Local K-9 Unit gets the 2019 Dodge Durango "Pursuit model"

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Ed_Flecko

Ed_Flecko

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Game on!

I see one of my local K-9 Units (https://bit.ly/2WTEC0K) just got a pretty spiffy new patrol vehicle

I wasn't familiar with this new vehicle at all, so I had to look it up. It's looks like a pretty slick set of wheels...bad guys beware!

https://bit.ly/2QjTGmk

smile.gif


Ed
 
One of the extra duties I have with the department I work for is vehicle fleet manager. At first, it was simply keeping up with and ensuring scheduled maintenance was completed but has since evolved into selecting and outfitting new patrol vehicles. I had the pleasure of driving a Durango Pursuit several months back when we were ordering our vehicles for the upcoming fiscal year. I think it is a great option for departments looking for a SUV patrol vehicle. We test drove one with the Hemi engine and it has plenty of acceleration. At the time we drove it, Dodge chipped them at a top speed of 118 mph......due to tires they said. I could see that as one downside depending on where the department is located and what type of roads they patrol. It should sell well for Dodge as they are cheaper than the other SUV options currently available.
 
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Tires. Same platform has Mercedes GL AMG on it. Engine can do it, and that ZF8 transmission is more than capable of doing it.
 
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How does the cost of ownership compare between Dodge , GM & Ford ? Excluding purchase price , but including trade in price , over the typical service life of the vehicle ?

Thanks , :)
 
The biggest issue we found with the Durango Pursuit was the floor shifter which interferes with installation of CPU's, radios, and cencom carbide controllers. The price quote we received for the Durango Pursuits was $1150.00 higher than Ford Explorers. I will say I love how the Durango drives but since we have 924 Dodge Chargers my personal concern is reliability. That said, our reliability issues have been with the Pentastar engines and frequent control arm replacements.
 
Originally Posted by InhalingBullets
The biggest issue we found with the Durango Pursuit was the floor shifter which interferes with installation of CPU's, radios, and cencom carbide controllers. The price quote we received for the Durango Pursuits was $1150.00 higher than Ford Explorers. I will say I love how the Durango drives but since we have 924 Dodge Chargers my personal concern is reliability. That said, our reliability issues have been with the Pentastar engines and frequent control arm replacements.

Why? Bushings rot out on you? My 2010 JGC did that.
 
Originally Posted by atikovi
Originally Posted by Ed_Flecko
Game on!

I see one of my local K-9 Units (https://bit.ly/2WTEC0K) just got a pretty spiffy new patrol vehicle


Is that a challenge?


Just a figure of speech, really. I think through the mind of the dogs where to THEM...EVERYTHING is "game on!"

smile.gif


Ed
 
Originally Posted by InhalingBullets
... That said, our reliability issues have been with the Pentastar engines and frequent control arm replacements.


What issues are you seeing with the Pentastar engines?
 
Originally Posted by Oily_Thing
Originally Posted by InhalingBullets
... That said, our reliability issues have been with the Pentastar engines and frequent control arm replacements.


What issues are you seeing with the Pentastar engines?


Mostly rod and lifter knock that is typically is happening around 80k miles but it sometimes starts even as early as 50k which is frustrating since we do monthly PM's. Also we are replacing lots of cats and engine mounts. We hot seat all of our cars so they get a hot supper every day and we know that is huge factor. We are tough on cars, they saying around here is we could tear up an anvil if it had wheels. Unfortunately we will not know if any another manufacturers vehicle would present the same or even different issues for a few years.
 
Originally Posted by InhalingBullets
Originally Posted by Oily_Thing
Originally Posted by InhalingBullets
... That said, our reliability issues have been with the Pentastar engines and frequent control arm replacements.


What issues are you seeing with the Pentastar engines?


Mostly rod and lifter knock that is typically is happening around 80k miles but it sometimes starts even as early as 50k which is frustrating since we do monthly PM's. Also we are replacing lots of cats and engine mounts. We hot seat all of our cars so they get a hot supper every day and we know that is huge factor. We are tough on cars, they saying around here is we could tear up an anvil if it had wheels. Unfortunately we will not know if any another manufacturers vehicle would present the same or even different issues for a few years.


Not heard of rod knock on the civilian side, but the needle bearings in the rockers are known to fail. I've heard idling is hard on the cats, but I don't know if that's true or not.
 
Originally Posted by edyvw
Tires. Same platform has Mercedes GL AMG on it. Engine can do it, and that ZF8 transmission is more than capable of doing it.


No doubt the engine and transmission are up to the task.

Originally Posted by WyrTwister
How does the cost of ownership compare between Dodge , GM & Ford ? Excluding purchase price , but including trade in price , over the typical service life of the vehicle ?

Thanks , :)


Since you are excluding purchase price they have been similar.

Originally Posted by Ws6
Why? I'd MUCH rather have an Explorer Sport if I were driving.


I have driven both and prefer the Durango. Having said that, if our department could afford it, I'd switch almost all our vehicles over to the Tahoe.

Originally Posted by InhalingBullets
The biggest issue we found with the Durango Pursuit was the floor shifter which interferes with installation of CPU's, radios, and cencom carbide controllers. The price quote we received for the Durango Pursuits was $1150.00 higher than Ford Explorers. I will say I love how the Durango drives but since we have 924 Dodge Chargers my personal concern is reliability. That said, our reliability issues have been with the Pentastar engines and frequent control arm replacements.


I can see the shifter causing some potential issues.
 
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Originally Posted by kkreit01
Originally Posted by Ws6
Why? I'd MUCH rather have an Explorer Sport if I were driving.


Have you driven both? Until 2020, I'd much rather have the Durango (and did).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aE3leiWSSpE




Explorer Sport handles better, gets better mpg, and they are both so close in acceleration its a moot point. Both seem plagued with reliability issues, although the Ford has turbos to go bad, and the Dodge is, well, a Dodge. Personally I wouldn't want either one, but I'd have to go Explorer Sport if forced.
 
Originally Posted by Skippy722
Originally Posted by InhalingBullets
Originally Posted by Oily_Thing
Originally Posted by InhalingBullets
... That said, our reliability issues have been with the Pentastar engines and frequent control arm replacements.


What issues are you seeing with the Pentastar engines?


Mostly rod and lifter knock that is typically is happening around 80k miles but it sometimes starts even as early as 50k which is frustrating since we do monthly PM's. Also we are replacing lots of cats and engine mounts. We hot seat all of our cars so they get a hot supper every day and we know that is huge factor. We are tough on cars, they saying around here is we could tear up an anvil if it had wheels. Unfortunately we will not know if any another manufacturers vehicle would present the same or even different issues for a few years.


Not heard of rod knock on the civilian side, but the needle bearings in the rockers are known to fail. I've heard idling is hard on the cats, but I don't know if that's true or not.


Yeah I am not sure if the cat issue is idling or not, but we are replacing a bunch. The needle bearings are a huge issue and since most officers these days have ZERO mechanical/engine knowledge they don't even hear the crazy engine noises let alone a tic. One day a while back I was out in the parking lot and an officer drives up in a new Charger and it is making a horrible clatter, I yelled at him to shut the engine off. His response was "why", I had to reach in and shut off the ignition. Lifted the hood an pulled the dipstick which was DRY! That car had 4300 miles on it. We had that car towed over to the shop and put it on the lift to see if there was a hole in the pan but surprisingly the undercarriage still looked new. Around 2 qts of oil drained out and we notified FCA- (Nothing happened with that). Basically the mechanics filled it with oil and sent it back out. About 8 months later the car was rear ended on the HWY by an impaired driver and was salvaged.
 
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