By CL-member-request, a review of the 2012 Dodge Durango V6.

http://www.dodge.com/hostc/models/CU...selectModel.do

IN A NUTSHELL: A stunning improvement in comfort, refinement, and fit/finish over past models, but will it finally be reliable?























The Dodge Durango has been around for a number of years now, as a rather oddly-sized domestic, American-designed truck-based SUV that more or less straddles the borderline, size-wize, between the typical mid-sized Explorer/Trailblazer/Pilot/Highlander and the full-sized Tahoe/Expedition/Sequoia/QX-56. You could call the Durango a three-quarter-size SUV, and, of course, it is physically the largest of all the Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep SUVs.

Dodge, for some reason (perhaps budget-constraints) never opted to produce a traditional full-size, truck-based SUV in the same manner that Ford and GM did, despite the fact that, after the 1994 restyling of the full-sized Dodge Ram pickup truck (made to look like the front-end of a big-rig semi), the Ram's sales steadily increased for years. Still, Ram sales, to this day, despite increased popularity, have yet to equal those of the insanely popular Ford F-150 and Chevy Silverado. Chrysler DID, however, produce a two-door Dodge Ramcharger and Plymouth Trail Duster back in the 1970s (some of you older folks here might remember them), which were rather unrefined, primitive two-door SUVs done off of the full-size Dodge pickup (that was back before Dodge Pickups were known as Rams). The Ramcharger and Trail Duster were crude, noisy, uncomfortable, and lacked sound-insulation, but they got the job done...especially off-road. I rode a number of hours in a Plymouth Trail Duster helping some people in my church, back then, on a project.....a friend of mine owned one.

But the Ramcharger and Trail Duster, despite the full-size width, like the similiar Chevy Blazer and Ford Bronco, were only two-doors and rather short.....much shorter than the big four-door Chevy Tahoes and Ford Expeditions to follow years later, and, of course, much smaller than Chevy's own Suburban, long the king of domestic SUVs. Even the huge Suburban (and the rebadged GMC Yukon XL versions) wasn't always king, though, as Ford's gargantuan Excursion was in production for a few years, and then forced out by pressure from the media and environmentalists. I test-drove an Excursion, and found the chassis/steering/braking systems deficient to the point of being borderline dangerous, but that's not a topic for this review.....so back to the Durango.

The first-generation Durango, when it debuted in 1998, used the droop-fender, big-rig look of the Dodge Dakota mid-sized pickup (which itself, of course, got that look from its big-brother full-size Ram). The Durango used the Dakota's frame-rail truck-chassis, so, of course, it had a healthy tow-rating for its size. It was a few inches longer than the Dakota, though, effectively placing it (as I indicated above) between mid-sized and full-sized SUVs in exterior-length. While I respected the Durango's beefiness, tow-rating, and semi-macho, big-rig-look front-end, I wasn't much impressed with its fit/finish, interior/exterior materials, paint-job, or overall level of assembly quality. In these areas, as with most of the other Chrysler-products of the period, it was left wanting. According to Consumer Reports, it has also had a spotty reliability-rating over the years, varying between average and much-below average...it was generally not reliable like most of its Japanese-designed competition. As redesigns came, it lost the old semi-big-rig style for more traditional SUV-styling. And, last year, for 2011, like the new Ford Explorer, it also lost the traditional truck-frame underpinnings, and is now a unibody-type SUV....but, surprisingly, it can still tow, with proper tow-packages, from 6200-7400 lbs.

