Dodge Durango 

Full Review 

The Dodge Durango is literally anew, power, practicality, and style-intensive SUV transformed to meet true utility requirements. Since its introduction in 1998, Durango has been positioned as a family vehicle, capturing immediate aggressive attention from one of the most competitive SUV markets for drivers seeking truck capability, comfort, and that performance edge Dodge has always been driving at. With the uprising SUV market, diversified with the Durango, it’s there changed and going to be there to please everyone’s mind in its powerful V8 engines, beautiful interior, and greatest technology involved. This paper will dig into the history, design, performance, and features of the Dodge Durango which will bring people to understand why it holds its position as a favorite among SUV enthusiasts. 

Early Start-Up: First Generation (1998-2003) 

Dodge Durango was a mid-sized SUV. It was produced and started assembly in 1998. Because this class of vehicle fit perfectly to compete with Ford Explorer and Chevy Blazer, it was a lucky or smart move by Dodge if they hadn’t needed to do much for a project already made. Of course, since the Dodge Dakota is a pickup truck built on the same platform as the Durango, and all of these strengths would be there in this vehicle, one can easily drive quite heavy loads and drive off-road without much trouble. 

Durangos of the first generation came with the following options-three of them-and each was an engine: 3.9-liter V6 and two V8s, 5.2 and 5.9-liters. V8s gave the Durango enough towing capacity so, naturally, it was the rave among drivers who needed to drag boats, trailers, and other heavy things about. It also had three rows of seats, quite obviously, which brought many people to accept it as a totally useful car for big families. 

Big and Bigger, Second Generation (2004-2009) 

The second generation 2004 Durango was seen pretty much different from all its predecessors. Dodge had undertaken very radical changes to sustain the growth in the dimensions, comfort, and capability. This generation was to grow almost in all aspects to accommodate passenger and cargo space. It now appeared as a full-sized SUV joined the ranks of the Ford Expedition and Chevrolet Tahoe. 

This generation of Durango brought all the ruggedness that a truck could offer but had a more potent variant under its hood. For instance, it starts with a humble 5.7-liter HEMI V8 and churns out a worthy 335 hp and 370 lb.-ft of torque. That would have made the HEMI the staple of the Durango and maximized its potential, especially concerning towing and off-road adventure. 

It had been finer, with more beautiful insides made of finer material and technology, and on the outside, made finer, smoother, and more beautiful. However, the second-generation Durango could not position itself properly in a more fuel efficient, car-based crossover SUV market. The sales plummeted into a decline and were completely ceased when the production of the Durango had been stopped sometime during 2009. 

Third Generation: New Direction (2011-Present) 

Still, that model was still limbo; however, for 2011, it was brought back again with a total redesign. Third generation Durango was built on a unibody platform borrowed from the Jeep Grand Cherokee, where the previous Durangos were built as body-on-frame. This has given an improved ride and better handling and more fuel efficiency; hence much more competitive in the current SUV market. 

In fact, the third-generation Durango was built to be a more luxurious variant of the outgoing Durango, but it comes along with premium leather upholstery and even more advanced infotainment going along with a quiet cabin at the same time. And more than ever, it boasts interiorly with more room to be seated conveniently seven passengers, among other things. 

And so, the punch was also bestowed upon the lineup of engines with a newly introduced Pentastarch V6 added to the base 3.6-liter. For those in need of a little something stronger, there were 295 horses and 260 lb. of torque. It can be the 5.7-liter HEMI V8, offering 360 horses and 390 lb.-ft. of torque-which meant that Durango could just keep on being a great towing vehicle, maxing out at 7,400 pounds. 

Some of its notable models are the performance-oriented versions: Durango R/T and SRT. The R/T Durango offered a sport-tuned suspension and a HEMI V8 engine which could only add more vigor, turning it into something which is said to make it better for performance enhancement. In 2018, that model was stretched some more by the introduction of the Durango SRT, which now made this one a 6.4-liter HEMI V8, producing 475 horsepower and 470 lb.-ft of torque. The outcome made the Durango SRT be one of the fastest and most energetic SUVs available in its class; though an acceleration to the marker at 4.4 seconds from 0-60 mph shows it is not the fastest of them all in this class. 

While: The Durango always came down with a good blend between ruggedness and slick modern look, the vehicle has become pretty mean and muscular SUV if one looks at performance-orientated models, such as the R/T and SRT. The latter does come with bigger wheels, dual exhaust outlets, and other grille designs that add to that sporty feel. 

This is where the vehicle truly comes into its own as a combination of practicality with luxe. And all this makes the Durango with its three rows of seats more family-friendly, of course, with premium materials and available premium features that help make its luxurious feel become a reality: Harman Kardon premium sound system, huge, high-resolution touchscreen infotainment system Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, advanced safety technologies. It would mean that for the Durango, the technology and “safety sense” required adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, and forward-collision warning to help make the most potent Durango safe and hugely easy to drive. 

Performance and Versatility 

There is one flexibility-the new Durango can be a family hauler or a family hauler in different forms-performance SUV and tow vehicle, respectively. In mind, what need; Durango has the model. The feature of an all-wheel drive system, which allows the vehicle to perform a severer weather condition or off-road driving, is available.