At a hair over 200 inches long, the Dodge Durango is on the larger end of the midsize SUV spectrum. Originally available as a five-passenger model with a third-row option, for 2022 all models now have that third-row standard. Designed way back in the late 2000s, the current Durango is now in its 12th year on the market. In areas like fuel economy, outward visibility, safety tech and storage it’s showing its age, but this muscle-car-themed hauler still has plenty of talents to brag about.

Since 2011, the Durango has ridden a stretched version of the two-row Jeep Grand Cherokee’s chassis. This year, the two-row Grand Cherokee joins the three-row Grand Cherokee L on a new platform, putting the Dodge a decade’s worth of development behind its corporate cousin. A new Durango is due for the 2024 model year, but, to tide over buyers, Dodge is adding formerly optional features to all trim levels of the truck. That should help it remain competitive with the new Jeep Grand Cherokee L, the Ford Explorer and the more Minivan-like Chevrolet Traverse.  

As big and burly as the Durango appears, the Traverse and the Grand Cherokee L are bigger, nudging into full-size territory, though they aren’t similar to the big body-on-frame style SUVs more familiar in that category. In terms of width, the Durango is the narrowest of the four, giving up two inches to the Jeep and three to the Chevy and the Ford, which means sacrificing a little elbow room, but the Dodge has a comfy and capacious interior, if not a particularly plush one. 

The 2022 Dodge Durango may be an aging design, but it’s still a handsome and capable one, with class-leading towing capacity and optional, if expensive, V8 performance. Dodge

There are seven Durango trim levels: base SXT ($37,070 including destination), GT ($40,465), GT Plus ($44,565), RT ($49,220), Citadel ($51,420), RT Plus ($54,215) and SRT 392 ($68,265).  Lower trim levels feel a bit spartan and turning down the impressive available sound system reveals squeaks and rattles that should have been addressed in a production run as long as the Durangos, but the SUV’s best assets are towing capacity and performance.

Most Durango trims (SXT, GT, GT Plus and Citadel) are powered by a 3.6-liter V6 that can tow up to 6,200 pounds, which is quite good for a midsize SUV. RT and RT Plus models, however, come standard with a 5.7-liter HEMI V8 (optional on Citadel) that makes a world of difference. V8 Durangos can tow up to 8,700 pounds when properly equipped, by far the highest in the midsize class and as good as some full-sizers.

The 5.7 also gives the Durango a fair turn of speed, but those who want even more can get it. While last year’s Hellcat has been discontinued, the Durango still offers a 6.4-liter HEMI V8, producing 475 horsepower and 470 pounds per foot of torque on the SRT 392. That equates to serious speed, on par with high-test SUVs like the BMW X5 M and Porsche Cayenne S, at a much lower price. The downside of all this muscle? V8 Durangos are at the bottom of the pile on fuel economy.

Dodge has worked diligently to keep the Durango’s interior and infotainment systems fresh, including a major upgrade in 2021. Higher trim models use a 10.1-inch infotainment screen and the automaker’s latest Uconnect 5 software. Dodge

Performance:  14/15

Durango SXT, GT, GT Plus and Citadel models are powered by a 3.6-liter V6 with 295 horsepower and 260 pound-feet torque, mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. This offers power levels and performance on par with both the Ford Explorer’s 300-horsepower base engine and the 310-horsepower Traverse. Most other midsize SUVs are outmatched by the 5.7-liter HEMI V8’s 360 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque, but Ford offers a 400-horsepower Explorer ST and Jeep’s Grand Cherokee L uses a 357-horsepower version of the HEMI. None save the Jeep are particularly capable off-road.

There is no direct competitor to the 475-horsepower Durango SRT from non-premium brands, and it will sprint to 60 mph a hair faster than a Porsche Cayenne S. As a hooligan alternative to AMG and M-badged Germans, the SRT commands some respect. The Durango also scores big on maximum towing capacity: 6,200 pounds with the V6 or 8,700 pounds with a V8, though the 5.7 requires a towing package (it can still tow 7,200 pounds without it). Even without the towing package, these are best-in-class numbers among midsize SUVs.

Fuel Economy: 6/15

The price for the Durango’s power and towing brawn comes at the gas pump. The V6’s 21 mpg combined is competitive with V6-powered, three-row rivals like the Traverse and Volkswagen Atlas, but it can’t come close to the segment’s many turbocharged or hybrid four-cylinder options. Even without factoring in the SRT’s combined EPA city/highway estimate of 15 mpg, the combined line-wide average of the two remaining Durango engines—5.7-liter HEMI V8 and 3.5-liter V6—would be 19 mpg, coming in dead last behind its likely competitors, Explorer (21.6), Traverse (20.5) and Grand Cherokee L (19.3). With the SRT factored in, the average is even lower, at 17.3 mpg combined.

