2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat Visits Hennessey Dyno, Lays Down 562 WHP

In the first instance, the go-faster shop from Texas will upgrade the supercharger, exhaust system, and software that governs the 6.2-liter HEMI engine to 1,012 horsepower and 969 pound-feet (1,314 Nm) of torque. Not long after that, Hennessey Performance Engineering will swap the motor altogether in favor of the 426 Hellephant V8 with a 3.0-liter supercharger.

Before they get down to business with the Durango SRT Hellcat, the gentle giant has to be tested on the dyno to find out how many horsepower and pound-feet of torque are channeled to all four wheels. Hennessey reports 562 horsepower and 531 pound-feet (720 Nm) of torque, and the most impressive thing about this dyno run is the very flat torque curve.

The bone-stock engine develops more than 500 pound-feet from 3,100 to approximately 5,300 revolutions, which explains the neck-snapping acceleration of the unwieldy sport utility vehicle. Dodge claims 3.5 seconds to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) with the standard tires, and top speed is nothing to scoff at either at 180 mph (290 kph).

With a little bit of tender loving care from Hennessey Performance Engineering, the Durango SRT Hellcat with the HPE1000 Supercharged Upgrade promises to hit 60 miles per hour in just 2.8 seconds. The quarter-mile numbers are ludicrous too at 10.8 seconds and 126 miles per hour (203 kilometers per hour) for a 5,710-pound (2,590-kilogram) SUV.

Hennessey limits the HPE1000 Supercharged Upgrade to 50 units for a relatively simple reason, and that is limited production figures for the 2021 model year. As fate would have it, Dodge will pull the plug on the super utility vehicle in June over the incoming federally-mandated regulations for evaporative and refueling emissions for the 2022 model year.