Due to a recent accident (truck rear-ended us), we have had several rental cars over the past month or so. I figured I would present a brief opinion of each of them. The first was a 2016 Dodge Durango that was nicely equipped. The Durango had approximately 10K miles and had an approximate MSRP of $42,000. It was equipped with the Penstar V6 and the 8 speed transmission.
Interior:
Dodge definitely improved these things a bunch. Interior was not made of cheap plastic and actually had a
nice feel to it. This is NOT the Durango of years' past. We have 3 growing boys and the three row seating
came in handy. Access to the third row was rather easy. I felt the info-tainment system was a bit over-
whelming. The large screen was nice but it seemed EVERYTHING was controlled through the system which isn't
my cup of tea. Seating was comfortable and the sound system was incredible. Overall, it was very nice.
Exterior:
Once again, this is not your 2000 vintage Durango. Styling is much improved and looks sharp. I was a bit
disappointed with the ground clearance and the close-to-the-ground front lip of the bumper that scraped the
asphalt in a few locations. Headlights and tail lights looked like they were from a premium sedan or SUV.
Ride:
This V6 gets up and goes! If I wouldn't have peaked under the hood, I would have thought there was a V-8 in the thing. Sounded excellent. Ride quality was superb. My first impression of the 8 speed was that it was a smooth shifting transmission. However, as the days went along, something just didn't seem right. There was hesitating going up through the gears, almost like the transmission was slipping. Then on our way to church one Sunday, it started lurching and bucking and wouldn't get out of 1st gear. The dash lit up like a Christmas tree. It left us stranded and had to be towed.
Overall, we really liked the package...just concerned about the long-term reliability. When the flat-bed arrived, they brought our 2nd rental vehicle...2016 Jeep Cherokee which I will discuss in a future review.
Interior:
Dodge definitely improved these things a bunch. Interior was not made of cheap plastic and actually had a
nice feel to it. This is NOT the Durango of years' past. We have 3 growing boys and the three row seating
came in handy. Access to the third row was rather easy. I felt the info-tainment system was a bit over-
whelming. The large screen was nice but it seemed EVERYTHING was controlled through the system which isn't
my cup of tea. Seating was comfortable and the sound system was incredible. Overall, it was very nice.
Exterior:
Once again, this is not your 2000 vintage Durango. Styling is much improved and looks sharp. I was a bit
disappointed with the ground clearance and the close-to-the-ground front lip of the bumper that scraped the
asphalt in a few locations. Headlights and tail lights looked like they were from a premium sedan or SUV.
Ride:
This V6 gets up and goes! If I wouldn't have peaked under the hood, I would have thought there was a V-8 in the thing. Sounded excellent. Ride quality was superb. My first impression of the 8 speed was that it was a smooth shifting transmission. However, as the days went along, something just didn't seem right. There was hesitating going up through the gears, almost like the transmission was slipping. Then on our way to church one Sunday, it started lurching and bucking and wouldn't get out of 1st gear. The dash lit up like a Christmas tree. It left us stranded and had to be towed.
Overall, we really liked the package...just concerned about the long-term reliability. When the flat-bed arrived, they brought our 2nd rental vehicle...2016 Jeep Cherokee which I will discuss in a future review.
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