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Sunday, March 31, 2013
The 2014 Durango’s headlights are narrower, and the grille looks like it took a vicious, tenth-round upper cut from a prizefighter, but we mean that in the nicest way possible. It’s also more streamlined than before, and sits above a rearranged lower fascia that wears an exaggerated scowl. The headlights and fog lamps are now projector-beam units, and uplevel models get LED running-light strips. Chalk up the Durango as the winner of that metaphorical boxing match, because it still has the best-looking mug of any three-row rig out there.
The biggest change is to the Durango’s rear end, though, which now lights up brighter and more identifiably than before thanks to Dodge’s signature full-width LED taillight design. Dodge says a total of 192 LEDs do the dazzling, and the new look brings the Durango in line with the Dart and Charger sedans. There are seven new 18- and 20-inch wheel designs to match the updated sheetmetal, as well as three distinct grilles that vary depending on the trim level.
You can’t take a few hits to the abdomen—or go through a mid-cycle refresh—without getting a rearranged interior, and the 2014 Durango’s got one. Even though the dashboard is essentially the same, Dodge swapped out the center stack for a new one that accommodates either a standard five-inch Uconnect touch screen or an optional 8.4-inch unit—both with the latest versions of Uconnect—as well as a fresh array of hard buttons just beneath the display. The three-spoke steering wheel is new, and incorporates standard paddle shifters for a bit of zest. Behind the wheel is an equally new seven-inch, reconfigurable TFT digital gauge cluster like the one available in the Dart, although here it’s standard. The optional rear-seat entertainment package now features a Blu-ray player and a pair of seatback-mounted, high-resolution nine-inch screens, as opposed to the 2013 model’s single, roof-mounted display that couldn’t play Blu-ray discs.
Mechanically, the Durango soldiers on into 2014 largely unchanged save for the aforementioned transmission swap. Like its platform-mate, the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee, the Durango gets Chrysler’s new eight-speed automatic, which backs up to either the standard 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 or the available 5.7-liter Hemi V-8. The new trans is operated via a new rotary shift knob—just like the one in the eight-speed-equipped version of the 2013 Ram 1500—located where the more traditional shift lever resided on the 2013 model. The V-6 still makes 290 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque, while the V-8 continues to churn out 360 ponies and 390 lb-ft of twist. Towing capacities for the 2014 model are the same as last year: 6200 pounds for V-6 Durangos and 7400 pounds for rear-drive V-8s, while all-wheel-drive V-8 Durangos can pull 7200 pounds.
Thanks to: Car and Driver
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