For 2012, four different trim-models of the Durango are offered....the SXT at $28,995, Crew at $33,695, R/T at $35,795, and Citadel at $40,995. All models come with a choice of RWD or AWD, except the Citadel, where AWD is standard. The Express trim line looks like it is being replaced by the SXT this year. Two engines are offered, depending on drivetrain and trim model.....a 3.6L Pentastar V6 with 290 HP and 260 ft-lbs. of torque, and the 5.7L Hemi V8 with 360 HP and 390 ft-lbs. of torque.....I don't see an SRT-Hemi version offered, like on some other Chrysler products. Dodge's website, IMO, is awful, and it was difficult to get up-to-date specs on the 2012's, but, as of this writing, from what I could tell, the V6 is standard on all of the models except the R/T, where the Hemi is the only choice (as would be expected). The Hemi is an option on the Crew and Citadel models. A five-speed automatic comes with the V6, a 6-speed automatic with the Hemi. There doesn't seem to be any word yet on the new 8-speed automatic, which just now being phased into some other Chrysler products. So, check the Dodge web-site (poor as it is) and other sources for the latest details.

Needless to say, new Durangos aren't cheap. Like its new rival, the latest-generation Ford Explorer, top-level Durangos, with options, can run $50,000 or more list.....so don't go shopping for one unless you have either a good-size bank account or good credit (or if you plan to lease one, which can sometimes lower monthly-payments). The review-request was for a V6 model, so that was what I chose.....one of the lower-line Crew V6 models with 4WD/AWD. I chose 4WD, of course, because RWD, in many areas, would make little sense in this type of vehicle, even though most SUV owners don't go off-road any more. Even this version, though, with some options (see the list below) stickered for almost $41,000. But, IMO, that money bought (with a couple of minor exceptions), a much better better Durango, this time around, than earlier-generation models. That, of course, has generally been the case with some other new Chrysler products as well, including the Dodge Charger, Chrysler 300, and Jeep Grand Cherokee. Fit/finish and general interior quality is much better now (on Fiat/Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne's direct orders), although it's admittedly too early to tell if the long-standing worse-than-average relability records of these vehicles will also improve in the long run. I also, briefly, checked out a less-expensive SXT V6 model which listed for around 32K, to see what the cheaper cloth interior was like and if the road manners were any different...and was also just as impressed.

So...to the new Durango. Details coming up.



MODEL REVIEWED: 2012 Dodge Durango Crew V6 AWD

BASE PRICE: $33,695


OPTIONS:

Leather Interior Group: $1295

Entry-NAV: $595

Power Sunroof: $850

Media Center: $395

20-inch wheels/Flexible-Fuel Package: $700


DESTINATION/FREIGHT: $850 (about average for a vehicle this size)

LIST PRICE AS REvIEWED: $40,965


DRIVETRAIN: AWD, Longitidinally-mounted 3.6L Pentastar V6, 290 HP @ 6400 RPM, Torque 260 Ft.-lbs @ 4800 RPM, 5-speed automatic transmission.

EPA MILEAGE RATING: 16 City / 23 Highway / 19 Combined

(Oddly enough, both 2WD and 4WD V6 versions get the same EPA gas mileage. This engine is also E85-rated, but, of course, with that version, gets much
lower mileage because of the ethanol)


EXTERIOR COLOR: Black Crystal-Pearl-Coat

INTERIOR: Black Leather




PLUSSES:


Vastly-improved road-manners over previous version.

Reasonable power, by SUV-standards, from Pentastar V6.

Butter-smooth 5-speed automatic.

very smooth ride by SUV-standards.

Well-damped wind/road noise levels.

Butter-smooth steering action/response.

Reasonably-effective brakes.

Excellent underhood layout.

New locking gas filler-door.

Fairly good rear-vision.

Excellent paint-job, even in black.

Nicely-done chrome-exterior trim in front and back.

Well-shaped side-mirrors.

Rear-bumper-cladding protects paint from luggage-scuffs.

Handsome (IMO), conservative, squarish SUV-styling helps visibility and cargo-space.

Swing-adjustable roof cross-bars.

Superb, clear, colorful, easy-to-read gauges.

Nice fabric-covered sun-visors.

Very well-done interior chrome/brushed-metal trim.

Well-marked, easy-to-use buttons/*****.

Comfortable front seats.

Nice seat fabric and leather.

Padded dash/door trim.

