The Durango has been a favorite car among Dodge fans for over three decades, but have you ever wondered about the history of this vehicle? The story behind the Dodge Durango’s evolution is a rather complicated one. As we draw closer to this vehicle’s anticipated discontinuation in 2024, let’s take a closer look at the behind-the-scenes history of the Dodge Durango.
The mid-sized SUV, the Dodge Durango, first emerged on the automobile scene in 1997. With its design modeled after a pickup truck with a covered trunk, Dodge hoped to appeal to prospective customers looking for an SUV midway between smaller models like the Ford Explorer and larger cars like the Chevrolet Tahoe. Since then, this beloved vehicle has gone through four generations. The Durango also briefly disappeared from the car scene between 2009 and 2011 before returning to the market.
The Story of the Durango Name
Did you know that the Dodge Durango received its name from a city in Colorado? Durango is a small town in this state known for its historical connections to America’s vast railroad system. This city in Colorado was named after a Mexican state called Durango. By naming this SUV Durango, Dodge hoped to emphasize its revolutionary appearance on the automobile scene.
The Evolution of the Durango
Dodge first introduced the 1998 model of the Durango toward the end of 1997 as a replacement for its Ramcharger line of vehicles, which Dodge had produced for 28 years. Originally, the Dodge Durango had much of its platform in common with the Dakota pickup truck, meaning that it shared many of the Dakota truck’s exterior and interior styling features. The primary change to the Durango’s second generation was the introduction of the new and highly powerful 5.7-liter Hemi engine in the lineup.
With the reappearance of the Durango on the market in 2011 for its third generation, Dodge made extensive changes inside and out, including giving consumers a choice between a V6 and a V8 engine and a much more spacious interior for its three rows. For its fourth and final iteration in 2020, Dodge decked out the Durango with top-of-the-line exterior features and a choice between a 3.5-liter V6 or a 5.7-liter V8 Hemi engine.
Dodge has already announced that the forthcoming 2024 model of the Durango will be the vehicle’s last appearance on the market before discontinuation. This is for a few reasons, including that Dodge wants to spend more time adding or updating hybrid and electric cars to its product lines and that the company noticed a decrease in Durango sales over the years. That said, Dodge has yet to comment on what the final 2024 model could look like or if an electrified replacement model exists.
Changes to the Durango Exterior
When Dodge first released the Durango, this SUV had numerous exterior elements in a retro style, such as its front fenders flared out and positioned lower than the hood, a crosshair grille design, and narrow horizontal headlights. The curved windshield, however, gave the Durango body a modern touch. With the release of the second generation of the Durango, its chassis continued to resemble the Dakota pickup truck, but that all changed in 2007 thanks to the redesigned hood of the vehicle.
By the time the third generation of the Durango rolled around, Dodge made an apparent effort to distinguish this SUV from both the Dakota pickup truck and Dodge’s other models. The redesigned exterior gave the Durango a more muscular appearance thanks to its sculpted hood, raised front bumper, and slimmed-down split crosshair grille. The rear also now featured glamorous LED racetrack tail lamps and a newly designed trailer hitch. Although the fourth generation received fewer updates to its exterior, the brand-new bumper, grille, and LED headlights gave the Durango a much more modern appearance.
How the Durango’s Features Changed
In its first iteration, much of the Durango’s interior resembled the Dakota pickup truck, including a similar dashboard design. A key difference was that the Durango offered a third row of rear-facing seats, allowing the vehicle to fit up to eight people. Dodge later removed this feature because of low market demand and replaced it with the now customary third row facing toward the front of the car, allowing seven people to fit comfortably within the Durango.
While the second generation of the Durango more or less possesses the same interior features, the reappearance of the Durango on the car scene in 2011 offered many more stylish and technologically advanced updates. This included many outstanding safety features, such as tire pressure monitoring, all-speed traction control, rear parking assistance, and electronic stability control. The third generation also added touch screens in either a 5-inch or 8.4-inch size.
Come 2020, the interior of the Durango received further updates. This included new materials and a standard UConnect infotainment system.
Durango Through the Years: Engines and Fuel Efficiency
With the V8 engine in its first generation, the Durango achieved 14 mpg in city conditions and 19 mpg while traveling along the highway. This engine also had an impressive 238 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. Thanks to the engine upgrades of the second edition, the Durango boosted its city mpg to 16 and its highway to 21. The V8 engine in this second generation also raised its horsepower to 349.
As the Durango evolved, it became even more powerful. With the advent of the third generation, the Durango could reach 294 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque thanks to its V6 engine, compared to 360 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque with the V8 engine. By 2020, the Durango will also become much more fuel-efficient despite its large and heavy frame, scoring 18 mpg in city conditions and 26 mpg along the highway.
Did you get a chance to drive multiple iterations of the Durango? What’s been your favorite part about how the Dodge Durango’s evolved over the years? Let us know by leaving a comment on this blog. And if you’re interested in getting a Durango of your own, feel free to browse our inventory of new Durango vehicles or used Durango models. You can also book a service appointment online if you have a Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, or Ram vehicle you’d like our experts to take a closer look at.
