Suddenly the Trackhawk feels a bit pedestrian.
Thanks to the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, we now know what a ludicrously powerful, all-wheel drive SUV feels like from FCA. If you thought slotting the 707 horsepower, 6.2-liter supercharged V8 from an SRT Hellcat was crazy, you’d be right. And you know what? It’s wonderful.
But now, there’s a new kid on the block. This custom Durango built for the One Lap of America event doesn’t have 707 horsepower. Instead, it has the 797 horsepower Hellcat Redeye engine. Don’t worry, though, it still has all-wheel drive. Even better is its name. It’s the Dodge Durango SRT Pursuit, otherwise known as the “Speed Trap”.
Starting with a standard Durango SRT, engineers dropped the 6.2-liter unit right in. That was no problem, since the 392 (6.4-liter) Hemi and the Hellcat engine share the same exterior dimensions. Power is sent to all four wheels through a TorqueFlite 8HP95 eight-speed automatic transmission. The transfer case splits the torque 40/60 between the front and rear tires when cruising. The Dodge Durango SRT Pursuit also has lowering springs, fat 11-inch wide wheels, and 305 millimeter tires shared with the Challenger Hellcat Widebody.
Of course, to stop that sort of power, SRT fitted 15.8-inch brake roters up front with six-piston calipers. Around the back, there are 13.8-inch rotors with four-piston calipers — exactly the same as the Trackhawk.
Sadly, this does not seem to be going into production. Still, just knowing SRT engineers can do this, and it seems to be a fairly plug-and-play affair in the Durango…yeah, it should totally be a thing. You know you want a Dodge Durango Redeye.
For now, the 475 horsepower Durango SRT is (sigh) the most powerful version you can buy. Don’t worry, though, it’s still a hoot:
