Posted awhile back about towing with my 13 Crew with the V6. After towing my enclosed two place trailer (lightweight canvas cover) and two snowmobiles I am very disappointed. Struggles in 4th gear and ANY incline it jumps down to 3rd. Question for the Durango owners with the hemi and new 8 speed. If I trade up will I be able to just put this thing in gear and go? No crazy downshifting and struggling on hills? V6 is great on it's own but not towing! Also considering maybe just going to the Ram 1500 truck with the Hemi? Durango hemi and 1500 with a hemi comparable as far as towing?

 

And what exactly is now your issue? That it downshifts to have the engine in a better torque range to maintain speed? Do you use the tow/haul mode when you tow?

Because if not you can not be sure if it is really going into 3rd. It maybe just disengages the lock on the converter. Something you will no expect if you use the tow/haul mode.

You need to be more specific about your issue. I tow sometimes more than 3,5t with it and it never had a shifting issue. Apparently I'm using the tow/haul mode with tha load at the rear. It holds longer the gears, downshifts when breaking etc. It has really good reasons to use the tow/haul mode with heavier load.

 

My Hemi tows my trailers very well. Better than my Suburban.

Remember if you go to the Ram, the gas mileage when you're not towing will suck.

 

FIREFOX: "And what exactly is now your issue"? Ouch, I'm just stating my own opinion/experience with my V6. Just yesterday I was towing my trailer with one snowmobile, 60 mph on the freeway. I used auto shift and put it in 4th. Any slight incline it would jump down to 3rd, tach would jump well over 3000 rpm's. Not good for mileage and the vehicle was definitely struggling. No tow haul mode on my Durango.

 

If it needs to shift it shifts, this saves the transmission

 

I haven't had any issues with it downshifting or hunting for gears when pulling, but we are fairly flat here and I haven't pulled to any elevation worth mentioning. I can tell you from experience that any canvas cover is going to be a drag. I pulled my Razor with the cover on it 1 time and it felt like I had a lot more weight back there versus pulling it without the cover. I don't know how tall your canvas covered trailer is but exposed frontal area of whatever you are towing makes a huge difference also, no matter the weight, and the Durango's roof line is pretty low.

 

I only pull a 6 X 10 enclosed trailer that weighs around 2K lbs. MY 14 R/T pulls it great. Only time it seemed to break a sweat was pulling through the mountains of West Virginia on I64 towards Kentucky. Even then I was passing cars that had one or two people in them.

Marty

 

Thanks for the replies and useful info, my main concern is when we have to "chase" snow here in Minnesota we sometimes have to travel 6 plus hours to find some snow. I'm thinking the hemi would be much better suited for something like this. Especially when were loaded with gear, etc. Going to test drive a Hemi Durango and also the Ram 1500. Finding out the Rams have some huge discounts, 10 - 12K off sticker, Durango Limited's are hard to find with the Hemi, mostly RT's around.

 

Gear ratio is the killer nr 1 here. The 6 speed of the 2012/2013 Durangos is a joke. That 3rd gear is actually not really worth to be mentioned as a gear. The biggest complaint I have about the car is the crappy 6-speed transmission. I never had such an awful transmission and hey, I used to drive dodge caravans with the worst 4-speed transmission in the world (changed it 4 times). I waited for the 2012 years to buy the durango and I now have to say it was not worth it. The NAG1 transmission of my Nitro was so good. I wish I just have bought the durango with that one in the 2011 MY.

I can imagine that the new 8-speeds are a lot nicer to drive and also to tow as the gear ratios are a lot closer and allows for smother changes in the rpm spectrum. Something which you do not have with the crappy 6-speed. Why do I need a fist gear which almost hits 50mph? It's useless, especially for towing where a shorter first and 2nd gear would help a lot. If I had the money I would trade in the '12 Durango for a new '15 with the 8 speed. Even If i don't like the shift **** or the front end look.

The hemi engine itself is outstanding and worth every $. Buying the v8 was the best decision I have made even if it is a really thirsty friend. Normally in the 15,7l/100km range is not what you call economical :-) Thats why we have an electro car for daily trips to work :-)

 

I have a '12 so it has the 6 speed. I regularly tow a 6600b Airstream with no problem. Leave it in Tow/Haul mode and the shift points are fine.