Superbly-done steering-wheel.

Excellent front/rear headroom, even with sunroof.

Well-finished cargo-area.

Detachable trunk-flashlight.

Laminated tire-changing instructions.




MINUSES:


No body-side mouldings for parking-lot protection.

Most exterior paint-colors (IMO) are too dull.

Matador-Red paint is extra-cost.

Exterior sheet metal could be more solid.

Zig-zag transmission shift lever.

Saddled with a rather poor reliability reputation.

Top-line and/or option-laded versions rather pricey.

A few cheap-feeling dash *****.

Third-row seating (like most) unusable for normal-sized adults.

Difficult-to-use Dodge website.




EXTERIOR:

I generally liked the new Durango's exterior. Gone is the old droop-fender, semi/big-rig, macho-look of early models...in fact, some of it was gone with the last-generation model, too. Now, in its place, is a tasteful, conservative, somewhat traditional-SUV squarish look to both front and rear, with slightly-rounded edges. Up front is a fairly good-size Dodge-type chrome grille with the company's signature vertical/horizontal cross-bars....R/T models, of course, get sportier body-color trim. New this year is a gas filler-door that locks.....past models economized by not providing a lock. The paint-colors offered (as usual) are generally too dull for my tastes (I get tired of comparing them to funeral-homes). But the paint job itself is excellent, even in the often hard-to-do black, though the regular solid-black (as usual) had slightly more orange-peel than the Metallic/Crystal-Black Pearl-Coat. One nice color, though (at extra-cost) is the Inferno Red, which is also offered on other Chrysler products, and is comparable to the beautiful Lexus Matador Red. Paint is one of the areas (among others) where Chrysler has made astounding progress in for the last few years...they, along with Mitsubishi, used to have some of the worst paint-jobs in the industry. The two side-mirrors were generally well-shaped, and the cheap, flimsy-feeling swivel/snap-lock hardware of previous years also seems to have also improved a little too. The swing-in/out, adjustable roof cross-bars are a nice touch (the idea seems to have been taken from the 2010 Subaru Outback). The rear-bumper upper-surface has a protective black cladding on it to help keep luggage from scarring the paint while you are loading or unloading. The extreme lower-body and wheel-wells have black/chrome cladding to help ward off paint-damage from road-debris and salt, but the cladding is quite narrow, and doesn't cover much paint.

Though I generally liked the exterior, there were a also a couple of things I didn't care for. The big 20-inch bright-chrome wheels (part of an option package), were, IMO, too big and too garish....I am not a fan of big, wide wheels. The doors and hatch closed reasonably solid, but the sheet-metal solidness, itself IMO, could have been a little better.....I definitely noticed the diffeence in sheet-metal solidness between the Durango and the new Mercedes ML (a competing SUV) that I reviewed a few weeks ago. And, of course, the lack of body-side mouldings that seems to be the latest El-Cheapo trend in the industry. But El-Cheapo, of course, shouldn't apply to vehicles costing 40 and 50K.

Minor gripes aside, though, a great job on the exterior....yes, also along with its new brother, the Jeep Grand Cherokee.




UNDERHOOD:

Open up the hood with a single gas-strut on the left (which has so much boost to it that it is easier than with many double-strut units), and the underhood layout is excellent, especially with the V6, although one flaw is having to go into the cabin, under the seat, to find the battery. Still, almost everything else is done quite well. The 3.6L V6, longitudinally-mounted as with most RWD/4WD SUVs, fits in with acres of space left over in front to reach engine-components, and there is even a reasonable amount of room on the sides to reach things as well. The engine, like many these days, has an big annoying plastic cover on it, but a good-sized twist-circle unscrews in it for easy-access to the oil-filter and a few other components on top. Filler-caps, dipsticks, and fluid-reservoirs were generally easy to reach. Of course, the vehicle's generally high-stance and aft-placement of the engine-block means that you have to be tall, relatively lithe, and/or stretch a lttle to reach some things, but at least there is the underhood-space to do so.




