.com/106/jeep-gran ... -gone-2016
Rats, the Durango SRT8 would have been a sweet ride.The new Dodge Durango has been a pretty hot seller since being reintroduced for the 2011 model year based on the Jeep Grand Cherokee but when the next generation Grand Cherokee arrives for 2016 – there will be no more Dodge Durango.
Since Fiat SpA took over the reins of the Chrysler Group, one of the key efforts has been to eliminate redundancies across the various brands and with the Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee being so similar, it makes sense that one of them would be removed from the lineup. The Jeep Grand Cherokee is one of the most awarded and bestselling SUVs since essentially introducing the sport utility vehicle decades ago so it wouldn’t make any sense to kill off the Jeep. On the other hand, the Dodge Durango has not seen nearly the success since being introduced in the late 1990s, so bringing about (another) end to the Durango seems like the easy choice. Therefore, when the Jeep Grand Cherokee receives a new platform and likely a new design for the 2016 model year, the Dodge lineup will be devoid of the sporty Durango.
Sadly, if the Dodge Durango is really going to meet another end in 2016, there is a good chance that the high performance Dodge Durango SRT8 will likely never see the light of day. While the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 is 100% awesome, the same 6.4L Hemi and advanced all wheel drive system fitted into the street-sport designed Durango would make for an interesting addition next to the Jeep SRT8 which is technically better designed for off-road use. I have seen images of a Dodge Durango test vehicle with the hood up and the 6.4L Hemi V8 used in the Charger, Challenger, 300C and Grand Cherokee SRT8 clearly visible – which led me to believe that the Durango SRT8 was on its way. However, with only three model years worth of Durango seemingly left (2013, 2014, 2015) until the Dodge SUV meets its demise – Mopar lovers will likely not get their chance to purchase a 470hp factory-built Durango.
