Author:Chandan B Mallik  Photography:Nabeel Ferzan and author

The new Durango starts its career in an era where most automakers are looking at fuel and emissions efficiency, displacement or cylinder downsizing, enhanced performance, quality interiors and lots of functionality and quality space management.

To do this and more, the 2011 Durango switches camps [from body-on-frame to unibody] very much like the other mainstream crossover SUVs. However, this doesn’t mean that the SUV has gone soft in its styling as a result. Despite a change in profile and overall design, it’s unmistakably a Dodge tough truck in the styling, with a big cross-hair grille and elegant detailing which makes it look more refined than the macho but bland old Durango.

Meanwhile, chrome has been generously used to differentiate the entry and top end models along with some other features such as HID lamps. Although the rear end of the car is sloped more than the previous model, it is not as upright as the Honda Pilot. A cargo hatch is powered but does not open the glass separately. Rear wipe/wash and a small spoiler are standard on all variants.

Technically, the new Durango rides on a stretched version of the co-developed Mercedes-Benz ML platform which is also used in the new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee and has nearly the same wheelbase (119.8in) and track (64in front and rear) as the old Durango. So it’s still not a midsize, but clever exterior dimensions ensure that the Durango falls right in the middle of the three-row mix of SUVs.

While it’s no secret that the outgoing Durango’s cabin was a victim of the then owner’s cost-cutting programme, this new one achieves quite a few highs and is clearly benchmarked against premium performance SUVs. While, there’s no groundbreaking design here, but the dashboard design is attractive and every surface we touch is supple and sufficiently upscale. Outward visibility is fairly good, thanks to a slimmed A-pillar. Front heated and ventilated seats are well contoured and cushioned and are covered in perforated high-grade Nappa leather in the Citadel model. Chrysler has incorporated an impressive array of practicality in the car which boasts of 28 different seating configurations, with up to 85 cubic feet of cargo and storage areas. With second- and third-row seats folded flat, the Durango can fit large six-foot objects with ease. Visibility over the third row is aided by an electrically operated dropdown headrests, which comes in handy when the third row is not in use. Third-row access is very good. A simple strap-pull folds and tilts up the second row seat, and the walk-through floor space to reach the third row is almost twice what a Tahoe has for reaching the second row. There is more room back here than the legroom dimension implies. The cargo deck is 32ins off the ground and has one small deep bin on the left side and a broader one under the main floor. Cargo volume is 17cft behind the third row, 48 cft behind the second, and 84 cft behind the front seats. A simple lever operation drops either third-row seat flat, and with the right seat section folded flat in each row you can secure ten-foot-long objects inside.

 The Durango’s entertainment electronic gizmo kit on the centre console won’t overwhelm, but it’s a bit behind its arch rival, the 2011 Ford Explorer, which offers state-of-the-art MyFord Touchdriver connectivity technology. However, one doesn’t miss out on modern features such as iPod integration, a keyless ignition, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring or a back-up camera with rear cross-traffic detection in the Durango.

The car’s Durango power plant, in this case of the Citadel was the 5.7-litre Hemi V8, mounted longitudinally in the engine bay with Chrysler’s 545RFE five-speed transmission. Hemi, power is rated at 360 hp, and 390 lb-ft at 4,250 rpm with up to 7,400 lb of trailer towing with rear wheel drive. While Multiple Cylinder Displacement is available in the Hemi and helps in fuel economy, the V8 powerd model also gets four-wheel drive with low-range gearing for steeper inclines/descents, a neutral position for flat-towing.

The suspension package seems to be comfort oriented and has a new short/long arm up front and isolated multi-link at the rear with a cradle arrangement for improved on-road handling and comfort. Aggressive shock and spring rates and large sway bars are part of the package to handle body roll in hard cornering situations. Driver gets electro-hydraulic steering. Another thing we noted that unlike the older Durangos, the 2011 Durango uses five-lug wheels, which means a wider choice for those wishing to customize. Twenty-inch tyres and wheels combos are available and spare wheel is tucked under the chassis.

As a family oriented vehicle, there’s quite a bit of safety kit. Standard safety features include standard front seat-mounted side air bags and standard side-curtain air bags that cover passengers in all three rows, active head restraints and Electronic Stability Control.

 

In general, the front seats are very comfortable, supportive without being confining and able to handle long distances without feeling too firm. The eight way power settings are easy to use and best feature for the driver is the four-way power lumbar and a six-way power cushion for passenger side.

The tilt/telescoping steering column accommodates a range of drivers and the power column links to the driver seat/mirror/audio preset memory system. Unlike some new SUV’s, the foot well offers free space, so there is plenty of room for your left leg to relax. Engine revs and speed instruments house smaller fuel and coolant temperature gauges, with the EVIC electronic vehicle information center between. EVIC displays everything from fuel economy or oil temperature to how long the lights stay on when you park, operated via the left thumb-switches on the steering wheel. All controls, the door handles, door pockets and the cupholders are illuminated an icy-blue, the gauges off-white.

Most controls are straightforward. Climate controls are split into three zones, or can be matched with the touch of one button; rear controls are operable if the driver approves by pressing a button. The Dodge Durango is easy to drive and delivers a comfortable, quiet ride empty or loaded. The way it responds to steering and braking inputs will please those who enjoy driving and go completely unnoticed by those who don’t. And most of the credit goes to its unibody architecture, which offers a near perfect weight distribution and hence more car like driving. For a large SUV, the steering actually provides actual road feel. Chassis and suspension are orderly, and encouraged us to explore corners at speeds, something we would never have attempted in the old Durango. But when one really wants to go fast in corners, the stability control [which can’t be disabled] systems politely reminds us that this is not a sports car and duly steps in and does its job.

The Hemi-led variable valve powertrain offers abundant torque and will happily cruise at triple-digit speeds up to the electronically limited maximum limit. While the Hemi offers 360hp, what makes the difference is the 50 per cent increase in torque and lower revving character that makes it feel more powerful. In fact, the 5-speed automatic to which it is mated to ensures that the engine’s offers peak performance without being thrifty, thanks to the seamless Eco drive mode where half of the cylinder bank is deactivated even at low city speeds.

Even more impressive is its ride smoothness and minimum body roll, which we think in some respects is even more refined than the Grand Cherokee – thanks to the Dodge’s extra five inches in the wheelbase and the stiffer unibody structure [consisting of 52 per cent advanced, high-strength steels] which has reduced the chassis/body flex considerably when compared with the previous body-on-frame design.

Despite its boxy shape, aero profiling has ensured a drag coefficient of approximately Cd 0.35  and with better NVH management, the interior is exceptionally quiet on the move.

Another significant change on the 2011 Dodge Durango is the use of an electric motor to drive the hydraulic power steering pump. Effort levels feel about right, but as on any heavy SUV, steering feel is absent. The steering ratio (19.1:1) and 3.67 turns lock-to-lock are pretty close to the old Durango’s numbers.

Now the near retirement phase is over at Chrysler and the redesigned 2011 Dodge Durango emerges as a viable and significantly improved 21st-century family seven seater SUV. There’s little doubt that the new Durango has been able to correct and improve on most of its predecessor’s misgivings. Unlike last time, this Durango will be competing with the Chevrolet Traverse, the eagerly anticipated 2011 Ford Explorer and to some extent with the Mazda CX-9. However, the Durango clearly stands apart as the solo SUV that offers a V8 option and bona fide towing capability.