INTERIOR:

Open the doors and climb inside, and the new interior also shows a huge improvement.....and is one of the new model's best features, as I found only a few minor complaints. I'll get those minor complaints out of the way first, so I can dwell on the (mostly) good things. The zig-zag shifter is especially awkward with its long-throws. A few of the stereo/climate-control ***** (depending on the trim-model) feel a little cheap/flimsy, despite the chrome-rings, and some of the plastic used on the dash-buttons feels second-rate.....and that's about it. As far as material quality/design goes, there's virtually nothing else inside, IMO, to complain about.

Now for all the good things. Headroom, both front and rear, is excellent for tall persons....even with the sunroof housing. Power-seat-equipped models, of course, can lower the seat for even MORE headroom (welcome, NBA-guys), The front seats are generally comforable and supportive, and both the cloth and leather upholstery feels durable and of a nice-grade. Legroom, likewise, is fine in back, even for guys my size (6' 2"). The overhead sun-visors, often an object of cheapening in today's new vehicles, are comfortable to grip and have a nice-layer of soft-padded-fabric. The stereo-sound quality, while not on a par with a Mark-Levinson or Harmon-Kardin unit, is fine, and befits the price-class. The stereo and climate-controls are all relatively easy-to-use and well-marked, even in the NAV versions, though, of course, the NAV adds more complexity and integration. As usual, I preferred the non-NAV design, but even the NAV buttons weren't as complex as in many other vehicles. The steering wheel was a gem...proper three-spoke design, classy well-done (not cheap) silver trim on the spokes, and a silky-smooth leather wrapping that was a delight to hold. The left-foot-operated parking brake (unlike most) was not awkward at all for me to use, because of its pedal-location and the amount of space under the steering wheel for my left leg. The big twin main-gauges (speedometer and tachometer) were superbly-clear and easy-to-read, and the smaller fuel/engine temperature gauges underneath them were also clear, but could have been maybe a little larger. The two main gauges have silver/white faces and big red-trimmed light-rings for a nice color-touch. For the never-ending debate between digital-vs.-analog gauges, the Durango has both a digital AND an analog speedometer.....a nice, though probably expensive, way to end the debate. All of the interior silver and dark-wood trim was done very well, with excellent fit/finish and no cheap-looking silver-paint, though the chrome trim on some of the haerdware was rather bright, even on a cloudy day. Compared to previous Durangos, this new interior makes the old ones look like something the cat brought in...it's that much better. This, of course, is not limited to just the Durango.....other new Chrysler products have also seen major improvements inside.....and, to be honest, I like the new Grand Cherokee's interior trim even more than the Durango's.





CARGO AREA/TRUNK.

LIke the interior, generally well-done and well-finished. Upmarket versions have a power-operated hatch-lid, and it latches (if you shut it manually) with a solid-sounding thunk and no rattles. Inside, the cargo area, primarily due to the squarish, conservative shape of the rear-end-styling, is quite roomy, especially with the second and third-row seats folded down. Though, like many SUVs, the third-row seats are useful mostly for children, they release and fold fairly easily. The walls and trunk-floor are quite well-finished in a nice black soft-grade carpeting. There is a portable, built-in hand-held flashlight that detaches fom the left-wall, cargo-hooks on both walls, and a power-outlet as well. The spare tire is under the rear-bumper, exposed (it was hard to tell if it was a real one or a temporary-spare, though most off-road SUVs have real ones). The jacking-tools are in a special snap-cover-compartment under the trunk floor (which also serves as an underfloor carrying-tray). Detailed jacking/tire-changing instructions are provided on a big laminated/weatherproof card (a great idea.....something I haven't seen before), so you don't have to fumble around trying to look it up in the Owners' Manual.




