Item: 2023 Dodge Durango
Rating: 2.55
Author: Neil Cumins

Overview

What's New

The 2023 Dodge Durango lineup welcomes back the supercharged SRT Hellcat, last offered in 2021. Heated front seats and a heated steering wheel are now standard on all trims. The Durango will undergo a total redesign for the 2024 model year.

Choosing Your Dodge Durango

The Durango now comes in six main trim levels: SXT, GT, R/T, Citadel, SRT 392, and SRT Hellcat. Most trims are available in Plus and Premium sub-trims. Pricing starts at $40,090 including destination and hits $103,680 for the SRT Hellcat Premium.

Engine Choices

A V6 serves as the Durango's base engine, and three V8s are available.

The SXT and GT come exclusively with the V6 engine. The Citadel starts out with the V6, and a 5.7-liter V8 is available for $3,995. The R/T gets the 5.7-liter as standard. The SRT 392 is powered by a 6.4-liter V8, and a supercharged version of the 6.4-liter goes into the SRT Hellcat.

Rear-wheel drive is standard on most trims, and all-wheel drive can be added for $2,000. AWD is standard on the SRT 392 and SRT Hellcat. All trims carry an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Engine Type	Horsepower	Torque	Max Towing	Fuel Economy (Combined)
3.6L V6	293 hp	260 lb-ft	6,200 pounds	21 mpg
5.7L V8	360 hp	390 lb-ft	7,400 pounds	17 mpg
6.4L V8	475 hp	470 lb-ft	8,700 pounds	15 mpg
6.4L Supercharged V8	710 hp	645 lb-ft	8,700 pounds	13 mpg

Passenger and Cargo Capacity

The Durango is a midsize crossover with standard seating for seven in three rows. The Citadel, SRT 392, and SRT Hellcat come with second-row captain's chairs, which reduce capacity to six. The captain's chairs are available on the R/T Plus and R/T Premium for $1,495. The SRT Hellcat can be ordered without the third row to conserve weight.

With all rows in use, cargo space registers at 17.2 cubic feet. Folding the third row opens up a healthy 43.3 cubic feet. With the second row down as well, the Durango can hold up to 85.1 cubic feet, which is above average for this class.

Safety Features

Most Durango trims start out with rear parking sensors and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alerts. The Plus versions add adaptive cruise control and forward collision warning. Upgrading to the Premium sub-trim brings lane-keeping assist, automatic emergency braking, and automatic high beams. All of these items are standard on the Citadel.

More advanced features like surround-review cameras and a head-up display aren't available on the current Durango. We expect any shortcomings here will be cured by next year's redesign.

Connectivity

The standard infotainment system for the Durango includes an 8.4-inch touchscreen, six Alpine speakers, four USB ports, satellite radio, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.

Starting with the GT Plus, most models get a 10.1-inch touchscreen, nine Alpine speakers, and wireless phone charging. The exception is the R/T Premium, which carries a 19-speaker Harman Kardon system. It's also available on the Citadel for $1,085 extra.

2023 Dodge Durango SXT – MSRP From $40,090

The SXT offers a cloth interior with heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, a 12-way power driver seat, tri-zone automatic climate control, and ambient lighting. Other features include proximity access, full LED exterior lighting, and 18-inch aluminum wheels. The SXT Plus ($41,685) also carries a sunroof and the aforementioned safety and connectivity upgrades. (There is no Premium subtrim for the SXT.)

The $1,195 Trailer Tow Group adds a load-leveling rear suspension, heavy-duty engine cooling, a trailer brake controller, and a hitch receiver with a wiring harness. The SXT Blacktop Group tacks on black and body-color exterior trim and 20-inch black wheels for $1,995.

2023 Dodge Durango GT – MSRP From $42,590

The GT picks up a power liftgate, a flat-bottom heated steering wheel, a remote start, an anti-theft system, and standard 20-inch wheels. The GT Plus ($46,590) features a Nappa leather interior, a power passenger seat, and ventilated front seats with memory settings. The GT Premium ($50,590) adds a hand-wrapped instrument panel, second-row heated seats, and the Trailer Tow Group as standard. The Blacktop Group remains optional on any GT.

