This new vehicle that comes after a two-year hiatus, with a unibody design based on the same underpinnings that spawned Jeep’s stellar 2011 Grand Cherokee. The 2011 Dodge Durango offers rear- or all-wheel drive, standard seven seat, a swank soft-touch and chrome-trimmed interior, and assembly quality that rivals anything else in the segment. And thanks to its unibody architecture, nearly 50/50 weight distribution, and more carlike driving position, brisk runs along mountain roads in a Durango are possible and even sort of enjoyable. The steering provides actual road feel, and the brakes grab with reassuring linearity, hauling the vehicle down from 70 mph in 176 feet. Body motions are mannerly, allowing us to take corners at speeds that we would never have attempted in the old Durango, as well as cruis
e drama-free at triple-digit speeds up to the governor-limited 113 mph maximum. Even more impressive is its ride smoothness, which is even better than the Grand Cherokee’s on account of the Dodge’s five-inch-longer wheelbase.
With an engine lineup whittled to only a 3.6-liter V-6 or the HEMI 5.7-liter V-8, the Durango gets focused on superior powertrain performance, and wins the battles for acceleration, responsiveness and towing capacity. The Durango mates better with the essentially carryover five-speed automatic in the Durango than it does with Chrysler's new six-speed gearboxes. The gears are spaced well enough, and the V-6's 290 horsepower and 260 pound-feet or torque spin out predictable mid-range acceleration in the 8-second range—and with a little less of th
e exhaust boom we found in the Grand Cherokee. Step up to the Hemi, and you still get the five-speed—and while that likely brings a fuel economy penalty, the V-8's mammoth, accessible power and torque (360 hp, 360 lb-ft) brings excellent performance. Accompanying the drive are fantastic HEMI drivetrain noises. With the six, it's good enough, but with the V-8 the Durango is great—and it's rugged enough to tow up to 7400 pounds.
e drama-free at triple-digit speeds up to the governor-limited 113 mph maximum. Even more impressive is its ride smoothness, which is even better than the Grand Cherokee’s on account of the Dodge’s five-inch-longer wheelbase.With an engine lineup whittled to only a 3.6-liter V-6 or the HEMI 5.7-liter V-8, the Durango gets focused on superior powertrain performance, and wins the battles for acceleration, responsiveness and towing capacity. The Durango mates better with the essentially carryover five-speed automatic in the Durango than it does with Chrysler's new six-speed gearboxes. The gears are spaced well enough, and the V-6's 290 horsepower and 260 pound-feet or torque spin out predictable mid-range acceleration in the 8-second range—and with a little less of th
e exhaust boom we found in the Grand Cherokee. Step up to the Hemi, and you still get the five-speed—and while that likely brings a fuel economy penalty, the V-8's mammoth, accessible power and torque (360 hp, 360 lb-ft) brings excellent performance. Accompanying the drive are fantastic HEMI drivetrain noises. With the six, it's good enough, but with the V-8 the Durango is great—and it's rugged enough to tow up to 7400 pounds. 
