The SRT 392 Durango is by far the best-looking Durango produced to date.

The SRT package takes the Durango from mundane to monstrous.

As we spent more time with it, the Durango just kept growing on us to the point that we didn’t want to return it.

Exterior

It’s nice to know that the hood vents and scoop are real and have an actual purpose, something not seen on many vehicles today, performance or otherwise. The SRT 392 sits lower than the standard Durango and has a more aggressive stance with wider tires.

The black dual racing stripes that run the full length of the vehicle on the White Knuckle paint are what really pronounce that this Durango is unique. Without the stripes, it would be a true sleeper. Red Brembo brake calipers can be seen from behind the 20-inch low gloss black 5-spoke rims.

Our test vehicle was equipped with the trailer tow package, which includes a full-size spare under the rear of the vehicle. Interestingly enough, this performance version of the Durango, is also the one with the highest tow rating at 8,700 pounds. It doesn’t, however, come with a trailer brake controller, which is required for many trailers in that weight range.

Interior

The inside of this vehicle is probably the best we have seen from dodge. The high-performance Laguna Demonic Red leather seats were very comfortable, and included very high quality leather. Having the SRT interior appearance package also added real carbon fiber accents and a hand wrapped dashboard with stitching. Even the owner’s manual is in a stitched leather case.

We found the driver’s seat a very comfortable and luxurious place to be. There is plenty of room for a six-foot tall driver to have a car seat in the second row.

The second row is also a comfortable place to be with heated seats, vents that can be controlled by the rear passengers and it offers plenty of room. Access to the third row is a breeze without the middle seat in the second row. The third row is tight for adults, but older children fit comfortably.

With all the seats in place, the storage is tight for a family of six. For day to day tasks, there is plenty of room. With all the seats folded down there is enough space for an adult to lay down.

Driving

Restraining oneself while driving the Durango SRT is difficult. There is always enough power to get you into trouble. It sticks to the road well, with better handling than a vehicle of this size should have. Even in street mode, the ride isn’t as smooth as the lower model Durangos, and putting it into track mode really stiffens up the ride.

Having the ability to adjust the transmission, stability control, AWD, suspension and steering does allow the driver to choose the most enjoyable settings. We liked having the steering, transmission and stability control set to sport mode, but preferred to keep the suspension in street mode.

We towed a 4,000-pound boat a short distance that was mixed city and freeway driving. Tow mode was selected in the SRT pages, which changed the transmission to the tow setting. For a given throttle input, shift points were held longer in tow mode and in any other mode. The Durango had no problem controlling the extra load and makes for a competent tow vehicle.

If you manage to keep your foot off the gas and set the SRT pages into eco mode, decent gas mileage can actually be achieved. We were able to average just over 22 miles per gallon on a short 100-mile trip with mostly freeway driving. Our average for the total 268 miles that we drove the Durango was 15.3 mpg as per the Durango’s computer. That included repeatedly launching the vehicle from a stop and random full throttle acceleration runs at any speed.

Performance

Now for the fun part. We tested the vehicle near 5,000 feet in elevation, which means that we weren’t expecting to get close to the factory claimed track times. We did do many 0-60 runs and a couple of quarter mile runs as well.

Our best times were 5.2 seconds for the 0-60 mph run and 14.4 seconds for the quarter mile.

Both very good times considering there is significantly less air available at 5,000 feet when compared to sea level.

Pricing

The base price for a 2018 Dodge Durango SRT 392 is $62,995, but of course there are always some needed options, bringing our test vehicle to a total of $71,270. The additions were:

• High Performance Laguna Leather Seats ($15,95)
• Technology Group ($2,495)
  • Adaptive Cruise Control
  • Advanced Brake Assist
  • Blind Spot and Cross-Path Detection
  • Full Speed Forward Collision Warning Plus
  • Lane Departure Warning Plus
• Trailer Tow Group IV ($995)
  • 20-Inch x 6.5 Inch Aluminum Spare Wheel
  • 7-and 4-Pin Wiring Harness
  • Class IV Receiver Hitch
• SRT Interior Appearance Group ($1000)
• 295/45ZR20 BSW 3-Season Tires ($595)

Conclusion

The Durango SRT is a fast family-hauler with plenty of towing capacity to pull a travel trailer to the mountains or a boat to the lake.

With the three-season tires and high power, we would recommend getting a dedicated set of winter tires and rims if the vehicle will be driven where it snows.

It is a very comfortable ride  — but hard to keep under the speed limit!

Check out the full photo gallery of this amazing truck over here in a dedicated post.