ON THE ROAD:

After all of the other nice improvements in the new Durango, perhaps the best one of all is in the general road-manners/refinement and the way it drives. Start up the 3.6L Pentastar V6 with a plastic electronic key-fob stuck into a slot in the ignition-switch. You quickly twist it to the right and immediately release it.....no need to wait for the engine itself to catch. The V6 catches and idles smoothly and quietly (which is something that Chrysler engines haven't always done). On the road, there is a decent amount of power, considering the vehicles'weight and engine-size, though, of course, it won't match the Hemi V8 in acceleration-times or towing capacity....6200 lbs. versus the Hemi's 7400. Still, the V6 will get out of its own way if it has to, and it delivers its power smoothly and seamlessly. It has to be noted, though, that I sampled it lightly-loaded.....go to the vehicle's max-load rating, and it
could be a different story.

Even more butter-smooth is the 5-speed automatic transmission. Though it lacks the sixth-gear seen on an increasing number of today's vehicles, its silky shift-action could come right out of a number of Cadillac or Lexus products. Lacking steering-column shift-paddles, it uses the ubiquitous Chrysler/Mercedes Side-Stick where you bump the shift-lever right or left for manual gear-changes. Great job by the Chrysler engineers on refinement.....let's just hope this one holds up over time, as stories of prematurely-failing Chrysler automatics, in the past, were legion.

Also as buttery-smooth, in its action, is the power-steering system, although the smoothness results in the loss of some BMW-type tactile-feel. Still, the steering-system, with its silky-action, feels like you are piloting a magic-carpet. Steering response, as expected with the comfortable suspension and high-center of gravity, is a little slow and with marked body lean. But, of course, one is not buying a sports-car here, so they should not expect sports-car-handling. Extensive sound-insulaton seems to have been used throughout the body/cabin/wheel-wells, as road, wind, and engine-noise are all well-muted. I've driven some full-luxury vehicles that were not this quiet. Brakes were reasonably effective and linear, though there seems to be about an inch or so of free-play in the top of the brake pedal's travel before you feel any effect. The brake-pedal was reasonably (but not perfectly) located so my big circus-clown size-15 shoes (you have to see them to believe them) didn't have much hang-up on pedal while going from gas to brake.




THE VERDICT:

By now my favorable opinion of the new Durango should be obvious, so I won't take time to write up a long closing-verdict here, like I usually do. As far as which model Durango recommend, unless you need max-towing, I'd consider the base SXT V6 AWD model with as few options as you can live with, which would generally run in the low-mid 30s. .....I found it, in many ways, as nice as the 40K+ upmarket versions, though it lacks the panache and image of the Hemi R/T. Still, it is, for my tastes, very pleasant to drive, with a distinct luxury-car-feel, especially by SUV standards. The only things I'd add (mostly because of cost-cutting in the design) are body-side mouldings, a fore-aft shifter, somewhat thicker sheet-metal for the doors/fenders (the hatch-lid is OK), and a few more solid-feeling buttons inside....and that's it. But, of course, the question on everybody's mind is Chrysler reliability...only time will tell with these new ones. If they do hold up...great job, Chrysler.


As always, of course......Happy Car Shopping.

MM

 

Great review Mike. Strides have definitely been made in driveabillity, assembly, performance etc.. I'm still not sold on the overall exterior design, I much prefer its Jeep Grand Cherokee sibling. The design has lost a lot of its "toughness". Interior is great, switchgear and materials used are a nice improvement. Overall cabin design lacks imagination in regards that its very similar to the Jeep GC's. The new 3.6L V6 is a major improvement over the old lackluster base 3.7L V6. On a side note I'm glad they kept the V8 (I wish the Explorer had the EcoBoost V6 as the high end powertrain)

 

Thanks. It was a pleasure just sitting in it and driving it.

The new Durango's interior is not as warm-looking as the new Jeep Grand Cherokee, with its rich wood-tone trim, but the fit/finish and overall quality of materials is just as good, if not better.

