Hellcat SUV tows 8,700 Pounds and runs 11.5 1/4-Miles

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Hellcat SUV tows 8,700 Pounds and runs 11.5 1/4-Miles

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Hellcat SUV That Can Tow 8,700 Pounds and Then Run 11.5 Quarter Mile Times?
https://www.hotrod.com/articles/2021-du ... ack-drive/
You want a race car, but you need an SUV to haul the family. But what if there was an option to have both in one vehicle?

SUVs are modern man's solution to minivans and station wagons. Yep, guys (and these days women, as well) didn't want to be stuck driving the unfairly stigmatized minivan or station wagon, so they came up with the sport utility vehicle. In reality it was the same thing, but in a more adventure-themed package. But like the station wagons and vans they were replacing, the performance was still lacking. You drove an SUV because you needed to haul people and "stuff." If you wanted something more on the hot rod side of the equation, then you bought a second car.

But Dodge didn't see the choice as a "this or that" type of deal. Instead it figured out a way to meld the utility of an SUV with the soul of a muscle car, and the result is the 2021 Durango SRT Hellcat. But Dodge did more than just shoehorn a Hellcat engine into an SUV; in effect it turned a Charger Hellcat into an SUV.

Key here is the 6.2L Hemi Hellcat V-8 mill. At 710 horsepower, it's the most powerful engine ever stuffed into a three-row SUV. That hp, along with the 645 lb-ft of torque, gives the Durango SRT Hellcat some impressive performance numbers.

How impressive? Well, keep in mind that we are talking about and three-row SUV that tips the scales at more than 5,700 pounds. But even if this were a passenger car, the numbers would be noteworthy. The Durango Hellcat can go from a dead stop to 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds. This is thanks to the combination of the supercharged Hemi along with the all-wheel-drive system, but more on the AWD later. This SUV also runs an NHRA-certified quarter-mile elapsed time of 11.5 seconds. Mid 11s in a 2.5-plus-ton SUV? On the open road it has a top speed of 180 mph, and the Durango Hellcat runs 1.5 seconds faster than the SRT 392 on a 2.1-mile road course. That's equal to nine car lengths after just one lap.

The new hood does more than just sit there and look aggressive. The center slot helps feed cool outside air to the hungry Hemi while the heat extractors lower engine bay temps and help reduced lift.

Back to that AWD system. What really made the Hellcat Durango fun to drive was the all-wheel-drive system. The system is transparent, which means there are no knobs to turn or buttons to push. The system adjusts based on the needs of the driver or situation. On the highway it was a joy because, even with 710 hp on tap, you could just mash the throttle and the big SUV would squat a bit and go. The feeling of acceleration when passing was pretty addictive. On the track the power combined with the electronic track systems (such as the electronic shocks) and the AWD made the SUV feel like you were piloting a car around the track, and a fast car at that. Sometimes you would think, "Wow, I shouldn't be doing this in an SUV," but the setup of the Durango just inspires confidence in what it can do on a road course.

A big, heavy SUV meant for the track needed big brakes, and the Durango Hellcat has them. Inside the 20x10-inch wheels (wrapped in 295/45/20 Pirelli P-Zero rubber) are six-piston front, four-piston rear Brembo calipers that clamp down on massive, two-piece 15.7-inch slotted rotors up front and 13.8-inch rotors in the rear. These massive brakes, coupled with the ABS system, did a great job on our hot laps of slowing down the Durango at the Carolina Motorsports Park road course. We hinted at the Dodge engineers that a widebody Redeye version of the Durango with 305mm tires would be pretty sweet on the track.

We're still really impressed that a seven-passenger SUV, one that can run the quarter in just 11.5 seconds, is also capable of towing up to 8,700 pounds! Tow your race car to the track and then run mid 11s with your stock tow vehicle. Yea, 2020 may suck in many ways, but it's a great time to be a performance enthusiast.

