The 2016 Dodge Durango Provides Powerful Performance

Design

As far as looks go, the 2016 Durango is a vehicle that Dodge claims to be the last strong and rugged looking SUV on the market. That rugged looking design is backed by strong and high-quality materials, and provides the Durango with great capability. It’s a unibody structure that’s built with ultra-high-strength steel that helps improve driving dynamics by integrating the world-class suspension within the body. This reduces the flex and weight when compared to the body-on-frame designs of other SUVs out there. 

With the engine up front and the drive axle in the rear, the RWD model Durango’s have a near 50/50 weight distribution. During acceleration, the weight shifts to the drive axle and increases the downforce. This helps improve traction, working in tandem with the aggressive shock and spring rates with large sway bars in order to help manage the body roll during hard turns.  

Combine all of this with the naturally heavy weight of the Durango, which obviously aids in the downforce, and you have an SUV that provides superior ride quality.

Engine Options 

Depending on what type of performance you are looking for, the 2016 Dodge Durango has two engine options: the award-winning 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, and the 5.7-liter Hemi V8. 

3.6-liter Pentastar 

The standard 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine puts out 295 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque. It has plenty of power-optimizing technology on board, such as dual Variable Valve Timing (VVT). With the eight-speed automatic transmission, the V6 RWD models can get up to 19 mpg city and 27 mpg highway. On AWD models, the fuel-efficiency is slightly less. 

5.7-liter Hemi V8 

The available 5.7-liter Hemi V8 engine is the one that produces best-in-class power — 360 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque. VVT is on board on this engine as well, along with Fuel Saver Technology and the eight-speed automatic transmission. The V8-equipped RWD models also get best-in-class V8 fuel economy, which is 14 mpg city and 22 mpg highway. 

Even though both of these engines provide good performance without sacrificing efficiency, the V6 is much more oriented towards saving fuel-efficiency. While the Hemi V8 is more focused on providing that extra boost in power that might be needed for towing heavier weights. 

Whatever the case, both engines deliver top-notch performance for the Durango and come paired to the same eight-speed transmission - a big reason why the Durango experiences such great fuel efficiency and towing capability. 

Transmission 

The eight-speed automatic transmission is class-exclusive and fully electronic. This transmission provides smoother shifts than a traditional one, which leads to increased fuel-efficiency and quicker acceleration. In order to provide a more optimal shifting experience, the class-exclusive Rotary E-shift is found in lieu of your average tree-shifter or shifting-lever. There are also standard steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters, which provide you with a whole new level of control over the transmission. Instead of waiting for it to shift, you can manually tell it to shift by using the paddle. 

Having an easier way to shift the Durango with the Rotary E-shift is appreciated, and the paddle shifters provide an extra level of control that many competitors don’t have.

Best-in-Class Towing

It’s not just the engine that provides the best-in-class towing. Without the proper transmission, suspension, and structure the Durango could never achieve this level of towing capability. It might not land best-in-class towing, but the ability of the Pentastar V6 engine is worth mentioning. With this engine equipped, the Durango is able to tow 6,200 pounds — which is fair for this segment. 

While the 3.6-liter engine’s towing capability is respectable, the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 engine returns an excellent towing capacity, actually a best-in-class rating of 7,400 pounds. In order to help manage this weight, the Durango also comes standard with Trailer Sway Control. This system applies the brake pressure on alternating wheels, and also adjusts the engine's throttle in order to eliminate any sway.  

In turn, it creates a smoother and less stressful towing experience.

All-Wheel Drive Systems

The 2016 Dodge Durango has two AWD systems: one for the V6 engine and one for the V8 engine. Regardless of which system is paired to the Durango, each one works well with the 50/50 weight distribution to increase your confidence behind the wheel. How? It greatly enhances the traction and handling by delivering controlled power to all the wheels for whatever hazardous conditions may come your way. To provide an even more confident driving experience, all-speed traction control determines when to apply the brakes to one or more wheels, and also knows when to reduce engine torque if wheel-spin does occur. 

Naturally, Electronic Stability Control and Electronic Roll Mitigation are on board. While these features are standard on most larger vehicles (and sedans) like this, it’s still nice to know — especially if you are going to be towing 7,400 pounds.

More-Than Capable

As you can see, the 2016 Dodge Durango is a vehicle that’s more than capable of taking on whatever hazardous conditions you might encounter on the road — even when equipped with a trailer. The ESC, Trailer Sway Control, all-speed traction control and AWD will make sure you stay right on track. The 5.7-liter Hemi V8 engine ensures that it dominates the competition with three best-in-class ratings, and the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 provides a stellar standard engine option for those who don’t need or want a Hemi V8 under the hood. Regardless of the engine option, you aren’t required to sacrifice fuel economy for power. 

All of this is rolled into a design that is durable, capable and built to last — because the Durango needs that type of structure to handle this type of performance.