Safety & Driver Assistance Tech: 6/15

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gives the 2022 Durango a four-star overall rating, with four stars in the frontal crash test, five stars for side crash, but only three for rollover. The Durango also received a “marginal” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the small front overlap crash test. In structural terms, the thick windshield pillars and high, rounded front of the Durango also reduce forward visibility.

The Durango is also held back from scoring high marks for safety by the decision to hold many active safety features back for higher trims. SXT and GT models get blind spot monitoring, but no other such features are even optional. R/Ts don’t even get that. GT Plus, Citadel, R/T Plus, and SRT models get a much larger array including forward automatic emergency braking and collision warning, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, and adaptive cruise control.

The Durango is a large vehicle for a midsize SUV, but it doesn’t use its space as efficiently as some rivals. It has a big third row by any measure, but at the expense of cargo space behind it, with 17.2 cubic-feet behind. Dodge

Comfort & Room: 13/15

Cushy seats and broadly competitive legroom are solid selling points for the Durango.  Third-row passengers enjoy some of the best way-back legroom on the market among mid-sizers, fractionally larger than even the longer Traverse and offering two more inches of wayback legroom than Volkswagen’s capacious Atlas and four more than Kia’s popular Telluride. The second-row measurements are identical to the new Grand Cherokee L and within tenths of an inch of the Explorer and Traverse. 

Infotainment: 13/15

The Durango may be an older vehicle, but Dodge has worked hard to keep the infotainment, tech and controls as up-to-date as possible. Even the base SXT gets an 8.4-inch color touchscreen and a six-speaker audio system. R/T and higher trims boost the screen to 10.1 inches and feature Stellantis’ newer Uconnect 5 software. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard throughout the line.

An attractively redesigned dash, a center stack subtly oriented toward the driver, and well-placed controls make the Durango a pleasant road-trip partner. The digital gauge clusters are clear, bright and legible and performance buyers who spring for the SRT will enjoy the performance pages in the center display, with the ability to log and track performance stats including acceleration, quarter-mile times and cornering.

2022 Dodge Durango rear): Dodge decided to shape the Durango into a visual muscle machine long before Hellcats, but the choice has yielded a handsome profile that’s aged very well. Dodge

Cargo Space & Storage: 11/15

The 2022 Dodge Durango offers 17.2 cubic-feet of cargo space behind the third row of seats, and 50.4 with them folded flat. With all the seats folded down, there is 85.1 cubic-feet of space in total. While pretty good by midsize SUV standards as a whole, the Durango is a big vehicle and those numbers are below Volkswagen’s Atlas and only just ahead of the Toyota Highlander. While the Grand Cherokee L offers about the same amount of space, both the Explorer and Traverse offer more. Shallow door pockets and a narrow center console don’t do much for small-item storage within the cabin, either.

Style & Design: 9/10

The Durango is nearing the end of its life cycle so it is muscular silhouette is familiar, but it still looks good. Given how long it has been on the market it’s remarkable that it has kept its appeal. The muscle-car SUV approach isn’t appealing to everyone, but it was a clever way to set the Durango apart in a sea of what, when it launched, were largely rounded shapes. In a way, Dodge’s “throwback” approach ten years ago anticipated a solid segment of SUV buyers today.

he Durango is a towing champ, particularly in V8 form. With up to 8,700 pounds of towing capacity, it can even out-brawn some full-size SUVs and pickups. Dodge

Is the 2022 Dodge Durango Worth It?  Which Durango Is the Best Value?

The base Durango SXT starts about $4,000 higher than the base Explorer or Traverse but about $2,000 less than the new Grand Cherokee L. At higher trim levels, the price difference between Dodge, Ford and Chevrolet begins to evaporate, with direct competitors to the Durango Citadel all in the low $50,000 range. 

The best value in the Durango lineup is the Citadel, which is the minimum trim level required for standard active safety features that we wouldn’t want to go without. We’d also recommend the option ($3,995) of upgrading the V6 to the 5.7-liter HEMI V8 for its additional 2,700 pounds of maximum towing capacity and a lot more speed. While it does drink more fuel, it makes the Durango both more enjoyable and more capable.

How Much Does it Cost to Insure the 2022 Dodge Durango?

The Dodge Durango’s insurance costs are about average compared to its cohorts, though the SRT 392 is likely to cost more. According to our data, a typical 30-year-old female driver with a clean record can expect an average annual premium of $1,941 on a Durango Citadel, though this averages all 50 states. That compares to $1,720 for the Chevrolet Traverse, $1,920 for the Kia Telluride, $1,917 for the Ford Explorer ST and $1,976 for the Volkswagen Atlas. To get a more accurate picture of your potential insurance expenses, visit our car insurance calculator.