2023 Dodge Durango R/T – MSRP From $53,190

The R/T carries the 5.7-liter V8, complemented by a sport-tuned suspension, a performance hood, and sport seats. The heated second row is also standard. The R/T Plus ($56,190) and R/T Premium ($59,690) receive their respective upgrades, which on the R/T Premium include the 19-speaker Harman Kardon system. The Blacktop Group is available on the R/T for $1,695.

2023 Dodge Durango Citadel – MSRP From $54,090

The most luxurious Durango, the Citadel packs almost all the comfort and convenience features available on the lower trims. Only the Harman Kardon system remains optional. The Citadel is the only trim available with either the V6 or 5.7-liter V8.

2023 Dodge Durango SRT 392 – MSRP From $71,890

The SRT 392 builds on the R/T with the 6.4-liter V8, standard AWD, an adaptive performance suspension, additional driving modes, and Brembo brakes. The interior gains paddle shifters and an electronic T-style shifter. In addition to other upgrades, the SRT 392 Plus ($77,890) features Laguna leather seats, and the SRT 392 Premium ($82,790) gets forged carbon fiber interior trim. The Black Package for the SRT 392 ($1,845) provides black wheels, black exhaust tips, and dark badging.

2023 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat – MSRP From $91,185

The returning SRT Hellcat packs the 710-hp supercharged 6.4-liter V8. Other performance upgrades and subtrim features are shared with the SRT 392. The SRT Hellcat Plus starts at $98,780, and the Hellcat Premium is priced from $103,680.

Compare Durango Trims Side-By-Side

CarsDirect Tip

The 2023 Dodge Durango in GT Premium trim provides the right safety features and a good deal of luxury at an accessible price. It's our pick of the V6 models. The Citadel provides V8 performance in an upscale package, which may be a better fit for families than the more beastly R/T. The SRT 392 and especially the SRT Hellcat are specialty vehicles for buyers who want bragging rights — even in a three-row crossover.

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John Diether

Automotive Editor - February 03, 2023

Expert Review

Pros

Good infotainment system
Thunderous V8 engines
Loads of cabin space
Butch appearance

Cons

It’s not very safe
Ride is too stiff
Prices are silly
It’s very old

Expert Rating

(2.55)

Our expert ratings are based on seven comprehensive criteria: quality, safety, comfort, performance, fuel economy, reliability history and value.

You can interpret our ratings in the following way:

: Outstanding vehicle. Only the most exceptional vehicles achieve this rating.

: Very Good vehicle. Very good and close to being the best vehicle in its class.

: Good vehicle. Decent, but not quite the best. Often affordable, but lacking key features found in vehicles of the same class.

: Below average vehicle. Not recommended, and lacking attributes a car buyer would come to expect for the price.

: Poor vehicle. Simply does not deserve to be on the road.

Neil Cumins

Automotive Editor - January 20, 2023

Muscle car performance for seven. There are some major drawbacks to Dodge’s venerable Durango SUV, but let’s start by accentuating the positives. If you want half a dozen passengers to experience how a Nissan GT-R accelerates, this is your ride. The cheapest Durangos are powered by a potent V6, but there are also three V8 engines available, with power outputs rising from 360 to 710 hp in the Hellcat. You might recognize that figure (and name) from reviews of Dodge’s Charger and Challenger models – even in this heavy three-row SUV, the Hellcat engine can dispatch the 0-60 dash in three and a half seconds. You can also terrify your passengers by traveling at 180 mph, though why (or where) you’d want to is another matter entirely.

If towing is more important than going, even the 3.6-liter V6 fitted to base models can pull 6,200 lb, while the 5.7-liter V8 increases this figure to 7,400 and the high-performance SRT models have a max capacity of 8,700 lb. They’re also the only models with standard AWD, though it can be added to lesser trims, while SRTs receive independent front suspension with adaptive Bilstein dampers. It will come as no surprise that fuel economy is dreadful – 21 mpg combined in RWD V6 mode, and just 13 in the Hellcat.

