A Look at the History of Mopar® Branded Dodge Vehicles: Part III

Mopar 18 Durango

The Challenger and Charger were each featured several times during the early years of the Mopar® vehicle program, but it wasn’t until 2019 when the Durango got its time in the factory-modified spotlight. The Mopar ’18 Durango was the first SUV and the first all-wheel-drive Moparized vehicle, but most importantly, it was based on the SRT® model. That means that it featured the 392-cubic-inch HEMI® engine, sending 475 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque toward all four wheels via the quick-shifting 8-speed automatic transmission.

On the outside, the Mopar ’18 Durango was offered in B5 Blue or Octane Red with a black painted hood and roof, black 20-inch wheels, black badges, black window trim, a black grille, black headlight bezels, a black panel between the taillights and black exhaust tips. The package included Mopar ’18 badges on the grille and rear hatch, and while you can’t really tell from the pictures, a lower spring kit and a full cat-back exhaust system were also part of the build – creating a more aggressive stance and exhaust note.

Inside, the Mopar ’18 Durango could be ordered with either red or black leather, with both colors coming with embroidered Mopar logos on the front upper seatbacks. There was also a serialized dash plaque included, denoting the build number of each vehicle.

Finally, like the other Mopar vehicles, every buyer got a unique owner’s kit with authentication data and information on the build process.

A total of 250 examples of the Mopar ’18 Durango were produced.

Mopar 19 Challenger

When the 2019 model year rolled out, Mopar opted to celebrate its 10th consecutive year of custom vehicles by returning to the model that started it all – the Dodge Challenger.

“Over the last decade, we’ve customized an impressive group of vehicles with exclusive Mopar performance parts and accessories that our enthusiast customers crave,” said Mark Bosanac, Head of Mopar Service, Parts & Customer Care, FCA – North America. “This year, we’re commemorating our tenth Mopar build with another unique and collectible Dodge Challenger, which continues to be the modern muscle car every bit as beloved today as the first generation vehicle was 50 years ago.”

The Mopar ’19 Challenger is based once again on the R/T Scat Pack with the Shaker hood, available in Pitch Blue or White Knuckle with the “Shakedown” graphics package in Mopar Blue. The exterior upgrades also included Mopar hood pins, a decklid spoiler badge, wheel locks, Mopar valve stem caps and Mopar center caps on the 20-inch wheels. To bolster both underhood appearance and performance, this package included a Mopar cold air intake kit and strut tower braces with silver powdercoated caps.

Inside, the Mopar ’19 Challenger featured performance cloth seats with a two-tone embroidered Mopar logo on the front upper seatbacks, premium Berber floor mats, a bright doorsill plate and a Mopar ’19 badge on the passenger’s side of the dashboard.

The owner’s kit for the Mopar ’19 Challenger included a “birth certificate” with the build date and sequence number of each vehicle, a full-color vehicle information booklet, vehicle artwork from the Mopar design team and an engraved keepsake with the vehicle number.

A total of 100 examples of the Mopar ’19 Challenger were produced.

Mopar 22 Durango

Finally, after taking 2020 off due to the COVID-19 pandemic and featuring the Ram 1500 for 2021, the latest Moparized vehicle was introduced earlier this year in the form of the Mopar ’22 Durango. Celebrating the Mopar Brand’s 85th anniversary, this 12th vehicle in the Moparized lineup combines the familiar exterior design with the muscular lines of the sporty three-row SUV.

“Our new, limited-edition Mopar ’22 Durango features exclusive Mopar performance parts and accessories,” said Mark Bosanac, North America Vice President, Mopar Service, Parts & Customer Care. “Unlike any other aftermarket offerings, our performance parts and accessories are jointly developed and quality tested with the product engineering team and they are backed by the factory.”

The Mopar ’22 Durango is based on the R/T AWD and this limited-edition package comes standard with the features of the Plus Group and the Tow N Go Package. This means that it is powered by the 5.7-liter HEMI engine, sending 360 horsepower toward all four wheels via an 8-speed automatic transmission and an advanced all-wheel-drive system. When coupled with the Tow N Go Package, this three-row SUV yields a towing capacity of 8,700 pounds and a top speed of 145 miles per hour, but more importantly, this popular equipment group adds uniquely-tuned SRT performance exhaust for the proper throaty roar. The Mopar ’22 also comes with the SRT adaptive damping suspension system, an electronic limited-slip differential, retuned active noise cancellation, the Performance Pages app in the infotainment system, a 1-inch lowering kit and 20-by-10-inch black painted “Lights Out” wheels wrapped in Pirelli tires.

The Mopar ’22 Durango is available in either DB Black or White Knuckle, with an offset driver’s stripe in Mopar Blue, unique grille badging and Mopar Blue Brembo brake calipers. Inside, the Mopar ’22 package features leather-and-suede seats with a two-tone embroidered Mopar logo on the front upper seatbacks, Mopar Blue accent stitching throughout the cabin, all-weather floor mats, a Mopar bright pedal kit and a serialized plaque on the passenger’s side of the dashboard.

A total of 250 examples of the Mopar ’22 Durango were produced.

Non-Dodge Models

In addition to the Dodge models discussed above, there have also been three Moparized factory vehicles from other corporate brands. This included the Mopar ’12 Chrysler 300, the Mopar ’16 Ram Rebel and the Mopar ’21 Ram 1500. The 2012 300 and 2016 Ram both followed the trend of the early Moparized models, with black-and-blue exteriors and interiors while the Mopar ’21 Ram was offered in Billet Silver, Bright White, Flame Red and Hydro Blue. There were 500 Mopar ’13 300s, 500 Mopar ’16 Ram Rebels and 250 Mopar ’21 Ram 1500s produced during the applicable model years, bringing the current total number of Mopar-branded vehicles built since 2010 to 4,160 units.

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