Next-Gen Durango Replacement, More Than Likely Won’t Use Stealth Name

This new Dodge has really caught my attention. I’m waiting my time for the Cherokee replacement, but a performance oriented mid-size SUV matches my personality. The key here is size and power. Must be Hurricane powered and prefer two rows. I predict the Stealth, the Cherokee and the Wagoneer S will be built in the same factory, perhaps even alongside a Chrysler SUV. The new STLA large platform can be cut, stretched, powered and styled to fit the very distinctive brand personalities on the same line without skipping a beat. Most important, done cleverly enough, buyers won’t know a thing about how closely related these SUVs are below the surface. I won’t care a bit.

KM or Dodge equivalent would be my interest as well. But the next Durango is still supposed to offer 3 rows if I read the article correctly.

Stealth would make an excellent name IMO for a sporty Dodge crossover that is bigger than Hornet, but smaller than Durango

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Either way, whatever nameplate comes on the next-gen STLA:Large SUV, we know a few things are almost guaranteed. Hurricane powertrains, electric & electrified powertrains and ABSOLUTELY NO HEMI V8 ENGINES!!!!! This new SUV still needs to be "The Charger of the SUV world." It needs to be a modern day dynamic muscle car SUV. Honestly, two-row seating is more than enough for this SUV as comfortable seating for five would be plenty. Throw in a few hybrid hurricane powertrains and we could definitely see some serious performance out of the STLA: Large platform vehicles. We already know the 3.0L Hurricane S.O & 3.0L Hurricane H.O put out impressive Hemi beating horsepower and torque (and a 2.0L Hybrid that has 5.7L Hemi horsepower and 6.4L Hemi torque), and we know Stellantis' Transmission manufacturer ZF has already made the next Gen ZF 8-Speed automatic transmission modular which means they can accept hybrid electric setups so Dodge can technically offer every single STLA: Large platform Next-Gen "Muscle cars" with hybrid powertrains which would actually make everything an "electrified" Vehicle. The electric motor in the Gen-4 hybrid ZF 8HP puts out 122hp and 183lb-ft of torque so if everything from Stellantis from this point out becomes a hybrid, that means we could be looking at a 375hp/470tq 2.0L Hybrid, a 542hp/651tq 3.0L Standard Output Hybrid Hurricane I-6 and a 632hp/683tq (or even 672hp/714tq if Dodge surprises us and puts the 550hp/531tq HurriCrate Cat-3 version in the next gen muscle car) 3.0L High Output Hybrid Hurricane I-6 powertrain. That makes Dodge still absolutely bonkers while being that much more efficient. The 3.0L Hurricane engines already outpower the Hemis they replace and are already more efficient and "Greener" than the pushrod V8s we know and love and if they were to put these hybrid systems behind them with intelligent all-wheel drive systems, we are truly getting ready to see the Mopar brand become even more bonkers than they already are. The STLA: Large platform is already supposed to be a better platform than the one we have now for the Charger, Challenger, 300 and Durango so what are we truly getting ready to get here from the next-gen Mopar performance vehicles? Let's not talk about the potential for Direct Connection Stage kits for these vehicles! Or Jailbreak packages! If Dodge offers these across the entire lineup of their next-gen muscle cars and not just the top tier ones, this could truly be an epic time for the brand! To top it off, the next gen Ram 1500 is ditching the Hemi as well for the new Hurricane powertrain which means these hybrid powertrains could be in the next-gen Rams as well. Can you say Ram 1500 Daytona, Ram 1500 Rebel, Ram 1500 TRX and maybe the potential for a next gen version of a Ram SRT10-type street dominating performance pickup truck? This is all capable from the Stellantis brand even before we talk about full BEVs that have the potential of giving us loud, 1,200hp street cars with the 800V banshee system, or slightly more sane 340kW and 440kW 400V EV systems that still have Stage 1 & 2 kits available for them. The brand also has a 3.0L Hurricane variant called the Cat-X which is supposed to be a Drag Pak version with over 1,000hp. Now, anyone who believes that Dodge will leave that as a race-only powertrain is crazy seeing that they Just released the 1,025hp Demon 170 as a street legal vehicle. Even if they detuned it to let's say 900hp for an E10-fueled, "Street-Legal" version, you throw that same hybrid system behind it and you're looking at a 1,022hp, which makes it 2hp less powerful than the Demon-170 but more emissions friendly as well and that's on E10 fuel (pump gas)! Either way, whatever is coming from the brand with this next generation has the potential to continue on with the same crazy power, performance and styling that the Mopar brands are known for. Anyone who thinks that the brand is going to die without the Hemi V8 is sadly mistaken. Yeah, we're going to see alot more full electric BEVs from the Stellantis brand, this is true. Minivans, volume seller jeeps, and even some performance vehicles. But the brand can still have some insane gas-powered vehicles as well that can be relatively efficient with hybrid technology. Will they sound like the V8's we know and love? NOPE! will they outperform most of them and let us keep on enjoying high powered vehicles we can go to the gas pump and fill up? YUP! Will they more than likely sound like a 2JZGTE Supra, RB26DETT Skyline or even an Australian Ford Barra Inline-6 Turbo engine? We can only hope that these new powertrains will sound as good as the classic I-6 Turbo powertrains I just mentioned. We may even get a Turbo-4 hybrid that might sound pretty good as well. I think if we get vehicles like this as the next generation of Mopar performance vehicles, I really feel like the majority of us could still be happy with what comes from the brand in the next few years. We still get power and sound and all of that from the hybrid cars, while the EPA guys can see green across the board. It's a win-win situation for everyone. For Stellantis, it means no more having to pay Tesla for EV credits, no more law suits and they get to keep their Brotherhood of Muscle and attract new customers into the Family as well.

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