2026 Dodge Durango Reviews, Pricing & Specs

While all the Durango's competitors have been redesigned twice or thrice since this third generation went on sale for the 2011 model year, Dodge squeezes every dollar out of its vehicles. The last Charger and Challenger, the Grand Caravan, the Sebring/200 — they were all past their sell-by dates but were kept alive with touches of colour, special editions and, in the case of the Durango, three incredible V8 engines.

With a blend of chunky fenders and smooth body panels, the Durango still looks good. A refresh for 2021 updated the grille, lighting, and bumpers while overhauling the dashboard inside. Along the way, some new wheels and colours joined the party. Everything else remained unchanged.

The wraparound LED taillight, which mimics a racetrack, is a signature lighting piece that looked cool in 2015 when LEDs were rare and is very distinguishable today, even though every SUV uses this technology. The stance and the front end give a tough, no-nonsense attitude, which makes the Durango a natural fit as a police cruiser (messing with a dark, tinted-out Durango is not recommended). For something so old, the Durango has an almost timeless style.

The interior shows its age, mostly in the style of the switches, the buttons, the chunky 2000s Mercedes seats, and the cheaper grains of plastic that adorn the doors, the lower dash, and the console. But the Durango is refreshingly analog. Headlights are controlled by a knob. The climate controls are just that. Everything is logical and just works. The touchscreen is plenty large by modern standards, but it’s not the size of a living room TV. And it’s flush with the dash, not hastily tacked on like a living room TV above a fireplace. Upper trims have leather, carbon fibre, and microsuede, but they're the low-quality kind found in an aftermarket build. Is that bad? Not when the Durango drives as well as it does.

In Canada, the 2026 Durango was originally available with Dodge’s 5.7-litre Hemi V8, but this powertrain is no longer listed on the Dodge Canada website as of this writing. While some units are reportedly still available on dealer lots, most trims can now only be ordered with the V6 engine for this model year. The 5.7-litre V8 will return for 2027, when the 6.4-litre Hemi V8 R/T is also expected to return to the lineup.

That 3.6-litre V6 is even older than the Durango. Its 295 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque strain to move 2,262 kilograms (nearly 5,000 pounds) of Durango. To be fair, V6-engined versions of the Honda Pilot, Nissan Pathfinder, Hyundai Palisade, and the older Toyota Highlander are similarly poor performers. All are lazy and laggardly at city speeds and noisy and breathless at full throttle.

The 5.7-litre Hemi V8, which was available as an option on GT and GT Plus models, produces 360 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque and boosts towing capacity from the V6’s 2,800 kilograms (6,200 pounds) to 3,945 kilograms (8,700 pounds). Fuel efficiency isn't much worse at 14.3 litres per 100 kilometres combined versus 11.9 L/100 km combined for V6 models. We're not giving the Hemi a pass on fuel economy because it sounds great — more than 14 L/100 km is horrendous — but it comes with a big increase in power compared to the still-inefficient V6.

The SRT Hellcat Jailbreak brings combined fuel consumption up to 17.4 L/100 km combined with a 6.2-litre supercharged V8 generating 710 hp and 645 lb-ft of torque. The 6.4-litre V8 (the famous "392") that will return to Canada in 2027 produces 475 hp and 470 lb-ft. This cavalier attitude is the Durango's core market — families and aspiring fathers who want big power, sound, towing capability, and swift acceleration without jumping to a luxury brand. It helps that the eight-speed automatic transmission and multiple AWD modes that vary the torque split are so smooth and unobtrusive, while visibility is also sufficient in all directions. In Canada, all-wheel drive (AWD) is standard on all models.

We tested the 710-hp SRT Hellcat Jailbreak, and it is appropriately insane with its racing stripes, huge Brembo brakes, and sport suspension. Any Durango has good handling with minimal body roll. Steering accuracy is poor — the off-centre feel is slushy at best — and the ride is stiff on all trims, with the Hellcat on the insufferable end of the comfort spectrum despite the standard adaptive dampers. The grip, the fast shifts, the nasty barks from the exhaust, and the sensation from the supercharged Hemi are all Durango hallmarks. If a V8 family hauler sounds too showy, there are plenty of ordinary SUVs that offer none of these thrills.

