First post! Awesome forum! We currently have a 13' Acadia Denali and it is currently in the shop again. We've had it for two years, got it new, and last week they had to pull the motor in order to change the timing cover gasket. In the two years we've owned it, it's probably been in the shop for 4-6 weeks for various issues. GM had to buy back my last Sierra late last year and it looks like they'll be doing the same for our Acadia.

Because of this, I've been researching SUV's like mad. In almost everything that I've read, the Durango comes up in the top 4. The reviews are all very good. A friend of mine also has an R/T and loves it. I want to get something similar in size to the Acadia with the ability to handle 7 people if needed.

So what's not to like about them? There has to be something, but I'm not finding it. I want to get a car and be able to keep it for 10 years or longer and not have to worry about it not being reliable. GM is out and I have also been looking at Toyota's since they run forever.

Any thoughts and/or advice is appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Brandon

 

I suspect you are thinking brand new. If so, most of the bugs that resulted in a few recalls should have been corrected in the 2016. So it really comes down to your preference. Test drive and compare. Decide which power plant and trim level will suit your needs best. If you end up getting a Durango, I think you will be happy with your decision.

 

Thanks for the reply. Yes I'm looking at new but also at certified as the pricing is hard to overlook. My friend has a 14 R/T and can't say enough about it. Not sure if I'd need the power that the RT has especially since it will primarily be my wife driving it so realistically thinking the limited or an SXT with some options would work well.

 

I have a loaded crew 2012. I would highly recommend the Durango as a fun to drive SUV. I personally would get the v8 instead of the V6 if I could do it over.

I came close to buying an Acadia Denali. The Acadia can hold a 4x8 sheet of wood (The D can not, it has a small tailgate opening comparatively) and I suspect might have a tad more space behind the third row. The Durango most likely has better towing capacity (this can likely depend on trim level).

When comparing 2012 models, i thought the stereo on the Durango was way better sounding, and the Uconnect system on the Dodge products is very nice.

My wife complains about visibility out of my Durango compared to her Odyssey, but she likes being a passenger in it.

Steve

 

Been an owner now of an 11 citadel for a month and traded in an Odyssey for it and absolutely love it . Very happy so far .

 

If you buy MY 2011-2014 make sure pending recalls have been executed. Other than that no complains on my side. Even the V6 is a pretty capable engine, but some may prefer the Hemi V8 burbly sound (myself included )

 

HEMI...always HEMI...I'm biased

 

Wife and I bought a '13 Hemi RT one and a half years ago. After using it for a year (and using it to pull a 26' sport boat) we decided it was a keeper and bought the lifetime warranty as we expect to have it a long time. No issues at all and the only changes I wish I could make is a heated steering wheel for this time of the year. We've put 16,000 miles on it so far.

 

I'll weigh in on you question. I have an '11 crew with tow package and the V-6 engine with 75K trouble free miles. I would buy another Durango again and in fact might do so in a year from now. We plan on doing a couple major road trips this year that will put on about 10,000 more road miles as a result. I tow a sizable boat with not issues. My next D will be a Citadel with the same engine and would buy a '16 or wait for the '17 model.

 

As others have said. Test drive all of the models of the SUV that you like, new or used.
Be sure to research the reviews on the SUV that your wanting to buy. Be sure to research the dealerships too,no matter what brand of SUV you end up buying. The more
work you are able to do upfront before buying, the less hassles you will have later as the owner.