Overview & Reviews

Though the Dodge Durango has long been classified as a midsize sport-utility vehicle, its designers actually made it a half-size larger in order to fill the niche between the midsize and full-size SUV classes. As such, the Durango is often just the right size for those folks who need more interior room and towing capability than a typical midsize SUV can deliver, while not being as bulky and hard to park as a full-sizer.

The first two generations of the Durango were truck-based SUVs in the traditional style. A used model from this period should be a fair choice, though in the later part of the 2000s, the Durango was outclassed by newer crossover SUV competitors. The third-generation Durango, however, has joined the crossover club. It still offers V8 power and stout towing capabilities, but is a much nicer and well-rounded vehicle overall.

Current Dodge Durango
The Dodge Durango is a large crossover SUV that seats seven passengers, though buyers can opt for second-row captain's chairs that lower capacity to six. Four trim levels are offered: well-equipped SXT, midlevel Limited, sporty R/T and plush Citadel.

Both V6 and V8 power are offered. The 3.6-liter V6 has respectable muscle -- 290 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. Standard on the R/T and optional on the Limited and Citadel is a 5.7-liter V8 good for 360 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque. All models come with an eight-speed automatic transmission. One may also choose among rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive (V6 only) and four-wheel drive with added low-range gearing (V8 only).

In reviews, we've found the Durango confident in terms of handling while still providing a composed and comfortable ride over bumps and ruts. Performance is adequate with the V6, while the V8 provides fairly strong acceleration and added grunt, which would be an asset for those who plan on towing.

Inside, the Durango offers an attractive and upscale design, with class-competitive quality and features, including an 8.4-inch touchscreen display (standard on all but SXT) and an available rear-seat Blu-ray player. The second and third rows offer enough room for most families (the rearmost row can even comfortably sit 6-foot adults), though its seven-passenger max falls one person short of its GM and Toyota rivals. Even so, the Durango comes highly recommended as a choice for a midsize or large crossover SUV.

Used Dodge Durango Models
Revived for 2011 after a one-year hiatus, the current-generation Dodge Durango boasts a full redesign with major improvements in several key areas. A carlike unibody (as opposed to body-on-frame) design notably improved interior space and ride/handling dynamics compared to its forebears. The exterior styling traded the former trucklike look for a more upscale persona, while the cabin followed suit with big improvements in fit and finish. Both the V6 and V8 came with a five-speed automatic. The following year brought a six-speed automatic transmission for V8 models, available second-row captain's chairs and revised trim levels.

Potential buyers should note that these Durangos lack the current version's eight-speed automatic transmission, refreshed styling and updated cabin that offers additional upscale features, including an 8.4-inch touchscreen display and a rear-seat Blu-ray player.

The second-generation Durango was produced from 2004-'09. It was first offered in ST, midgrade SLT and Limited trim levels and it came with one of three engines: a 210-hp V6, a 230-hp 4.7-liter V8 or a 330-hp 5.7-liter V8. These were offered with either rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive with low-range gearing. Alternatively, a single-speed transfer case could be specified on select 4WD models, which essentially meant that you could get a Durango with all-wheel drive. All Durangos came with automatic transmissions as standard -- four speeds for the V6, five for the V8s.

For 2008, the V8 engines were given a welcome nudge in power. The 4.7-liter now produced 303 hp and was more fuel efficient as well, while the Hemi produced 376 horses. In an interesting side story, the Durango Limited HEV hybrid was produced briefly for 2009. It was a so-called "two-mode" hybrid featuring a Hemi V8 (345 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque), two electric motors (87 hp and 235 lb-ft of torque) and a dual-mode transmission with variable ratios.

There were other changes during this Durango's life. Side airbags and refreshed styling arrived for 2006 and the ST trim level was renamed SXT. Two years later, new options such as a back-up camera, a CD/MP3 player, DVD-compatible audio and a MyGIG multimedia infotainment system with a hard drive to store digital music files made the Durango more competitive in an increasingly high-tech market. An Adventurer trim level also debuted, slotting between the SXT and Limited.

In our tests, we found the second-generation Durango handled adequately for a traditional body-on-frame SUV, though car-based crossover SUVs of the time were noticeably superior at providing carlike driving dynamics. Interior quality was a couple notches below what we've come to expect from family-friendly utility vehicles, and its interior space was inferior to bigger truck-based SUVs and large crossovers. Given the Durango's mass, the V8s are preferable for towing and acceleration, but fuel economy was poor no matter what engine you picked. As such, we'd suggest looking at a 2008 or later Durango and even then only if you need a big SUV that can tow and haul a lot of heavy stuff.

Launched in 1998, the first-generation Dodge Durango brought big-rig looks to a segment full of what essentially were tall station wagons. Then, as now, the Durango was larger than the typical midsize SUV but it looked and felt more like a shrunken full-size SUV. It was a sport-ute for the truck person: a vehicle that sat eight, but in pretty much every other way was the antithesis of a minivan.

