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Old 08-15-2012, 07:52 AM   #1
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Anyone towed or is towing with a Dodge Durango? Feedback?

My wife and I are going to need a new TV fairly soon. We really like the Dodge Durango as a replacement for our minivan which has 6,200 capacity with the V-6 and 7,400 with the Hemi. We're confident it will tow our 1007 PUP and, on paper, we think if go with the Hemi, it'll tow the HTT we'd like to upgrade to in the next year or three, likely an X20E, X23B, or possibly X23J.

In reading this and other forums, however, I've read several posts where people expressed dissatisfaction with the Durango as a TV. The Explorer and Traverse/Acadia are rated even lower, so they're out.

The TV would be the wife's main vehicle, so a pickup is not an option. Just not going to happen.

We usually buy a car new and drive it into the ground, and the price of a new Expedition or Tahoe seems to be $10-15k more than the Durango, but if the Durango won't tow our desired HTT comfortably, then we'd probably bit the bullet and go with the Expy or Tahoe.

Thanks for any insight on the Durango, old or new model.
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Old 08-15-2012, 09:35 AM   #2
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I have the Dakota with V8..it tows fine, not sure if Durango is offered with a V8?
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Old 08-15-2012, 08:21 PM   #3
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I have no experience with the newest Durangos, But I've seen many folks pulling up to 27 foot trailers with them. I'd bet they have the grunt with the hemi for pulling a hybrid with ease. I personally wouldn't pull a full size TT with one though simply because they are slightly smaller than a full size truck or Expedition / Tahoe. I had a Dakota with a V8 back when the Dakota and Durango shared a platform and it was beast for it's size.
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Old 08-16-2012, 08:08 AM   #4
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i have a friend that has a Hemi Durango and only gets 12-14 mpg around town, not towing. Thats horrible when you consider I get the same with my F250 w/ 4:10 rear gear( thats why it's parked except for tow & snowplow duties). Sorry your DW has a problem with pu's. Larry
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Old 08-16-2012, 09:12 AM   #5
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I have a X23B which is the largest hybrid you are looking at and a Durango would pull it fine. But as another poster said, the v8 Hemi gets terrible gas mileage. I was considering it and went with a F150 instead and get better gas mileage. I like the look of the new Jeeps more and they can pull the same - so give that a thought.

When looking at TV for the X23B, I wanted something that was 7500+. But there is not much to choose from in that tow weight that is not a full size SUV or truck.
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Old 08-16-2012, 04:20 PM   #6
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But as another poster said, the v8 Hemi gets terrible gas mileage.
Does anyone know if the move from a truck chasis (2010 and earlier) to the unibody construction (2012-2013 models) improved the gas mileage?
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Old 08-16-2012, 04:26 PM   #7
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Dodges' published spec for 2013 Durango Fuel Economy ranges from 12-14 City depending on if it has the Hemi or V6 .
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Old 08-31-2012, 10:07 PM   #8
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I tow an SLX 154 with a 2011 Durango 5.7 with plans to upgrade to a 198RD. It's a great SUV and I really like the sway control and load leveling that come with the tow package. It gets 9 miles a gallon while towing and around 17 normal use. I used to tow the SLX with a 03 explorer 4.0 and it struggled going up hills. The Durango doesn't break a sweat.
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Old 09-01-2012, 07:58 AM   #9
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Why doesn't your wife want a "pickup"? There are a number of them out there that have full crew cabs and are very comfortable to drive. Ford has come out with a half-ton with a newer engine configuration called Eco Boost and people seem to be quite taken with them. Good towing capacity and very good highway and in-town mileage, for a pickup. GM and Dodge also sell some good half-ton pickups. They may not ride quite as nice as an SUV like the Durango, but the rides are pretty darn good. And, they are a great deal more versatile than the Durango type vehicles with the ability to haul good sized loads in the bed and still have room in the vehicle for up to six people, although some of them might have to be a little smaller than the others. I own a 3/4 ton GMC 2500HD with a diesel engine but you notice I'm not trying to get your wife to look at 3/4 tons. I'm just saying that a one-half ton pickup with the right configuration might surprise her.
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Old 09-04-2012, 09:40 PM   #10
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Why doesn't your wife want a "pickup"? There are a number of them out there that have full crew cabs and are very comfortable to drive. Ford has come out with a half-ton with a newer engine configuration called Eco Boost and people seem to be quite taken with them. Good towing capacity and very good highway and in-town mileage, for a pickup. GM and Dodge also sell some good half-ton pickups. They may not ride quite as nice as an SUV like the Durango, but the rides are pretty darn good. And, they are a great deal more versatile than the Durango type vehicles with the ability to haul good sized loads in the bed and still have room in the vehicle for up to six people, although some of them might have to be a little smaller than the others. I own a 3/4 ton GMC 2500HD with a diesel engine but you notice I'm not trying to get your wife to look at 3/4 tons. I'm just saying that a one-half ton pickup with the right configuration might surprise her.
Thanks. Over the weekend, my wife got a chance to see a nice Dodge RAM 1500 with the cab over the bed up close. It was a Quad Cab, but after seeing the website, we'd prefer the Crew Cab. Our great luck with 5 Chrysler and Dodge minivans has made us a dedicated Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-RAM family, so we'd lean the Dodge way. Not sure a used Dakota (not made any longer) would bring enough towing capacity, but that size seems better for us day-to-day. My 15 y/o daughter wants a Dakota or Tacoma when she turns 16, so who knows which way we'll go.

I like the fact that a RAM 1500 brings more towing capacity than the Durango for a lower price. And, I like the Dodge Dart as a candidate for my econo-car, so maybe we'll end up with 2.
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Old 09-04-2012, 10:37 PM   #11
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A full size truck can also give you a better view behind while towing. A full size truck with towing mirrors will give a much better view to the rear than a mid size vehicle with towing mirrors. I don't know about the availability of extending mirrors for mid size vehicles.
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Old 09-05-2012, 06:53 AM   #12
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Ya and I'm sure that the pickup bed will make a nice " man cave" when traveling with 5 woman lol Larry
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