The Durango offers seating for five people across two rows (SXT and Hellcat) or seven passengers across three rows (GT and GT Plus). Second-row captain's chairs are optional on the GT Plus trim, reducing seating to six. Their "tumble and fold" mechanism allows easy access to the third row with one swift motion of the seat handle. Hellcat models come with a bench without the third row (which can return for $495).

The third row, which can only seat two people, is very tight by modern standards. Given that the Durango shared its chassis with the last-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee and the much older Mercedes-Benz ML-Class, that is not surprising. Those vehicles were never designed to accommodate a roomy third row like today’s Pilot, Pathfinder, or Kia Telluride. Headroom and legroom in the first and second rows are good but not palatial. Seat padding in the second row is noticeably firm with the bench seating. A separate climate zone and optional heated outboard second-row seats relieve some of the discomfort.

Cargo space is good with 487 litres behind the third row, 1,226 behind the second row, and 2,409 litres with both rows folded. This puts the Durango on a par with the Telluride, the Pilot, and the Ford Explorer, but below larger three-rows such as the Toyota Grand Highlander and the GMC Acadia.

Every Durango comes with a 10.1-inch touchscreen running Uconnect 5, which features navigation, HD Radio, SiriusXM 360L satellite radio, over-the-air (OTA) updates for the infotainment, and wireless Apple CarPlay (Android Auto is wired). Four USB ports are up front, but in the second row, only the Hellcat Jailbreak has a 12-volt power outlet and USB-C port, while the third row gets nothing regardless of trim level.

A nine-speaker Alpine stereo is standard on the GT Plus and Hellcat, while the SXT and GT trims have a no-name six-speaker stereo. A 19-speaker Harman Kardon stereo is optional on the GT Plus and Hellcat Jailbreak.

The Durango lacks many of the features we’ve come to expect in its segment. There is no semi-automated driving function, and convenience features such as rear-seat entertainment or massaging seats are also absent. But there are various performance functions in the Hellcat's infotainment system such as launch control and the ability to set a custom driving mode.

The 2026 Durango received a four-star (out of five) overall rating from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), but recent ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) were not available at the time of writing.

A driver's knee airbag and central side airbag between the front seats are good features, but the Durango's dated body structure means it will not perform as well in a crash as competitors designed around the most recent IIHS crash tests.

Blind-spot monitoring, forward collision warning, and rear parking sensors are standard on the three base trims. Lane departure warning is standard only on the GT Plus. To get full-speed forward collision warning, lane departure warning, automatic high beams, and adaptive cruise control with stop on the Hellcat Jailbreak, you’ll need to equip the Premium Group package. Many other modern driver-assist features such as evasive steering assist or a semi-automated highway feature are unavailable. For these reasons, we rate the Durango low in the safety category.

In Canada, the 2026 Dodge Durango starts at $62,790 for the base SXT trim including a $2,195 destination charge. The GT trim starts at $64,790. The GT Plus with the V6 starts at $70,785. When the GT Plus Hemi V8 and GT Premium Hemi V8 were available, those were priced at $77,590 and $82,585 respectively. The SRT Hellcat Jailbreak is its own animal starting at $137,290 with room for additional customization, and you’ll also need to account for the federal luxury tax that applies to the portion of the price above $100,000.

Purchase incentives ranging from $8,500 for lower trims to $16,500 for the Hellcat Jailbreak were available at time of writing, which helps to compensate for the vehicle's age and maintain the value equation. The old body structure, powertrains, and style may be off-putting to some buyers, but the Durango's analog design and outstanding performance are very welcome. For driving pleasure, nothing in the segment can top a Durango, but we’re still hoping a redesign comes sooner rather than later.