Dodge Durango with a powerful V8 is a spacious SUV for all practical drivers who do not want to grow up – Garáž.cz

Get to know each other. You are looking at an American SUV 5.1 meters long, 1.9 meters wide and 1.8 meters high with a three meter wheelbase. If you don’t know how to compare the Durango in terms of size, we’ll give you the answer BMW X7.

However, there are already rumors in the backroom about the preparation of the next generation, as the third current sports facility “dočka” has been produced since 2010! Although the facelift was unveiled in 2013, no major design changes have been made since then. That is, in addition to regular improvements within model years.

Despite the age, it is not so obvious on the car, which is also because cars are getting slower in the United States and Durango is more remote in Europe. The design is still a modern SUV and, above all, brutally muscular. Just look at the front, the fenders, the raised hood.

While he was on Bavarians so sharp X5 M/X6 M their muscles are defined by a sophisticated doping design, so Durango is the “American Arnold” of the old-school gym, packing two kilos of meat a day.

And thanks to this, the car has a lot of steam, because its main driver is an atmospheric eight-cylinder 5.7-liter gasoline engine with 364 horsepower and 529 Nm.

It goes to the rear as standard, and optionally still to all four wheels (model tested) via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

We found four reasons why these “five” are so popular in the Czech Republic. First, it is a proven and generally reliable engine that only needs regular service and fuel. Otherwise, it doesn’t ask much from you.

It has another purpose pulling force. Here, in the case of this particular model (it has a towing package), it is legally limited to 3,500 kg. What is interesting, however, is that the Durango 5.7 V8 in the United States can handle 3,356 kg on paper according to the manufacturer’s website.

Let sound be the third argument. A deep drum orchestra of the Road / Track specification with the Tow N Go package, which would make even the blind tenor Andrea Bocelli deaf. In other words, a beautiful din, sing eight cylinders, perhaps harassing the surroundings and chasing one’s t-shirt. Everyone pronounces this sound differently.

For the fourth time, the car just keeps going. The test model weighs 2,486 kg without a driver, but as soon as you step on it, it takes a big breath, starts making noise and pushes forward. And since it’s a naturally aspirated engine, the course of acceleration is very linear.

The weight and, above all, the wide 295/45 R20 front and rear tires show up in turns and on undulating roads. A quick approach to a sharper corner wakes up the car’s center of gravity and its own physics, and on the twisty sections of our roads you’ll struggle with slightly heavy steering.

In short, these work week wide tires are no match for the ridden asphalt bumps. And that’s when Brembo brakes could come in handy.

They say that every joke costs something. AND Dodge Durango does it say about nine liters per cent in slightly faster operating mode? There is no place. So twelve liters? No. Our long-term average eventually settled at a nice 13.6 liters of gasoline per hundred. Although the car has a 93-liter tank, otherwise we would start arguing with the pump operator. Alternatively, the engine can also be modified to run on LPG.

The interior of the American concept of the car is known above. Just because he doesn’t have one electric parking brakebut with classic mechanical left foot control.

The instrument panel is not fully digital, but semi-digital with analog indicators on the sides and a color display in the middle. So you can forget, as with European models, that you have to put a map with navigation in front of your eyes.

There is heating and several physical buttons on the steering wheel with a deeper rim. The lights are also controlled by a traditional dial and central control set? A beautiful example of how most functions could be controlled with buttons and not just touch ten years ago.

So, air conditioning settings, seat heating / ventilation operation, steering wheel heating, ventilation circuit, driving modes, modes for towing a trailer, USB ports … Everything is beautifully and clearly at hand .

Some people may find such a solution very unfashionable, since combined touch displays are very popular not only in Europe, but for us the preservation of “buttons” is traditional is a great advantage. And we are happy when we see them in a car, because not all manufacturers can successfully deal with the infotainment system mainly / full touch to make it easier to use at the level Tesla.

However, the Durango has a touchscreen, and even a larger one that’s easy to read. The manufacturer also used its own information system offering customization of the home screen using widgets (like on a mobile phone) and overall tried to be clearer than before.

But honestly, apart from a few indicators regarding dynamics, driving performance, overload and other driving data, as a European you have little reason to browse beyond the interface after the initial setup of the vehicle They will serve you everything you need Apple CarPlay / Android Auto and a wireless mobile phone charger.

Durango can also be bought as five, six or seven seats, we got our hands on the “six”. The latter offers two independent central seats with armrests and a central console between them, while two more mechanically folding seats have space at the back. Their headrests, which are in a vertical position that blocks the view from the center mirror, can be folded down remotely with one touch of the display.

Comfortable, very spacious, muscular in design, thirsty, noisy (Road / Track machine and engine, not aero sound), modern for its conceptual age, but above all, an honest American SUV , which is not full of hogo fogo bells, but will play to your heart’s content of the dynamic luxury of the upper middle class.

Finally, one not so good news. If you have your eye on the Durango V8, prepare your crown slowly, because there will no longer be eight cylinders. They are supposed to end production this year. Of course, retailers have pre-stocked, both European and American, so there will still be room to buy for some time.

Dodge Durango (and other models) has been imported to the Czech Republic and loaned to us for testing by a reputable company Tukar Tuklaty. As part of the cars currently available, Durango sells models in medium Road/Trac equipment (in the US the car currently has 15 equipment levels) with a 5.7-liter V8 engine starting at CZK 1,923,900. For comparison, the basic and, it must be said, different concept Bavarian X7 with 530 horsepower turbocharged eight-cylinder engine costs from CZK 3,360,500.