The Durango was offered with several engine choices, including a wimpy V6, a couple of V8s and even a rare performance-oriented Shelby model with a high-powered V8, a lowered suspension, big wheels and racing stripes. None of the Durango's engines were particularly sophisticated, nor were they very fuel-efficient. Generally, we suggest looking for a used Durango equipped with a 4.7-liter V8 (offered from 2000-'03) or the 5.9-liter V8: The 4.7-liter delivered the best mileage out of the lot, while the 5.9-liter offered the most torque. Despite its rugged underpinnings, the first-gen Dodge Durango had better road manners than most truck-based SUVs of this era thanks to its long wheelbase, wide track and carefully tuned suspension.

If image projection and midsize-plus packaging were the first-generation Durango's strengths, its chief weakness was quality -- both real and perceived. Gaps between body panels were sizable and inconsistent, while interior fit and finish was lacking compared to the competition. Furthermore, ergonomics revealed the utilitarian pickup underneath, and the third-row seat was uncomfortable for all but children. Still, among families who needed a real workhorse, the original Dodge Durango made many friends.

User Reviews:

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  Total let-down. :( - 2014 Dodge Durango
  By Zoomn - January 4 - 6:54 am

  This car has been plagued with issues from week one of ownership when I was left stranded in an intersection two hours from home. Over my first year it spent over 45 days at the dealer for various repairs and has one electrical concern with the audio system that not only remains, but has no apparent fix available in the foreseeable future. The sad part is that its a really nice vehicle to drive and has some nice design touches, but between some of the dealer experiences and all of the problems I simply cannot, in good faith, recommend it.

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  Great looks with a very poor heart. - 2012 Dodge Durango
  By Oscar Vargas - November 2 - 4:47 pm

  Currently own a 2012 Citadel V8 5.7 Hemi. The vehicle looks great very attractive lines, comfort, technology and gadgets... However where it lacks is in its engine this vehicle came with a few problems and Dodge does very little to help customers. The engine suddenly turns off while driving." Be a Magician when this Happens " Or embrace yourself for a potential accident. What do I do? I put the vehicle in neutral and with a soft touch to the brake pedal Start the vehicle again and go. This was supposed to be a recall and dodge is fixing it ... BS I did took the car to the dealership, corrected the recall and still doing it. The other issue is the rattling whenever you try to accelerate to pass someone or to floor the car a bit. Check engine light comes and goes, the computer shows cylinder misfires. Like I said I have nothing to complaint in the looks or technology is the engine that came with issues and Dodge dont stand behind it.

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  Ooops I did it again. - 2015 Dodge Durango
  By Mark - October 18 - 2:31 pm

  Only other vehicle I have had this kind of trouble with in my life was my last Chrysler product, a Jeep Grand Cherokee 20 years ago. I swore then that I would never buy another Chrysler product. The design of this SUV is great. Love the way it drives, ergonomics and gas mileage. Smooth, quiet, solid, predictable ride and handling. The gas mileage exceeds expectation: 18 under hard city driving, 20 normal city driving, 25 around town and have been able to go over 30mpg with a mix of suburb/hwy relaxed driving. Have not read the manual or watched the CD provided but find the controls intuitive. Bluetooth pairs with everyone in the familys phone quickly though sound quality playing music is very poor (not sure why). Best logical/practical operation of controls than any car I have owned. Now the bad: plastics and chrome interior surfaces are scratched easily. This is more wear/scratches appearing than my Kia with 75,000 miles or my VW with 100,000. At 6 weeks old a few thousand miles this is unsustainable. Loud squeak in the drivers seat and what sounds like a phone on vibrate going off in the front passenger dash. This is over certain roads so cannot be reproduced at the dealer (of course) so may never be remedied. Check engine light came on so back to dealer, unfortunately dealer took two weeks to get into due to so many Dodge recalls. Broken fuel line was fixed but oil change was over $62 or twice what I pay for other three vehicles I own. Spent all day at dealer so lost day of pay = $300. Considering I have never needed a repair call for Kia or VW after 75k miles am disappointed. Better brakes requiring less pressure would go a long way. More bite would really shrink this SUV and be more in line with its responsive characteristics. Too much pressure required to stop vehicle and I find the vehicle beginning to creep forward at stop lights requiring more pressure. If GM buys Chrysler they would have a great matchup. Dodge design team deserves A+ and GM could bring a lot of quality control and better materials/brakes to the equation. Reviews about getting into third row of Durango are poor but big reason I bought this is that I have adults using these seats and found the Durango to be the easiest ingress egress over, Ford, Acura and Kia. If Dodge can shed 300lb+ using this engine and new structure they would go a long way to dominating MPG + performance in this segment. As noted in other reviews, transmission clunks in lower gears if you accelerate, lift off, then accelerate again (I dont know if this is going to worsen with age). LOVE the large gas tank and dont know why other non german SUVs dont incorporate them.