We drove the 2021 Durango SRT Hellcat across the Carolinas on our way to the track, and it's just a good time waiting to happen. When cruising it's just like any other cushy SUV, but when you need to pass—or just brake the tedium of a long drive—a mash of the throttle is oh so satisfying.

We found the newly revamped interior to be very comfortable and well laid out. All the luxury items you expect are there. Things like heated seats, a heated steering wheel, copious amounts of USB slots (including the newer USB-C), inductive phone charging, and a huge Uconnect 5 dash display were all present. Heck, it can even connect with Alexa, just like at your house.

Is Bruce Banner the Hulk or is the Hulk Bruce banner? The same question can apply to the Durango, as well. Is it an SUV hiding a track car or a track car disguised as an SUV? We would say it's an SUV with the heart and soul of a muscle car. Where that's really apparent is in the Hellcat's electronics. Menus are full of various track settings, auxiliary gauges, g-force meters, and performance trackers. One moment the display is set for satellite radio, and the next it's a track data logger. One moment you're picking your track mode, and the next you're adjusting the integrated trailer brake controller. Haul people, haul cargo, or haul butt—the Hellcat Durango can do it all with ease.

When we went to drive the Durango Hellcat, we were really there to drive the new Challenger Redeye; the Durango was, to us, just an add-on adventure because we were already there. But after driving the Durango Hellcat on the street and the track, it became the highlight of the trip. After all, we expected the Challenger Redeye to be off the charts cool, but the Durango Hellcat surprised us with how good it was in nearly every aspect we could think of. And although we would love to have a Challenger Redeye in our garage, the Durango would be our pick if we were limited to just one ride that could do it all.

For those who buy a new SRT, including the SRT Durango, Dodge gives them a full one-day session at the Bondurant High Performance Driving School, where they can learn to get the most from their new SRT ride in a safe and controlled environment.

2021 Durango Srt Supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi Hellcat V-8:

* Availability Standard — SRT Hellcat
* Type and Description 90-degree V-type, liquid-cooled
* Displacement 376 cubic inches (6,166cc)
* Bore x Stroke 4.09 x 3.58 (103.9 x 90.9)
* Valve System Pushrod-operated overhead valves, 16 valves with sodium-filled exhaust valves and hollow stem intake valves, 16 conventional hydraulic lifters, all with roller tips
* Fuel Injection Sequential, multiport, electronic, returnless; Fuel Saver mode
* Construction Deep-skirt cast-iron block with cross-bolted main bearing caps, aluminum alloy heads with hemispherical combustion chambers
* Compression Ratio 9.5:1
* Power 710 bhp (529 kW) @ 6,100 rpm
* Torque 640 lb.-ft. (637 Nm) @ 4,300 rpm
* Engine Speed 6,100 rpm (electronically limited)
* Fuel Requirement Premium 91 octane (R+M)/2 — required
* Oil Capacity 8.3 quarts (7.9 liters)
* Factory Oil Fill 0W-40 Pennzoil Ultra Synthetic
* Coolant Capacity 14.7 quarts (13.9 liters)
* Intercooler System Separate low-temp cooling system with dual water-to-air intercoolers and a high-flow variable-speed electric water pump
* Exhaust Type Crossover X-pipe to the twin-pipe exhaust with dual 4-in. round with nickel-chrome tips
* EPA Fuel Economy mpg (city/hwy/combined) TBD
* Gross Trailer Weight 8,700 lbs

2021 Durango SRT Hellcat Available Exterior Colors

* Billet Silver
* DB Black
* Destroyer Grey
* F8 Green
* Granite
* In-Violet
* Octane Red
* Reactor Blue
* Redline
* Vice White
* White Knuckle
I remember how fast Mustangs were when the broke into the high 13s.
Now we have SUVs which can haul several tons and still run in mid 11s!

#Dodge #Durango #Hellcat #DodgeDurango #DurangoHellcat #HEMI #Mopar
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