Macho "toughness", in an SUV, is a fast-fading stereotype. Studies today show that not more than about 4-5% of SUV owners actually do any hard-core off-road driving, with Jeep Wrangler owners (over 25%) being among the few exceptions. Even so, Durangos, even with the new unibody-structure, have a **** for 4WD High/Low-range for the few times some toughness is still needed. Some insurance companies, BTW, will not cover vehicle damage off-road on a standard-policy.


Depends on what you mean by "imagination". I agree, as I said above, that the JGC's interior is definitely richer/warmer-looking. But both, overall, use much-better materials and trim than their predecessors.

Part of that, of course, was on CEO Sergio Marchionne's personal orders. When Fiat bought Chrysler, he took a look at the way Chrysler was building their vehicles and said "Enough of this....no wonder the company had such a poor reputation. We've got to do better than this".

And that also belies the fact that FIat's products, themselves, for many years, were the butt of "Fix It Again, Tony" jokes.


With the Durango's weight, of course (it's practically a full-size SUV), the engine won't win a lot of drag-races, but it has enough usable torque to get out of its own way, especially witrh the vehicle lightly-loaded....I didn't test it with a full-load. And the silky 5-speed transmission, thoiugh lacking they tyipcal-for-nowadays 6th gear, still has enough flexibility to give the engine a boost.


Market and image-wise, they pretty much had to keep the Hemi for the R/T model, the top-line Citadel model, and for general ad-purposes. Image, though, senseless as it can sometimes be, still sells a lot of SUV's......though, as I mentoned above, few owners actually use that torque off-road. And, even in low-line versions, the simple word "Hemi" still turns a lot of buyers on.....they worship the image.

 

Great review as always. I really like the way it looks, but tht's a lot of coin!

 

Thanks.

I also looked at (and briefly-drove) an SXT V6 model that was a more-reasonable 32K. It was just as nice, IMO, as the upmarket models, and the lower-profile tires and smaller wheels provided a nice smooth ride.

 

Next planned reviews: (depending on vehicle introduction and availability)

2012 Toyota Prius-v wagon.
2012 Subaru Impreza
2012 Scion iQ
2013 Infiniti JX
2013 Ford Escape
2012 Hyundai Genesis Coupe-Brembo package

And, of course, the Annual Holiday Review I do each December.

 

How about Genesis R-spec? Or 300C SRT? Please

BTW, The Scion IQ seems like a huge disappointment from what I have read.

 

OK...I added them to my review-list.

Not necessarily for people who bought Smart cars. I suspect that when the iQ debuts, a lot of disgrunteled Smart owners will be trading them in for new iQs.

 

Great review as usual!

I really like the new Durango, but I've also had friends who have owned prior versions and have witnessed first hand how they really don't age well mechanically or cosmetically. Hopefully this generation is different.

 

Great review and appreciate taking the time to review my request. Very detailed review.. The interior really caught my eye along with the redesigned front end. The prices are up a little from 2011 to present.

ANy plans on the new Grand Cherokee if you haven't already done so?

Thanks again.

 

Thanks!!
I hope the iQ will do well, they should offer it with manual tranny, seems like that's the only complain from the mag reviewers.

 

Well, part of the reason for buying a car the size of the iQ (besides the obvious benefit of being able to park almost anywhere) is, of course, gas mileage. CVT's, in general, are more efficient than traditional 3-pedal manuals.

And, BTW, in relation to the iQ, cost-of-operation is one of the things that brings down the Smart car. Believe it or not, the Smart's little 1-liter three-cylinder requires premium gas.

 

Thanks.

Welcome to the world of (older) Chrysler products. You're right....a lot of people got shafted buying them. :mad;

Well, the skin certainly is different....and part of what is under the skin as well. But only time will tell if they will stay screwed together this time.

 

Sure...anytime. The new Durango is readily available on dealer-lots, but more-so (at least in my region) with the Hemi than the V6.

If you liked the Dakota's new interior, just wait till you see the Grand Cherokee's.


Here....I did it last year, when the new version first came out. (also check my PM)

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/car...-cherokee.html