2011 Dodge Durango Overview Change Vehicle

This 2011 Dodge Durango review explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the Dodge Durango, and includes safety, reliability, and fuel economy information for the Durango.

After a one-year hiatus while Dodge re-thought virtually everything about this three-row SUV, the all-new 2011 Dodge Durango emerges as a better vehicle in every way. It’s a mid-size to large family SUV that is competitive with the redesigned 2011 Ford Explorer, 2011 GMC Acadia, 2011 Chevrolet Traverse and 2011 Honda Pilot.

Forget nearly everything you’ve ever known or thought about the Dodge Durango. The 2011 model is a completely new vehicle that boasts a new design, a much more comfortable interior and better engines across the board than the vehicles that preceded it.

Six different trims are available on the 2011 Durango. All trims besides the Durango R/T feature a five-speed automatic transmission and the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine. The 5.7-liter V8 Hemi is standard on the Durango R/T.

The Durango Express starts at $29,125 and includes a power sunroof, power windows with one-touch up and down feature, cloth seats, 18-inch alloy wheels, air conditioning with dual-zone automatic temperature controls, fog lamps, heated side mirrors, tilt and telescoping steering wheel, a six-speaker stereo system with CD player, satellite radio, auxiliary jack for mobile devices and steering-wheel-mounted audio controls. The second row folds flat in a 60/40-configuration while the third row folds in a 50/50 manner.

The sporty Durango Heat starts at $30,295 and REMOVES the third-row seats. So keep that in mind as you shop the Durango. It adds 20-inch performance wheels, a sports suspension, performance steering, body-color front fascia and grille, remote keyless entry, 9-speaker audio system that features a 506-watt amplifier, digital storage for MP3s or CDs, Bluetooth streaming audio and Dodge’s U-Connect voice command system.

The Durango Crew model starts at $33,195 and returns the third-row seat to the mix. It adds a leather-wrapped steering wheel, power eight-way driver’s seat and a power six-way passenger seat, driver memory functions, power liftgate, rear park assist, rearview camera and a 30GB hard drive with 6,700 song capacity.

The Durango R/T starts at $35,465 drops the rearview camera and park-assist features but adds a theft-deterrent system, leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, rear load-leveling suspension, “digital suede” bucket seats and 20-inch painted aluminum wheels. Most important for many drivers, the Durango R/T includes the 5.7-liter V8 Hemi.

Choose the CrewLux Durango and you’ll start the conversation with your local dealer at $38.195. You’ll pick up a remote-start system, leather-trimmed bucket seats and 20-inch polished aluminum wheels along with the return of the rear-park assist system and rearview camera.

The highest trim on the Durango totem pole is the Citadel that starts at $41,795 and basically includes every feature you could ever want in a Durango (except a standard V8 engine, which is optional). Specifically, you’ll pick up 20-inch chrome wheels, a chrome grille insert, premium leather seating, rain-sensing wipers, an adjustable and heated steering wheel, adaptive cruise control and blind-spot detection system.

Most competitive large SUVs only feature a V6 engine that generates between 250 and 290 horsepower. That includes the 2011 Ford Explorer, 2011 GMC Acadia, 2011 Chevrolet Traverse and 2011 Honda Pilot. The 2011 Ford Flex does offer the impressive twin-turbocharged EcoBoost that generates 355 horses but that extra muscle adds quite a bit to the price of the Flex.

The Durango offers buyers two choices: the standard 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 that generates 290 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. And for buyers with Napoleonic complexes or simply a need for more power and heft, the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 with its 360 horses and 390 lb-ft of torque awaits.

If you expect greater horsepower to translate to poor fuel economy, you would be correct. A real-wheel-drive Pentastar V6 will return 16 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway. That’s typical of the segment, whether you’re driving the Acadia, Flex or Pilot. Select an all-wheel-drive Durango CrewLux like our test vehicle and you’ll see your expected mileage scores drop all the way to 13 mpg in the city and 20 on the highway.

During our week of driving, we covered 320 miles and averaged 17.2 mpg with a good chunk of that driving on the highway. No, you won’t earn kudos from your Prius-driving friends when you drive a Hemi-equipped Durango. But we wouldn’t be at all surprised if you choose it anyway for its power and best-in-class towing capability.

Crash test scores for the 2011 Dodge Durango are not yet available. That’s no surprise since the vehicle is all-new and features a number of compelling safety features that include six airbags, electronic stability control, four-wheel antilock brakes with brake assist and trailer sway control. Higher-end trims also include useful features like intelligent cruise control, side-mirror blind-spot warning system, a front-collision warning system as well as a rear cross-path detection system that alerts you to the presence of other vehicles or obstacles when reversing the Durango.

Reliability has been a sore point for prior Dodge Durango SUVs. For instance, J.D. Power and Associates rated the 2009 Dodge Durango below average. According to the most recent available data from Consumer Reports, the 2007 Dodge Durango was also rated below average. It’s too early to tell, but the efforts by Dodge to improve every aspect of their vehicles from exterior design to interior features to dependability and reliability are encouraging. We recommend you look closely at dependability and reliability ratings as they become available.

If Dodge drivers do run into issues with the new Durango, they’re covered by a five-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty that goes along with the three-year/36,000-mile basic warranty. Exclusive to the Citadel model is a free three-year and 36,000 maintenance plan.

Our first observation about driving the Durango is that it it drives smaller than it is. Walk around the vehicle and it’s obvious you’re taking the wheel of a large SUV. But it handles remarkably well, with very little body roll as you move through corners at speed.

Here is the second observation: even with the V8 Hemi propelling the vehicle forward, it still feels a bit sluggish. That’s because the Durango outweighs its competitors by 500 to 600 pounds. So acceleration is slower than the typical V8 driver might expect. But like the deceptively fast elephant of the animal kingdom, once you’re up to speed, the Durango moves easily and nimbly. Smaller vehicles best get out of your way.

Unlike the Explorer, Flex or GM-based SUVs, you hear the rumbling engine even with the doors and windows closed. For many Durango buyers, that’s a bonus. And that doesn’t mean that road and engine noise is loud in the cabin. Quite the opposite, in fact. A Honda Pilot has a much noisier interior. What we’re saying is that the characteristic rumble of the Hemi becomes a part of your driving experience, which, we’re confident, is intentional and desirable.

We drove a 2011 Durango immediately following an excursion in a 2011 Ford Flex to see which one best soaked up the funkiness that comprises post-winter, pothole-ridden Utah roads. One driver preferred the Flex while another preferred the Durango. Both drivers agreed that potholes and road imperfections barely registered. Since the Durango is marketed to and driven by families who have no interest in road noise but great interest in watching the Sirius satellite TV without interruption, a quiet, comfortable cabin is really all that matters. The Durango clearly succeeds in many respects.

The 2011 Dodge Durango is a winner. The redesign is attractive, and although we still prefer the styling of the redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee to the Durango, we’ll happily opt for the Durango if three-row seating is a key buying criteria. The mid-size to large SUV category is packed with viable contenders: the Explorer and Flex from Ford, the Acadia, Traverse and Buick Enclave from GM and the once-leader and now-follower, Honda Pilot. The redesigned Durango holds its own and excels in many areas. If V8 power is a necessity, choosing the Durango over these other vehicles is a no-brainer.

We’ve called the Durango “the best SUV Dodge has ever built.” We haven’t changed our opinion. But the Durango may change your opinion of Dodge vehicles for the better.

By Michael Waterman