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  Should have been a great car - 2014 Dodge Durango
  By david francis - October 8 - 10:43 pm

  Great engine( when it does not smoke at start up) great everything, except for the stuff thats not great! Engine smokes at start up sometimes, dealer told me its break in, well Im at 5000 miles now and it still does it sometimes! Dip stick is useless, if you see oil on it, youve got too much oil in there, how dumb is that? You add 7 quarts only and ignore the dipstick. Oil usage, wow! the PCV system on the engine blows, I mean blows oil into the intake(see the blue smoke comments all over the web!) Rear suspension noise, traded a 12 year old explorer that rode quieter than this thing, harsh and loud. Stereo, has a serious bug that means the bass settings are just random numbers depending on where you have the volume set, dodge cant or wont fix it. Its a super car, thats been built so cheaply its awful, $46k is a lot of money, only 5000 miles in I should be really happy, instead I cant wait to get rid of it, and thats a real shame.

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  Why doesnt the engine last long - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By JR - October 6 - 6:28 am

  I own a 04 dodge durango 5.7 slt 8 cylinder yes it burns alot of gas but i love my truck problem also they rott very fast ..my main problem I jus got an engine 2 yrs ago cost over $2,500 now i need another very absurd and these warranties dont last more than 6 months to a year..Most people keep telling me just junk my truck its not worth it shakin my head

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  Bad Transmission - 2014 Dodge Durango
  By 3murraykids - December 30 - 4:52 pm

  I traded in a 2012 Suburban for my 2014 Durango because of MPG. I bought it in April of 2014. When I hit about 19000 miles my car wouldnt allow me to go into gear. I took it to the dealership and they kept it for 2 days. Got it back and a week later it did the same thing. They kept it 3 days. Got it back and a week later same thing. I was going out of town and needed it so didnt take it back till I got back. It has now been there for an entire month. I had to get a new transmission in a new car. The dealership even told me that after the 2nd time, but Chrysler made them do stuff in order to try to fix it. Im done with Dodge, back to a big SUV for me.

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  Steering column is broke and is on national back order - 2014 Dodge Durango
  By mileymoo - July 11 - 9:59 am

  I bought my Durango in February of 2014. Like the previous reviewer mentioned, it was my dream machine too. I really enjoyed driving it. My only criticism was that the inside storage capacity is compromised by having a DVD player in the compartment between the two front seats. However, soon after, I noticed that during hard acceleration, my RPMs were going up without the car actually accelerating. Took it to the dealer, and was told that the steering column is defected, and that can affect the transmission, as well as abs breaks, which could make the car dangerous to drive. It has been 5 business days since they ordered a part, and the part is still on backorder

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  5.7 Hemi is a lemon Crysler will not recall or rebate replacement - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By mattalderson - June 12 - 10:18 am

  We have a 2004 durango slt 5.7L with a hole in the block. This car was extremly well maintained. The car eats roters, has had never ending electrical problems and spun a main bearing at 160000 mils. It has never missed an oil change, the oil comes out as clean as it was put in. Crysler will not recall this problem or rebait the replacement. After serching for a replacement I have found that this seems to be a very very common problem with the 5.7, 4.7, and the 6.0.. Do not Buy A Dodge Durango or any Mopar Hemi with out asking or resurching this motor. I have lost 8,000.00 dollers on this vehical. I will never buy a Mopar again!

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  I must have the exception... - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By wilddaisy - November 21 - 2:58 pm

  I bought my Durango brand new in 2000. LOVED it for the most part. Routine oil changes and maintenance, ran great. After 100k miles, replaced water pump, heater core, radiator, transmission, fuel pump, catalytic converter, and multiple sensors. In 2008 found out it had major issues with wires corroding in wiring harness (reason for blowing sensors). Spent $2500 for temp fix (permanent fix $5000 plus labor) Chrysler told me this was common in the Durango but not enough for a recall. Just changed the alternator this week and still have lots of computer issues. It only has 157k miles on it now....Am beginning to despise it. Think its time to let it die and get something new Im afraid

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  Poor craftsmanship - 2011 Dodge Durango
  By betseyjane - October 18 - 4:46 pm

  I was so excited to get my Durango in June 2011. Since then I have experienced odd hiccupping, like its missing, when accelerating up hills. An extremely irritating rattle in the dash. I have had to have the back of the drivers seat replaced twice because the clips that hold it on break. The review mirror had to be replaced because the night dimmer decided to just stay on all the time. The key fob does not always work. Sometimes the push button start cannot detect the key. Since most of these issues are intermittent, of course, they cannot reproduce them. At least my seat and mirror are fixed for now.