Durango is mine. Wife doesn't like to drive it, says it is too slow and unresponsive (V6).

She much prefers her Honda Odyssey. She also gripes a lot about how small the Durango's interior is in the cargo area as well as room in back with car seats getting the kids in and out.

 

It is the wifes for toting the kids around. If I am nice to her she lets me drive it. LOL

 

 

I have a '12 Durango R/T and it is our third car. It is used for road trips mostly. I have almost 30k miles on it after a year and a half. I too think the rear quarter is the worst. But it is a good toter! I often fill all the seats, have a cargo box on the hitch and a rooftop box for even more storage. Add to this list the ability to tow a trailer or boat, as I do, and the notion of minivan is gone! BTW, did you know the limited top end is 143 MPH? No minivan!

 

R/T is mine but my wife will drive on occasion when she needs to haul my son and his friends around. She likes how it drives, but too big for everyday duty for her. BTW, she was the one that insisted on Black. She claims too many previous silver and light blue SUVs that projectes that "old man" image. Sorry silver owners.

 

Just bought a '13 R/T blacktop for me. The rear is not my favorite, but it was by far the best of any other options I considered for my family. It is the tail lights that make the rear look like a minivan to me. That is why I am getting them tinted this week. If I was single or married with no kids I would not have gotten it, but I am very happy with it.

Probably would have gotten a Grand Cherokee if I didn't need the room

 

All mine...wifey has an Acadia!

 

There are two questions baked in here...why choose a "cross-over" vs. a mini-van or a "truck" based SUV...and then why the Durango?

My current ride is a 2002 Pontiac Montana AWD Minivan. That's about as "rugged" looking a mini-van you're going to find. Mine's got 190K miles and at this point I'm starting to throw good money after bad keeping it up, so it's time to replace.

I don't own a D yet, one yet, but I do have a '14 on order. I made the decision on what vehicle to get and it will be my daily driver. Wife's daily driver is an '08 Lexus GS350.

I get into and out of work relatively early, so I end up doing the afternoon shuttling of kids (11 and 13 yo) and gear around, so I get the family hauler and the wife gets the sedan. Call me a soccer dad if you want...It is what it is.

I did not want to drive a mini-van anymore (nor do we truly need the space with only 2 kids and no car seats.) So I decided to step down (space wise) to a cross-over. As much as I'd like to drive a "truck" based SUV, my practical side won't take me down that road. I don't tow anything, and the only "truck" based SUVs that have more space than large cross-overs are the behemoth ones, like the Expedition, Suburban/Escalade, etc. More money...tough to fit in my garage, low MPG.

So I went on researching crossovers. (And yes, I consider the Durango a cross-over, not a "truck", but that's another conversation!)

You won't get the interior space of a mini-van, period. Going from a mini-van to a cross-over you are going to lose some "people and stuff moving" utility. The GM Lambdas (Enclave, Traverse, Acadia) is the only crossover platform that can somewhat approach mini-van utility, but even they fall notably short.

I'm going from a mini-van to a cross-over I imagine for the same reason most people do: styling and driving dynamics. Willing to give up some utility to get that. On the other hand, I was not willing to go with the cost, size and truck driving dynamics that comes with an extended size truck based SUV in order to get the utility of a mini-van along with the "manliness" of a truck.

If practicality wasn't a consideration for me, I would probably go with a truck based SUV. On the other hand, if practicality was the ONLY consideration for me, I would go for another mini-van...and it would be the Toyota Sienna, since it's the only minivan still made where you can get AWD as an option.

Alas, I met in the middle: 3 row cross-over.

I ended up choosing the Durango based on styling, price, seating options, technology, and ride quality (including the fact that it is a rear-wheel drive based drivetrain.) I agree, the styling is the weakest from behind...even the '14 with the racetrack taillights. But then...the same can be said for most crossovers. I'll just make sure that I back into most parking spaces instead of going head-in.

 

Our 2013 R/t is my wifes it is pretty much our DD. I just mod it basically LOL. I have a lifted Silverado and possibly soon a 1/2 ton Dodge Ram Diesel

 

It is all mine! Wifey is hesitant to drive it - doesn't want anything to happen to it on her watch lol!