Notes

THE 2021 DODGE DURANGO R/T IS AN TRADITIONAL SUV - POWERFUL, HEAVY AND ALSO EFFICIENT IN HAULING HEFTY LOADS. AND FOR MANY OF US, THAT'S SIMPLY FINE!
This year, the most significant change to the Durango design, which gets a lot more old school with each passing year, is the enhancement of the SRT Hellcat variant. Because model the family-oriented SUV gets the unpleasant supercharged V8 engine utilized on five vehicles within the FCA group if you count the two newest ones, the Ram 1500 TRX and the much-ballyhooed Durango SRT Hellcat, offered exclusively in 2021.

Yet the Durango we examined isn't that a person. It's not as muscular as the SRT version, nor is it as costly for that matter! No, this Dodge Durango wears the R/T badge, which means that while there is a HEMI V8 engine bolted under the hood, it's not one with Street and Racing Modern Technology on it.

2018 dodge charger wing Still, that doesn't suggest Dodge's largest SUV is dull in this form, far from it. Keep in mind the Durango has actually currently been the tow-capacity king of its group for a decade. When furnished with the optional Tow 'n' Go plan, the Durango can pull up to 8,700 pound (or 3,946 kg). The vehicle used for this spring test was so equipped (although in the event no tons was towed with it).

A muscular SUV?
Yes, it's true that without either of the HEMI efficiency V8s, the Durango R/T doesn't quite have the powertrain to record 0-100 km/h times worthy of the very best acceleration cars, but at least the audio of the 8-cylinder makes clear its American bona-fides. That component is enhanced by the existence of the high-performance exhaust system that comes requirement with the Tow 'n' Go option.

Other features include a flexible suspension, stiffer brakes, 20-inch wheels, a rear axle with digital limited-slip differential, high-capacity engine cooling and also performance steering, simply among others of the gizmos made to improve the SUV's efficiency when driving. The optional plan consists of several various other gadgets.

Outside, the R/T version additionally stands out thanks to the vented hood, as well as that beautiful F8 eco-friendly body colour. When it comes to the upgraded front end for 2021, let's simply claim the SRT versions of previous periods led the way for this more hostile snout. I need to admit, also after one decade on the road, the Dodge Durango still looks great; and that's a praise I would not provide to all lorries in the class.

A new interior, but ...
Inside, designers have refined the control panel, so to resemble that of the Opposition. The 10.1-inch wide main display is oriented in the direction of the driver and the system that operates on it, the well-known UConnect, is now in its 5th variation. UConnect5 supplies also more clear graphics and faster feedback than previously.


The environment controls and also the switch for the drive settings (Snow, Tow, Sport and Track) that come conventional with the Tow 'n' Go plan are located beneath the display. Or else, Dodge decided to leave the typical gearshift lever in position, as opposed to using a thumbwheel like in some Chrysler or Ram cars as an example.

The Durango tester we drove came typical with the captain's chairs in the second row, and also actually the centre console placed in between them serves primarily to store headphones and the optional enjoyment system remote.

Unsurprisingly, access to the two third-row seats is tough and also room is restricted, sufficient only for more youthful kids. But then, just a few SUVs in the course do any better hereof; the Durango supplies what many any type of similar SUV will. The trunk is either little (with the third-row seat up), big (with the captain's chairs in place) or extra huge (with both rows of seats folded up).

Beyond that, we kept in mind some cheapish-feeling plastics, which is primarily an indication of the age of the SUV-- remember it has remained in service since 2011. However, it's not also significant, specifically because the plastic panels are discovered mainly in the door bottoms as well as various other unobtrusive edges.

Behind the wheel
Press the begin button and also the 5.7 L V8 reacts with a roar, assisted along by the partly unrestrained exhaust pipes. Mated to the eight-speed transmission, the engine has no trouble relocating the big people mover, although the 360 hp and also 390 lb-ft of torque it provides aren't as monstrous as what you receive from the other 2 V8s readily available in the brand name's directory. Why is that? The weight of the SUV. Certainly, with 2,411 kg to move, the "little" V8 is not as heavily armed as the engines established by the SRT department. Velocity certainly lacks the "zest" of the other two eights.

At the same time, let's not obtain captured comparing apples as well as oranges. The Durango R/T is not as expensive as both SRT designs. So while it tackles airs of large efficiency version at times, the R/T design is more for household usage and even for periodic towing than for destroying the tarmac as well as impressing others.

I did note the stiffness of the suspension, as well as on a bumpy roadway the SUV obtains bouncy ... extremely bouncy indeed! Thankfully, if you restrict on your own to the less stylish drive settings, the SUV is soft sufficient, although it'll never ever take the prize for coddling occupants. With virtually $20,000 well worth of options set up on this R/T variant we drove, it nearly makes good sense to go up to the next degree, the Durango SRT, which, along with including the 6.4 L engine, is itself equipment-laden.

The last word
The Dodge Durango is maturing well in some ways, not so well in a few others. It does have the worst ordinary fuel economic situation in the group and that some details actually betray the age of the three-row model. However ecologists can express joy, the present Durango is nearing the end of its life. We do not yet know what the Dodge's objectives are for going forward, yet with the appeal of SUVs these days, we're presuming there are intentions there.

That claimed, the globe remains to evolve, and also the regime of the V8 HEMI is coming to an end - even though Jeep has just introduced the Wagoneer lineup with 2 V8 HEMI engines in the offering. Yet while electrical flexibility is beginning its ascension within the sector, this type of lorry still fits on the road, if only to tow the watercraft on weekends.

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