Durango looks and feels different. It’s stronger. More than half of the unibody structure is made from high-strength/ultra high-strength steels when compared to the previous body-on-frame SUV. During a one-week test drive, the ride was comfortable and without abrupt body toss or harsh up/down bouncing—a benefit partially attributed to the new short/long arm front suspension and isolated multi-link rear suspension. When fitted with the 3.6-liter V6 engine, Durango can tow up to 6,200 lbs—surpassing what was possible with the previous model’s V6 or even the small V8. (With the current V8 engine, the tow capability is up to 7,400 lbs.) An all-new interior showcases soft-touch materials instead of the predecessor’s tough-minded, yet hard-to-the touch plastics. The 119.8-inch wheelbase Durango offers various trims, including Express, Crew, Citadel and performance-tuned R/T, in rear wheel drive or all-wheel-drive.    

Engine choices are the new Pentastar 3.6-liter V6 that produces 290 horsepower at 6400 rpm and 260 lbs-ft of torque at 4800 rpm, or the 360 horsepower 5.7-liter HEMI V8 mated to one of two automatic transmission choices. With all three seating rows in the upright position, Durango offers 17.2 cubic feet of cargo space. Behind the second row, the cargo volume is more than 47 cubic feet. Cargo space increases to 84.5 cubic feet behind the front seats with rear seats folded. When the third row seat is unoccupied, the driver can improve rearward vision by pressing a button to flip down the third-row seat’s tall headrests. When fitted with the V6 engine and 5-speed automatic transmission, Durango Express AWD collects estimated mpg of 16 city/22 highway and carries a MSRP of $31,195.