The Dodge Stealth is coming back from the dead to replace the aging Durango. The move is not going to be the return of a 1990s supercar as we know it. But the carmaker is working on the succesor of the Durango, coming, as you'd expect, in the shape of an SUV.
Dodge is planning to put the Durango up on the shelf, and we have been getting all the hints these past few years. Stellantis transferred the Jeep Grand Cherokee to the new WL architecture, while leaving the Dodge Durango out of the game, with the older WK2 platform. If the Durango steps down, the slot covered by the three-row mid-size SUV would thus be left empty, and Dodge has no time to waste.
So they might come up with the Stealth. But it would not be the supercar of the 1990s, which was actually a twin under the skin of the Mitsubishi 3000GT. Made in Japan by Chrysler’s partner Mitsubishi, it got a Chrysler design slapped over the Mitsubishi chassis and drivetrain. At the time, the coupe came to fight rivals such as the Chevrolet Corvette, the Mazda RX-7, and, of course, its Mitsubishi twin.
The entry-level version sported 164 horsepower (166 PS). But the range-topping R/T Turbo with all-wheel drive would go as far as 300 (304 PS). The last of the Stealths rolled off the assembly line in 1996, and that was the end of the story.
But Dodge knows that the SUV rush is still on. Introduced in 2011, the Durango might not have what it takes to make it in an ever competitive market. Dodge have already upped their game, introducing the performance Hornet R/T plug-in hybrid, powered by a 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine and an electric motor for a total of 288 horsepower (292 PS) and 382 lb-ft (520 Nm) of torque.
Now the carmaker is working on resurrecting the Stealth nameplate, using either Stellantis' WL platform like the Grand Cherokee or the STLA, designed for electrified powertrains and "American Muscle."
Photo: Dodge
The new 3.0-liter six-cylinder twin-turbo Hurricane might show up under the hood of the Stealth, in the company of an electric motor, as reported by MotorTrend. The Stealth coupe also sported a 3.0-liter six-cylinder twin-turbo back in the 1990s. Why doesn’t that sound like a coincidence right now?
The Durango currently starts at $39,050. So the Stealth, probably coming in late 2024 as a 2025 model year, should start somewhere around the $40,000 mark as well. But things go crazy if you want to spec a Durango SRT Hellcat Premium, for instance. That one goes straight to $104,810. Hopefully, the Stealth SUV will inherit the sports car personality, and Dodge will manage to keep prices competitive.
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