Latest news with #DodgeDurango
Motor Trend
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Motor Trend
2026 Dodge Durango First Look Review: It's Survived Four CEOs
The remarkable thing about the Dodge Durango isn't only solely how long it's been on sale, it's also that it's remained fun to drive and somewhat competitive in terms of family hauling. Still, it needs an update, as the available safety and convenience technologies lag the segment's best. Sure, the engine lineup has been tweaked and the interior and exterior slightly updated here and there, but this three-row family SUV has survived for much longer than Stellantis has existed and existed under four CEOs including Fiat Chrysler leadership. It makes you wonder just how much longer the Durango will soldier on. 0:00 / 0:00 We know it will exist at least in its current form for the 2026 model year, when it will once again be the last Dodge product available with a V-8. The base level GT will continue using the 3.6-liter V-6 Pentastar engine, the Durango R/T will stick with the 360-hp, 390-lb-ft 5.7-liter Hemi V-8, and the SRT Hellcat once again rocks a 710-hp, 645-lb-ft supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V-8. In familiar Dodge fashion, freshness is injected via packages and aesthetic add-ons. The Blacktop Redline is new on the Durango R/T's option list and adds blacked-out 20-inch wheels, black badging, and black SRT exhaust tips, as well as SRT front and rear spoilers. If you also order the $5,990 Tow N Go package, wider 20-inch wheels (including a forged option) and a set of black Brembo calipers are included. Inside, the Blacktop Redline R/T gets SRT front seats and standard second-row captain's chairs wrapped in leather and microsuede with red accent stitching. Leather is also applied to the door trim and center console, and interior trim pieces are laser-etched with a geometric 'crypto sweep' graphic. The Blacktop Redline package adds $3,495 to the R/T Plus and R/T Premium trims. The standard R/T can be ordered with a less comprehensive Blacktop package that adds black wheels, black badging, and black roof rails in a seven-seat configuration for $1,695. If you're more into show than go, the 295-hp V-6 Durango GT's Blacktop Redline package features red stripes on the front fender and liftgate, a performance hood, SRT spoilers, and leather and suede SRT performance front seats. Order books open next month, while pricing and further details on the 2026 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat will be announced later this year.
Motor 1
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Motor 1
The Dodge Durango Hellcat Refuses to Die
The Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat was supposed to be a one-and-done. Dodge initially created this supercharged V-8 SUV for the 2021 model year only, but it proved so popular that the Durango Hellcat made a comeback in 2023. Unfortunately for Dodge, that pissed off a number of 2021 owners who thought they were getting a true limited-edition SUV. But the Durango Hellcat was too good to kill off. For 2026, the Durango Hellcat enters its fourth consecutive year of production, its fifth in total. It may just be indestructible. Photo by: Dodge Dodge revealed details on the 2026 Durango on Friday, though it only just confirmed the SRT Hellcat would continue for the next model year, offering no further information. The brand said it would reveal more in the third quarter of this year. For 2026, the base V-6 Durango GT lives on, and its $40,490 base price stays the same, too. The Hemi V-8-powered R/T gets a new 20-inch wheel design, and the Tow N Go package is now available as a standalone option, where it previously only came on the R/T 20th anniversary editions. For $5,990, you get all the performance upgrades that used to come with the Durango SRT 392, minus the engine, and everything that comes with the $1,195 tow package, including a trailer brake controller. Photo by: Dodge In a statement, Dodge CEO Matt McAleer said Tow N Go accounted for 25 percent of Durango orders at various points, so the brand wanted to expand it across the lineup. The R/T also gets the $3,495 Blacktop Redline package that debuted with the Durango GT last year, which includes unique wheels, black and red racing stripes, and red stitching inside. Like the GT, Dodge didn't raise Durango R/T pricing for 2026, with the $51,990 base price remaining as before. Next year will be the 15th on the market for the current Durango, making it one of the oldest models you can buy today. But, as Dodge struggles with the Hornet and the new V-8-less Charger, it needs the Durango. It might be old, but that just means Dodge has long since paid off the development and tooling costs, making it profitable. Plus, customers still love it, and all of this is doubly true with the Hellcat. More on Dodge You'll Have To Wait Longer for the Dodge Charger Sixpack The New Dodge Charger Sedan Is Here. And It's Powerful Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Gallery: 2026 Dodge Durango 4 Source: Dodge Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Pasco drug leader gets 22 years in hot sauce torture kidnapping case
