2011 Dodge Durango AWD
Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2011 7:58 pm
For the last few weeks I've had a 2011 Durango as my rental. I have put roughly 1200 miles on it while exploring hiking trails down here. The weather has been perfect lately - as always.
Bottom line:
I am very impressed with this SUV. While I am a fan of truck-based SUVs and trucks for their overall durability, I cannot help but love this vehicle. The interior is absolutely fantastic. The ergonomics are excellent, the seats are very huggy and perfectly snug without being restrictive. The view out is good, if only the seating position is a tad high, however if you're not 6'7", you aren't likely to experience this. It drives faboulously, with handling as close to a car as you can get with such a heavy, tall vehicle. IFS and IRS help, along with nearly a 50/50 weight distribution according to various sources, which I don't feel like quoting now because I have to dig it up again.
I can only imagine how awesome the new Durango is with a Hemi and an upscale trim.
Performance 2.5/5
The Durango is using the new Pentastar 3.6 V6, delivering 290 horses. It's no slouch, however this is a heavy vehicle at nearly 5000 pounds. Transmission is excellent, with smooth but precise shifts. I've not noticed it gear-hunting too much. The entire AWD drivetrain is smooth, noise and vibe-free. Fuel economy is average - rated at 18/22, which is just about what I see. High-speed crusing is worry-free and stable with no surprises. I had to avoid a tumbling blanked on the interstate last week and at 70 mph it handled admirably. I'd not date try that in my Jeep, unless I wanted to burn up in it after having rolled it 13.5 times.
Appearance 4/5
I love the way this thing looks. Aggressive, yet very refined inside and out.
Interior: 4/5
Again, very impressed. The quality of materials is very unexpected for me. The feel and fit are to my liking. The lighting, ergonomics and features - they got it right. The leatherette material on the armrests and door cards feels very much like soft leather and is very asthetically pleasing.
Features 3/5
The one I have is base trim plus AWD. However, it's got heated outer mirrors, for lights, 18" alloy wheels, satellite radio and a nice readout of MPG, trans temp, oil temp, water temp, oil pressure and trip info. It's a digital readout with easy controls on the wheels. It doesn't look "base". One thing it's lacking that I think all new cars should have, is BT phone speaker option. I was surprised at that. The 3rd row of seats is accessible, however primarily for small kids. Interior room is awesome, cargo room is large and the 2nd and 3rd row seats fold down nicely to make a flat loading area.
It's available with a two package, and the AWD pentastar is rated to tow 6400 lbs.
FOSE - I could probably lay down with all rows folded and front passenger seat all the way up. It could work for me.
This is obviously ment to be a city SUV, at which it excells. in the picture below, you can see how low the front lip actually is. This is a standard curb I'm parked by. I suspect that this was done to help fuel economy.
Bottom line:
I am very impressed with this SUV. While I am a fan of truck-based SUVs and trucks for their overall durability, I cannot help but love this vehicle. The interior is absolutely fantastic. The ergonomics are excellent, the seats are very huggy and perfectly snug without being restrictive. The view out is good, if only the seating position is a tad high, however if you're not 6'7", you aren't likely to experience this. It drives faboulously, with handling as close to a car as you can get with such a heavy, tall vehicle. IFS and IRS help, along with nearly a 50/50 weight distribution according to various sources, which I don't feel like quoting now because I have to dig it up again.
I can only imagine how awesome the new Durango is with a Hemi and an upscale trim.
Performance 2.5/5
The Durango is using the new Pentastar 3.6 V6, delivering 290 horses. It's no slouch, however this is a heavy vehicle at nearly 5000 pounds. Transmission is excellent, with smooth but precise shifts. I've not noticed it gear-hunting too much. The entire AWD drivetrain is smooth, noise and vibe-free. Fuel economy is average - rated at 18/22, which is just about what I see. High-speed crusing is worry-free and stable with no surprises. I had to avoid a tumbling blanked on the interstate last week and at 70 mph it handled admirably. I'd not date try that in my Jeep, unless I wanted to burn up in it after having rolled it 13.5 times.
Appearance 4/5
I love the way this thing looks. Aggressive, yet very refined inside and out.
Interior: 4/5
Again, very impressed. The quality of materials is very unexpected for me. The feel and fit are to my liking. The lighting, ergonomics and features - they got it right. The leatherette material on the armrests and door cards feels very much like soft leather and is very asthetically pleasing.
Features 3/5
The one I have is base trim plus AWD. However, it's got heated outer mirrors, for lights, 18" alloy wheels, satellite radio and a nice readout of MPG, trans temp, oil temp, water temp, oil pressure and trip info. It's a digital readout with easy controls on the wheels. It doesn't look "base". One thing it's lacking that I think all new cars should have, is BT phone speaker option. I was surprised at that. The 3rd row of seats is accessible, however primarily for small kids. Interior room is awesome, cargo room is large and the 2nd and 3rd row seats fold down nicely to make a flat loading area.
It's available with a two package, and the AWD pentastar is rated to tow 6400 lbs.
FOSE - I could probably lay down with all rows folded and front passenger seat all the way up. It could work for me.
This is obviously ment to be a city SUV, at which it excells. in the picture below, you can see how low the front lip actually is. This is a standard curb I'm parked by. I suspect that this was done to help fuel economy.