Durango experience?

[RTDaddy]

Looking at putting the wife in one, what experiences do any owners here have, good or bad?

 

[ESOXER]

Id be more specific on year, engine, etc...

 

[RTDaddy]

Looking at at 2021 or later, Hemi or V-6 with towing package.

 

[furious70]

My 21 hellcat Durango is the bees knees, gets great mpg!

 

[copper67sat]

My wife's is a '22 GT+ V6. She loves it. It's got plenty of power for her and all the creature comforts she wanted. We had a '14 Limited V6 before that.

Never towed anything with them so can't help you there.

 

[ESOXER]

My only experience is the older like 03.
Side note, I believe they should have done an inflated version with the Cummins, like the Excursion. My bosses wife just bought a new Tahoe Duramax, only a 3.0. The Excursion with a 7.3 is a beast, I'd love to have one, and keep it in my neighbors driveway.

 

[Dave6T4]

We had a 2015 Durango with V-6 and 8-speed auto. It gave very good fuel mileage and the powertrain gave it pretty good performance, too. In 6 years, we only used the third seat about 4 times. By then, the grandkids were getting too big to use it. I traded it in at 160,000K (100,000 miles), and it was still on the factory brakes. The only thing that I did not like, was that water would get into the expensive "Racetrack" tail light, and burn out some of the lower LED bulbs. These are not replacable individually; you have to buy the whole assembly at about $1200. If you open the tailgate, you can see the sides of the tail light assembly are not sealed to the elements very well. I think a bead of clear silicone here, before any of the LED'S burn out, would be beneficial. Other than that, we enjoyed our Durango as a comfortable vehicle that would haul a lot of stuff, with the seats folded down. We ultimately traded it in for a 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee, with very low kms. and extended warranty, because we did not really need the third row seats. The Jeep has more toys on it, than had the Durango, and we also enjoy it. I would highly recommend either to anyone.

 

[F4R/T]

22 Grand Cherokee L in the stable— not a fan, early generations are built better, seats are not comfortable , body flex noise in the hinge area , constant thumping at low speed in front end, electrical updates keep messing things up and causing issues with light coming on the dash and rear park assist never works right! Been to the dealer many times , it’s got a V6 8spd that does weird things when leaving a stop light like it’s slipping gears ... been to the dealer for noises, electrical, trans and body flex several times — never again I hate it. It’s based on a little foreign car platform and it does drive fair but the list of problems with an exaggerated price — never again! The electrical and the noises just drive me nucking futz! It’s aweful for a new car! My 08 300c is by far quieter than the jeep and that is with 200k miles. I hate that Jeep!
Driving down the road it keeps popping up other car brands on the radio screen.. The body flex is from going up and down little curbs into the driveway.
It’s had drive shafts , hub bearings etc replaced under warranty .. no changes doors adjusted and the noise comes from the rear door hinges where they mount to the pillars..
It also likes antifreeze and I have no idea where it goes but I can smell it from time to time..65 large and this is what you get!
I know it’s not a Durango but similar in many ways. Sorry for the rant but the trade in with low miles was horrible so guess what it makes for a happy camper.

 

[Hey-O]

I have a 2019 GT plus, AWD, V6. I got the third row seating in case, used it once. I do like the second row bucket seats. It runs great and pulls fine, but only has 20,500 miles on it also, so longevity, I can't tell you, because if it caused me ANY problems with that low of miles, I wouldn't own it. I'd buy it again and as far as a hemi in it, I thought about it, and if they would have had the same one with a Hemi, I would have. Everything else it had was more important to me at the time. 85 MPH all day long and rides great. I mostly only do white or silver, it's white. Things have changed since I got mine, it cost 50,000 and I paid 37,000. I don't think I could replace it for that anymore. Even then, 37,000 was cheap. I absolutely love the looks of it.

 

[ct71rr]

I have a 2021 RT. I’ve had it since new. Plenty of power and very comfortable on long trips. The only complaint I had was the plastic cover on the rear view mirror base would rattle a little sometimes. A small piece of 3m double sided tape fixed it.

 

[copper67sat]

My wife's is a '22 GT+ V6. She loves it. It's got plenty of power for her and all the creature comforts she wanted. We had a '14 Limited V6 before that.

Never towed anything with them so can't help you there.

My wife managed to find the only red one within 300 miles at a local dealer. Everything else was white, black or battleship gray. All of which she hated. Her previous cars were black, silver, platinum and white so she wanted something different.

The only thing I don't really like about it is that it has rear buckets with a console which is great for passengers, but not ideal for hauling our big dog since they don't fold flat with the console. There are also big gaps around the console and folded 3rd row seats that the dog can step/fall into so we had to come up with a way to fill & cover everything to protect the dog and the car. Our previous Durango had a rear bench and everything folded flat.

 

[furious70]

I agree the console is great for the kids but not the dog

 

[Hey-O]

The only thing I don't really like about it is that it has rear buckets with a console which is great for passengers, but not ideal for hauling our big dog since they don't fold flat with the console. There are also big gaps around the console and folded 3rd row seats that the dog can step/fall into so we had to come up with a way to fill & cover everything to protect the dog and the car. Our previous Durango had a rear bench and everything folded flat.

View attachment 1795069

I layed the seats down and placed a piece of 1/2 plywood across the gap between the buckets seats and covered it with a moving pad.

 

[Darrah]

I have a '13 with the 5.7, awd and towing package. Has over 185k and has been great. I've towed multiple times with it, the heaviest being my '79 W150. It was about a 2.5 hour trip and it did better than expected.

Only maintenance items have been water pump (x2), front lower control arm, motor mounts (x2), exhaust manifold studs, oil pressure sending unit, and front bearing/hub. Easy to work on and reliable. My wife is hesitant to get rid of the thing because it has been so good to us.

 

[hemi*guy]

Got T-Boned in my wife’s 2018 Durango R/T . The guy ran a red light in a van and got us . Walked away with no injuries. Durango was totaled but never had any issues with it before the accident. Plenty of power and room for the grandkids. Replaced it with a 2023 R/T . She loves it.

 

[F4R/T]

I really feel the earlier generation was far better on the Durango and GC. I have several friends that have them and they have good luck. The change over to the new Alfa Romero little car platform is not good. Oh and if you order a trailer tow package , you get charged for it then you must buy the hitch separate and have to take it back to the dealer for install for an additional 2-3gand I was told!

 

[Budnicks]

I had a 1999 Dodge Durango Shelby SP360 & I loved it...

nothing like the newer ones

advert.

 

[nitro_rat]

I really like the 1st gen Durango. The best part about them is they're stupid cheap now. Like $1k for a decent one...

 

[Triplegreen500]

I had a 1999 Dodge Durango Shelby SP360 & I loved it...

nothing like the newer ones

advert.
View attachment 1795479

Damn, I've wanted an SP360 for ages ...

Have a 14 Grand Cherokee (same platform) and love it. Summit package so air suspension, rides like a magic carpet. The 8speed is...unique. No torque converter, rolling stops can make it hunt for a gear, but overall solid. Biggest dislike is the relatively hard seats. Ok for short trips but longer multi-hour drives and they get uncomfortable. I miss the pillow seats in my 98 5.9 Limited.

 

[RR Fan Dan]

Yall are going to flame me, but if you want something reliable, get a Toyota. I put my wife in a new 2021 4 Runner limited. I haven’t bought a new car in 40 years. I made an exception for her. I bought her this as the last vehicle she will need . She was 53 at the time.