Perkins Motor City Dodge

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Driving Impressions

With its size and refinement, the Dodge Durango can be a good compromise between the medium and extra-large SUVs available from other manufacturers. It's smooth and quiet, quite different from earlier noisy, rough-riding sport-utilities. Both V8 engines are good choices but for overall power, cost, and fuel economy we'd opt for the 5.7-liter Hemi.

The 4.7-liter V8 engine is competent, powerful and very smooth. For 2007 it is rated at 235 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque; that's 5 more horsepower and 10 more pound-feet than in the 2006. But it still rates only 14/18 mpg with 4WD, using 87-octane regular.

The 5.7-liter Hemi is rated at 335 horsepower and 370 pound-feet of torque. That's a lot more power than the 4.7-liter, with around-town mileage suffering only slightly at 13/18 mpg with 89 octane recommended, 87 acceptable. The Hemi's fuel economy is enhanced by Chrysler's Multi-Displacement System, which disables four of the eight cylinders when cruising by deactivating the valve lifters. In our tests of variable displacement on other Chrysler products, we found the transition between cruising and power modes nearly indiscernible. The Hemi seems like a good value. Plus, it can tow up to 8,950 pounds with the optional 3.92 rear axle, compared with 7500 pounds for the 4.7-liter. Also, the two-speed transfer case comes standard on 4WD models with the Hemi, while it's optional with the other engines.

Hemi, by the way, refers to the overhead-valve, hemispherical combustion chamber design, and harkens back to the 1960s when the 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) Hemi dominated both NASCAR stock car and NHRA drag racing. That engine was itself a revival of the original 1951-58 Hemi. Chrysler modernized the basic design in 2003 after it had been gone (but not forgotten) for decades. Still, the Hemi didn't feel like 335 horsepower to the seat of our pants. The 5.7-liter Hemi felt a little more powerful than the 4.7-liter, but it wasn't a night-and-day difference. The double overhead-cam, 5.6-liter, 305-horsepower Nissan Armada feels more responsive than the 5.7-liter Durango, which feels solid, but heavy.

We were most impressed by the five-speed automatic transmission that comes with both V8 engines. The shifts were incredibly smooth. Shifting up or down between third and fourth gears is undetectable. The transmission features a Tow/Haul mode, which holds the gears longer and will even downshift under deceleration, as might be needed with a trailer on mountainous terrain. It's cool when you come toward a turn at high speed and back off, and your automatic transmission drops a downshift for you.

The best fuel economy comes from the 3.7-liter V6, rated at 210 horsepower, 235 pound-feet of torque and 16/21 mpg. It comes with a four-speed automatic and is rated to pull a 3750-pound trailer.

The Durango has good brakes. When you need to slow down or stop, they'll be there. They're big vented discs with twin-piston calipers in front, just the thing for holding back this heavy beast. ABS helps the driver maintain steering control by eliminating wheel lockup, while electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) balances braking forces front and rear for more stable stopping. We slammed on the brakes several times from 70 mph and found the Durango stopped steady and true.

Cornering and handling are excellent, maybe even superb, for a big SUV. The earliest Durangos borrowed some running gear from the Dakota pickup; but since its first major re-design for 2004, Durango has been built on its own mechanical platform. Chassis rigidity benefits from hydroformed box-section frame rails. The ride quality is quite good as well, thanks to plenty of wheel travel built into Durango's suspension. Up front, torsion bars absorb impacts while providing tight control. Out back, Durango centers its live rear axle with a three-segment Watt's link instead of a single-segment Panhard rod. This

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