2016 Durango line-up only has 1 model with a Hemi??
No options to upgraded any other model. It's R/T or nothing.

 

Consumer demand.

 

It is unfortunate that most competitors have new offerings of horsepower plus all-wheel drive in their sedans and SUV's, delivered via a V8 or turbo-V6, while FCA is going backwards by offering their anemic V6, specially with the all-wheel drive sedans. I suspect FCA doesn't have a customer appealing plan for their fleet to meet new federal mandated mpg requirements (at least not this customer - me; next car I'll have to look at alternate manufacturers).

 

I saw that lack of Hemi's in the lineup and was disappointed with it as well. This coupled with the limited interior carpet color choices (black carpet seems to be the only offering) are really souring me on the vehicle. My two light color dogs would do terrible things to black carpet...and all while I'm not enjoying a V8 powered ride. Sadly, very shortly, I think I'll have to look elsewhere too.

 

oh, by way of followup...I am a BIG fan of my 2012 Durango Crew...love it lots...I'll be sad to move away from the brand.

 

Sad to say, this is the last year of the Durango - perhaps for a while. Streamlined the choices, so the assembly line could focus on the vehicles they're developing/keeping, I reckon.

That, and Fiat still has no clue what a V-8 is.

 

Weird. So I was literally just on Dodge site and noticed this exact thing, RT only for HEMI. Thought I would come here to see if it was true. I also went to Jeep site and from what I can tell Hemi is very Limited for the Grand Cherokee as well. Could thuis actually be true or maybe just a glitch on their websites? The V8 was a real selling point for me. No other Mid Size SUV's have one....Other than the German brands

 

I suspect Chrysler is having some trouble meeting CAFE mileage requirements. The Dart and 200 are their only small vehicles, and they don't sell well.

 

On the plus side, it means that my R/T is now considered the highest trim level and the top of the line. That's nice for resale.

Exactly. When I shopped for my Durango, I was between the Crew (Limited) and the R/T. My boss also has a Durango and he was between the Citadel and the R/T. When you build them out and compare features and price, it makes more sense to just go for the R/T. Both me and my boss went with the R/T over the other one we were considering. If you're going to get a V8, get the R/T. That's the sporty of the models and deserving of the V8.

That said, I can see the appeal of a V8 in a limited or a citadel if you like the chrome the citadel offers and the luggage rack option you can't get on an R/T. But I believe that's probably a very small segment. I'd be interested to see the production numbers of non-R/T trims with a V8. I would suspect that the number is pretty low.

Not the last year of the Durango. People were saying that 2015 would be the last year. Then 2016. Then 2017. No official word from FCA either way and, according to the 5 year plan, another refresh is scheduled in 2017 as a 2018 model. The Grand Wagoneer is not a Durango replacement. It's on par with an Escalade or a Range Rover. Luxury SUV territory. There would still be a place for the Durango as an economical alternative in the 3 row SUV market. It's not going anywhere although I suppose if it gets repeated enough times, people will still believe it to be true.

As for Fiat not knowing what a V8 is, don't know how you figure that. The Dodge Charger has 4 engine options and 3 of them are V8s. Same with the Challenger.

Again, we're back to the demand. Perhaps no other mid size SUVs have a V8 because the demand for it isn't there.

Could be. Although, CAFE requirements have different categories. They have a car category and a truck category. Not sure where the Durango fits in on that, but I would guess SUVs fall under the truck category.

More on CAFE here.
http://www.caranddriver.com/features...cafe-standards

 

You clearly have no clue what you're talking about. An AWD 300 with a pentastar and 8 speed has a faster 0-60 than an 05-08 5.7 equipped 300C.

Thanks for playing though.