Dodge Durango Overview

The Durango has been around for a mere five years, but it seems so long. The SUV world has moved so fast. In those short five years the Durango has gone from innovative to dated by its competition. But it has established enduring strengths and character; it's truly rugged and sporty, with distinctive styling that reflects those values.

Now comes the 2004 Dodge Durango, a total rewrite of the Durango book. It's seven inches longer, and the wheelbase, width and height have all grown by three inches, bringing it to a size between the Chevy Tahoe and Ford Expedition. Its skin has been completely restyled, and there are two new engines: a 3.7-liter V6 and a 5.7-liter Hemi V8, in addition to the popular 4.7-liter V8.

The new Durango offers excellent ride and handling, without that unrefined, rough round the edges feel that characterized the previous-generation model. Both the 4.7-liter and 5.7-liter V8s are superb, smooth and powerful. They come with a five-speed automatic that's smooth, refined, smart and responsive. Inside, it's quiet, roomy, comfortable and technologically sophisticated. These descriptions would not have fit last year's model.

The all-new Durango is both more and less of a truck than it was before. More because it's stronger; and less because it simply feels less like a truck than the former Durango, despite its size.