The third-generation Dodge Durango first rolled off an assembly line in late 2010, when Barack Obama was president, “TikTok” was a Kesha song, and “Game of Thrones” had yet to make its debut on HBO.
It’s outlasted them all. Dodge will once again sell the family SUV with a muscle car’s attitude for the 2026 model year.
We change less as we age (ask me how I know). Updates for the new model year will be confined to options packages.
The Blacktop Redline Package appeared on the bargain GT model last year. It will also be available on the mid-priced R/T model for 2026. It includes front and rear SRT spoilers, blacked-out badges, and 20-inch Black Noise wheels. Inside, buyers get suede SRT performance seats with red stitching and standard captain’s chairs in the second row.
In a way, the lack of change is big news. Dodge previously told its fans 2025 would mark the last year of Hemi V8 Durango production. The company even sold a series of “Last Call” special editions meant to mark the engine’s retirement after the 2025 model year.
But the Hemi is back for 2026. With the Trump administration signaling its intent to return to pre-2024 fuel economy rules, Dodge will keep the Hemi in the lineup. The engine is one of the few things in the automotive industry older than the the current-gen Durango, first appearing in 2003.
The Durango SRT Hellcat returns with its 710-horsepower supercharged Hemi. The 2026 Dodge Durango is expected to arrive at dealerships in the third quarter of this year.