TAMPA — As drug cases go, this one was horrendous. It involved one dealer accusing another of stealing his business, a kidnapping plot and torture by hot sauce. It ended Wednesday when a federal judge sentenced Mario Espino, a young man a prosecutor called 'a victim of his own ambition,' who aspired to be the 'No. 1 drug dealer in Pasco County,' to 22 years in prison. Yet, in a 90-minute sentencing hearing, Espino was at once condemned for his crimes and praised for his candor in helping prosecutors take down other dealers who dominated the flow of fentanyl and methamphetamine in areas north of Tampa. The government sought close to 30 years in prison. He could have gotten life. His sentence balanced what the government said was substantial assistance Espino gave to investigators, testimony of a dismal childhood and his leadership of a ruthless criminal enterprise. 'This is not someone who's just selling drugs on the corner,' Assistant U.S. Attorney David Sullivan said in court. 'This is a high-level trafficker who we know, without a doubt, is extremely violent.' Yet, U.S. District Judge Mary Scriven observed, the government made deals with him. The prosecutor responded with an adage: 'You can't cast a play in hell with angels.' Said the judge: 'All plays that can be cast don't have to be cast.' The prosecutor agreed. No more deals would be made in this case. Espino's downfall began one morning almost two years ago. Pasco sheriff's deputies and federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents had been watching a little house with a front yard of gravel and concrete on a straight street called Eisenhower Drive in Holiday. The cops descended on a Dodge Durango SUV that pulled up. Espino and two other men got out and ran, but didn't get far. In the SUV's back seat was a man, his wrists and ankles bound with zip ties, his head covered with a blue pillowcase. His name was Gadiel Leger. He is described in court records as a fellow drug trafficker. Bad blood brewed when Espino learned Leger was dealing with some of his clients. Cops had spoken to Leger the day before — Oct. 21, 2023 — after he stepped off a plane at Tampa International Airport. They'd told him that Espino was planning to kidnap and kill him. They'd learned as much from a confidential informer, who said Espino planned to hold Leger for ransom. Leger apparently ignored their warnings. Espino recruited two other men — Joey Young and Jacob Guest — to help in the kidnapping plot, prosecutors said. Court documents describe Espino as luring Leger to Tampa with the promise of paying a debt he owed. The three men were waiting at Espino's home when Leger showed up that night. After he walked inside, Young and Guest pulled guns as Espino grabbed Leger's neck from behind and wrestled him to the floor. The three men used zip ties to bind Leger's wrists and ankles. They hit him with fists and guns in his face, chest and body, according to court records. The beating lasted hours. Espino phoned someone, not named but identified in court records as a Leger's 'source of supply.' He demanded 22 pounds of fentanyl in exchange for his release. He went through Leger's phone, photographing his contact lists in search for his other drug suppliers, court records state. The men dragged Leger into the home's garage and put him in the back of a Dodge Charger. They shrouded his head with a T-shirt and covered his eyes with a sweat band, court records state. They drove somewhere, then returned to the home. All the while, the beating continued. Amid the melee, the men poured hot sauce into Leger's eyes, records state. Espino, according a police report, removed Leger's pants and poured the hot sauce into his rear end. While Leger was being tortured, another man, Jacob Arjona, arrived in a minivan. He walked inside carrying a black suitcase that held 50 pounds of methamphetamine, court records state. He collected a cash payment of $113,100. While he was there, he saw Leger, tied up and bleeding, and joined in the beating, records state. After he drove away, cops stopped Arjona and found the cash. Back at the house, the men put Leger in the SUV and drove him somewhere. When they returned, the cops were there. Leger was hospitalized with numerous injuries, including a brain bleed. In Espino's house, agents seized large quantities of meth and fentanyl and a backpack that held more than $13,000. Espino, 26, became the first defendant in the case to plead guilty and the first to offer information to investigators. Young, Guest and Arjona also eventually pleaded guilty to various crimes related to the kidnapping. Guest and Young received 20 and 25 years in prison respectively. Espino helped agents identify several other drug dealers, the prosecutor said. He became a key witness against two in particular. Marcus and Pierre Fowler were described in court as the top dealers in Pasco County. Marcus pleaded guilty to drug charges and got 24 years in prison. Pierre was convicted at trial, in which Espino testified, and awaits sentencing. 'They were the people Mr. Espino went to for most of his drug supply,' Sullivan said. 