Room for all the family. The Durango’s other party piece is its spacious cabin. Those uncompromising external lines and rising roofline reveal a three-row cabin whose middle seats can be swapped for captain’s chairs, though it’s worth noting base models miss out on a third bench altogether. In three-row models, there’s 17 cubic feet of cargo space, increasing to 85 when all the seats are dropped. The chairs themselves are firm but large and generally supportive, with heating elements up front. Middle passengers will appreciate the presence of captain’s chairs, especially since seating three abreast is a bit of a squash. Those on row three will be grateful the Durango is so fast, since they’ll have to spend less time being cramped – these seats are best for kids or one person who can sit sideways.

Age shall not weary them. If the last two sections make the Durango sound like a strong contender in the SUV sector, it isn’t. Foremost among its problems is the fact it’s now in its thirteenth model year with few significant changes along the way. Issues start with the exterior design, which looks purposeful but is clearly from a bygone age. The rear in particular looks decidedly old-fashioned nowadays, and few people will believe you’ve just bought a brand-new car. Once inside, there’s a depressing monotony to the endless swathes of dark grey fabric and plastic, even though the materials are mostly soft to the touch. A 7x4 bank of buttons and dials below the crisp infotainment screen makes it very hard to find the control you want without searching it out, which is the antithesis of safe driving.

The Durango’s safety record is so poor that ergonomic quibbles pale by comparison. Unsurprisingly for a 2011 vehicle, concerns have been raised by both the NHTSA and IIHS about everything from rollover protection to front overlap impacts. Don’t think technology will save you, either – there are no forward collision warnings or automatic emergency braking, though you do get blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alerts.

Dodge Durango

A costly exercise. At the time of writing, 2023 pricing hadn’t been confirmed, but the 2022 Durango started at $40,090 for a RWD SXT with a V6. You’d pay $71,890 for an SRT 392, while the returning Hellcat is likely to cost around $90,000. That’s a remarkable amount of money for a 13-year-old SUV, even if it is screamingly fast.

Every Durango receives an 8.4-inch touchscreen with smartphone mirroring, keyless entry and heated seats, though SXT models miss out on third-row seating and ride on modest 18-inch wheels compared to the arch-filling 20-inchers on most other trims. By the time you reach the flagship Hellcat model, you’re looking at eight-way powered Nappa leather front seats and a bigger ten-inch touchscreen, while less powerful Citadel models can be similarly equipped.

Final thoughts. The Durango is the automotive equivalent of an iPhone 5, launched in the same year, and it’s unlikely to be on sale much longer. As such, comparing it to Kia’s Telluride or Hyundai’s Palisade feels almost unfair. A 2011 model can’t possibly compete with a 2023 one, and so it proves. The Durango is worryingly deficient in safety equipment and crash testing, it’s drab inside, it drinks like a fish, and it has the stiff ride you’d expect from an era before manufacturers worked out how to marry driving dynamics with comfort.

Positives? There’s loads of space inside the cabin, though third-row occupants might disagree. Performance from any engine is impressive, bordering on absurd in the larger V8 configurations – if you really need to hit 60 in less than five seconds without resorting to electric propulsion, Dodge has you covered. The infotainment system is more modern than the surrounding dash, which is an ergonomic nightmare, and the seats are supportive. Yet it’s impossible to ignore the fact that a Durango Hellcat is likely to cost significantly more than a Mercedes-Benz GLS 450, which is vastly superior in every single way apart from performance. Is acceleration really that important?

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Specs & Features

Highlights

Overall Crash Safety Rating

Engine - Cylinders/Horsepower/Torque

3.6L V-6 / 293 HP / 260 ft.lbs.

Transmission

8-spd sequential shift control auto w/OD

Drive Type

Rear-wheel

Fuel Economy - City/Highway/Combined

19 / 26 / 23 Mpg

Passenger Capacity

5 / 7

Bumper to Bumper Warranty

36 Months / 36,000 Miles

Mechanical Specs

Dimensions & Capabilities

Exterior Features

Interior Features

Seating

Radio & Infotainment

Convenience Features

Safety Features

Warranty

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2023 Dodge Durango

Overview

What's New

Choosing Your Dodge Durango

Engine Choices

Passenger and Cargo Capacity

Safety Features

Connectivity

Prices & Deals

Expert Review

Specs & Features

Recent Articles on Dodge Durango

Find Your New Dodge Durango

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Insider Information

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