2018 Dodge Durango SRT to feature Apple CarPlay and BeatsAudio sound system

Adding to a slowly growing list of new cars with support for Apple's CarPlay, Dodge on Tuesday announced its 2018 Durango SRT will feature the in-car entertainment system, as well as BeatsAudio premium sound.

Dubbed by Dodge as the "most powerful three-row SUV" available, the upcoming Durango SRT is powered by a 475-horsepower 392-cubic-inch HEMI V-8 engine capable of pulling the vehicle to 60 miles per hour in just 4.4 seconds.

As part of Dodge's performance lineup, the Durango SRT also comes with the carmaker's latest and greatest in-car infotainment hardware. For 2018, the company is packing its "Uconnect" system into an 8.4-inch touchscreen media center alongside CarPlay, Android Auto, an HD radio and a number of downloadable apps.

In addition to CarPlay, another Apple product is making an appearance in the form of a standard BeatsAudio sound system. For the Durango's capacious interior, Dodge is including a nine-speaker setup with subwoofer and 506-watt amplifier.

The Durango is Dodge's third vehicle to get the CarPlay treatment. Last year, the company added Apple's infotainment solution as an option on 2017 model year Challengers and Chargers.

Manufactured in Detroit, Dodge's 2018 Durango SRT is scheduled to make an appearance at the 2017 Chicago Auto Show on Thursday before it hits dealerships in the fourth quarter.

Apple's CarPlay is slowly making its way into the mainstream as an increasing number of major manufacturers bake in support beyond their respective in-house software. Most recently, Subaru last week said its forthcoming 2018 Legacy will feature CarPlay integration.

5 Comments

cali 3494 comments · 10 Years

About 7 years ago

Nice to see Beats making moves outside headphones. Who said buying Beats was a bad deal?

I wonder if they can tackle the home audio market?

lordjohnwhorfin 866 comments · 18 Years

That was Project Titan.

macxpress 5903 comments · 16 Years

cali said:

Nice to see Beats making moves outside headphones. Who said buying Beats was a bad deal?

I wonder if they can tackle the home audio market?

FCA has a few vehicles in their lineup using Beats Audio. The Dodge Charger, Fiat 500, Fiat 500 X, Fiat 500L, and Jeep Renegade all have Beats Premium Audio as an option. The rest either have Alpine Premium Audio, or Harmon Kardon Premium Audio.

The new Jeep Compass may also have Beats Audio has an option...not sure on that yet.

If this Durango SRT will be anything like the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT it will seriously kick some ass. It'll be interesting to see reviews on it once they're available.

macxpress said:

cali said:

Nice to see Beats making moves outside headphones. Who said buying Beats was a bad deal?

I wonder if they can tackle the home audio market?

FCA has a few vehicles in their lineup using Beats Audio. The Dodge Charger, Fiat 500, Fiat 500 X, Fiat 500L, and Jeep Renegade all have Beats Premium Audio as an option. The rest either have Alpine Premium Audio, or Harmon Kardon Premium Audio.

The new Jeep Compass may also have Beats Audio has an option...not sure on that yet.

If this Durango SRT will be anything like the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT it will seriously kick some ass. It'll be interesting to see reviews on it once they're available.

Nice! This could become a thing.

If I were Apple/Beats I'd invest some good R&D on getting these systems sounding second to none. I know Beats don't have the best sounding headphones but being best in auto could have a big reward. Imagine half or more of all new autos being equipped with Beats?