'They are who Mario Espino was trying to be.' Beyond his drug crimes, Espino was alleged to be responsible for at least four shootings in Pasco County. After his arrest, the prosecutor said, violent crime in Pasco County saw a marked decline. In court Wednesday, Espino stood with shoulders slumped, wearing orange. A large tattoo of a U.S. 19 road sign marked the center of his neck. He insisted that he has changed. He told the judge he was broken mentally and spiritually when he committed the crimes. He asked for a chance at an education, a legitimate career and fatherhood. Leger, 36, who faces federal drug charges unrelated to Espino's case, was not in court. The judge asked: Why did he torture the man? Espino explained that he blamed Leger for the loss of some of his drug supply. He was also angered when he learned Leger was dealing with some of his biggest clients behind his back. 'I didn't plan on killing him,' Espino said. 'I just planned on putting fear in him. But I did go overboard.' His older brother Dionicio Espino, a Marine veteran and investment banker, read a lengthy statement detailing their troubled upbringing. He described their father as a violent criminal who was murdered in Mexico. Their mother, he said, suffered from mental illness and died from the long-term effects of substance abuse. He spoke of a home life that lacked stability, where the children would come home from school to find their mother passed out near burnt spoons and empty liquor bottles. The younger Espino was in and out of group homes. He dropped out of school. His lack of education kept him from following his brother into the military. With few other prospects, he turned to drug dealing. 'So many people have failed Mario,' his brother said. Before Espino was led away by U.S. Marshals, the judge closed the courtroom so he could visit alone with his baby daughter. It was the first time he'd seen her in person.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Priceville Police purchases new patrol vehicles, funding for replacement patrol rifles
PRICEVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — The Priceville Police Department is adding some new patrol vehicles to it's fleet, as well as funding for replacement patrol rifles. Priceville Police said that Mayor Sam Heflin and the Priceville City Council recently agreed to purchasing two new Ford F150 patrol trucks as well as two new Dodge Durango SUV patrol vehicles for the police department. According to the department, the Durango's are scheduled to be delivered to the city and will be used by police beginning early next month. Additionally, The City of Priceville along with the Priceville Police Department took time to express their gratitude to State Representative Parker Duncan Moore for funding allotted for the replacement of outdated patrol rifles. There is no timeframe for when the department is expected to receive the updated rifles. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Secret Service agents suspended after brawl outside of Obama's home in DC
The Secret Service has confirmed the suspension of two on-duty agents who brawled outside former President Barack Obama's sprawling Washington, D.C., mansion. Two female officers of the Uniformed Division got into an 'altercation' at about 2.30 a.m. in the upscale Kalorama neighborhood on May 21, the Secret Service confirmed to NBC News. Surveillance footage first obtained by Real Clear Politics and published Tuesday shows the security detail, dressed in bullet-resistant vests, violently shoving each other next to a white vehicle outside the Obama residence. Multiple Secret Service sources told the website that the tussle broke out after one officer became irate with another agent who was several minutes late replacing her on shift. 'Can I get a supervisor… immediately before I whoop this girl's a**,' one of the officers can be heard saying in audio published to X by reporter Susan Crabtree. Without evidence, Crabtree speculated in a tweet that the incident was an example of DEI 'still plaguing the USSS despite Trump's directive to abolish it.' A source said that a fight broke out after the officer arrived in a Dodge Durango, rather than a Ford Explorer, which was allegedly requested by the agent who was about to clock off. One Secret Service source with knowledge of the altercation described the agent's attitude as 'dangerous.' A spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday that both officers had been suspended. The incident remains under investigation. 'The U.S. Secret Service is aware of an on-duty altercation that occurred between two Uniformed Division officers at approximately 2.30 a.m. on May 21,' they said. 'The individuals involved were suspended from duty and this matter is the subject of an internal investigation.' 'The Secret Service has a very strict code of conduct for all employees and any behavior that violates that code is unacceptable,' the spokesperson added. The federal law enforcement agency declined to comment further about the incident. After leaving office, former presidents and their spouses receive lifelong Secret Service protection. In 1994, Congress enacted a measure to limit protection for former presidents and their spouses to ten years after they left office, as a cost-saving measure. Obama restored the lifelong protection in 2013. It marks the latest alleged incident involving on-duty Secret Service officers, following the removal of an agent from former Vice President Kamala Harris's security detail in April last year. Michelle Herczeg allegedly became angered after being laid off by her supervisor, causing Herczeg to throw items, including a menstrual pad, and attack her superior. The Independent has contacted the Secret Service and the Obamas' office for more information.
