I was just looking at the latest CR Car buying issue and they give the 2014 the top pick in large SUV's. They can't give it a recommended CR buy because they consider the updated version as a new model. Maybe I missed something?

 

I agree. Perhaps he read CUs negative comments about Gen I & Gen II models and was confused.

CU concluded their opinion of Gen I and Gen II with the following: " The 2011 redesign transformed the Durango into a different animal: a quiet, spacious, comfortable SUV akin to the reborn Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Here are their reliability data though 2013
Alfie

 

I have had my 2012 since new driving through rural and urban central WI roads. I'm thrilled with the AWD system. Point it and it goes through anything with the stock 20" Goodyear tires. Now at about 30,000 miles I am starting to notice that the braking and cornering is starting to suffer a little in greasy slushy conditions, but I would attribute that to the tires aging (and me driving too fast).

I priced and test drove it against a 2012 GMC Acadia at the time. My thoughts: The GMC had the ability to hold a 4x8" sheet of wood. I could have used that a few times. But I also have a minivan and a trailer that can get the job done. The GM stereo, even in top of the line Denali trim, was a turd. The GMC V6 felt more responsive than the Durango's V6, but the Durango's handling felt much more like a sports sedan comapred to the Acadia's slushy minivan feel. I also preferred the Dodge styling, and it was a few grand cheaper. I would rank the Chevy a notch or two lower than the GMC.

Anyway, to get to your question about the Dodge's AWD system... this thing is made by the same people as a Jeep Grand Cherokee. It will handle weather that no sane person should be driving in.

Oh, and I LOVE the remote start and heated seats for WI winters. Only problem is my wife likes it too, and now she wants me to install it on her minivan.

Steve

 

Just a point about the Durango's AWD System.


This is directly from the dodge website:


"Durango offers convenient full-time all-wheel drive, which provides resistance to slipping wheels for additional torque transfer. The two-speed transfer case, available on Durango V8 models, routes up to 100% of available torque to the axle with the most traction when slippage is detected. V6 models include a single-speed transfer case that splits driving torque 50% front / 50% rear."


http://www.mideast.dodge.com/12duran...ing/index.html


The V8 because of it being more powerful can go 100% rear to 100% front depending on traction needs. The V6 Durango is full-time 50/50 split. slippage on the V6 is handled by the ABS braking system.


If your needs are purely a commuter car, then there is very little difference because both are effective on slippery roads. If you plan on doing many far off-road adventures I would recommend the V8 which far better traversing through off-road trails.

 

The durango is mostly rear biased in its power delivery. This creates more predictable poor weather handling. Oversteer with esp correction to controllable understeer. The rear end may slide a bit but esp will correct it by braking the outside front wheel. All esp syatems will do that but with rear biased drive it is more predictable.

 

when i had my '11 durango i could never tell when it was rear or awd. Back then they used junk kumo tires that were terrible. i changed them out for goodyear fortura and nevre had an issue.

the only reasons i got rid of my durango was the space in the middle row was lacking (dur to a child seat i had to have the pass seat almost all the way forward and was unsafe for my wife, and the fact i dropped my payment over $100 to get my ram. otherwise i was happy with it.

 

You are correct about the '14, but I also find it beneficial to look at the ratings of used vehicles to see what the future might hold, which is where I was coming from. The '14 is unrated because it is a "new" model (new tranny and redesigned dash?), though we all know that the basic underpinnings remain the same as the '11-'13s.
On page 95 of the April 2014 issue of Consumer Reports rated both the '11 and '12 DD as worse-than-average and the '13 as average in reliability. On page 88 they list the DD (V6 in '11 and '12; and V8 in '12) among the "Used cars to avoid."
All of this is disconcerting because in the 2013 Buyer Guide CR listed the reliability of the '11 as better-than-average and in the 2014 edition they listed the '11 and '12 V8 (no data on the V6) as average. In fact, IIRC, the 2013 was a recommended "Buy", which is what tipped the scales for me.
Don't get me wrong: I love my DD. My question is: how can this car move in two years from above-average with a "Buy" recommendation to worse-than-average in reliability?

 

FWD bias cars suck. Seriously, they blow chunks. I will try to avoid them at all costs in the future. Drive way too much like a minivan and you give up a lot of predictability, which can lead to giving up control as a driver.

We had a snow storm here in MI a few weeks ago and Enterprise, on the morning of, gave me a 2013 Chrysler 300C with RWD, not AWD. Going along with what most Michiganders say, I figured that there's no way in heck I'm getting to work in this thing (35 miles one way) in 8 inches of snow. Turns out, I didn't get stuck once, didn't slip around too much, the traction control worked beautifully and the HEMI kept the rear tires firmly planted with feathering of the throttle. Going around turns and it handled better than my FWD Pontiac G6 because I didn't have to worry about the dreaded understeer when sliding that you usually get with FWD cars which, in my opinion, is more dangerous than driving a RWD car and fishtailing. I would still by an AWD first for those times when you need to get going from a stop in heavy snow, but my appreciation for RWD cars and modern ESC has grown since my week with that Chrysler.

 

The only thing I can figure is that as they send out those car evaluation questionnaires, their data results change and they adjust accordingly.

Marty

 

We live in Central IL, and have gotten some pretty good snows this winter along with a plow infrastructure that really has barely been able to keep up. I have a2013 AWD V6 with the 20" rims and factory Goodyear all-seasons. I can't get the thing to break loose under acceleration unless I turn off Traction Control. The active AWD system is absolutely flawlessly executed. The near-50/50 weight distribution certainly doesn't hurt, either.

That said, it's a blast to turn off Traction Control so I can be the man-child that I am and drift this boat around corners in my neighborhood during snowstorms thanks to the RWD bias.