A brute of a different kind

Sport utility vehicles or SUVs have come a long way. From the 1941 Willys-Overland Jeep to today’s current crop of SUVs, there have been numerous changes in their designs, as well as their uses. As they developed, the market demanded that there should be different sizes to choose from. The mini-SUV models are based on car platforms with their monoque or unit-body designs while truck-based full-size SUVs employ separate chassis and bodies. In between them, mid-sized SUVs have more car-like features while retaining their truck-like utility.

The Dodge Durango, Chrysler’s mid-size SUV, is the prototypical American truck. While most of the mid-size SUVs have become more car-like by employing unit-body designs, this model and its pick-up cousin, the Dodge Dakota, were designed to be different by staying with the traditional body-on-frame design. The 35,000psi steel frame serves as rigid backbone and delivers a solid and stable ride. The body complements the rigidity, and along with improved NVH insulation, forms an excellent nucleus for the luxurious interior.

The cloth-covered seats are comfortable and offer seating for up to 10 people. The third row seat can be folded flat to accommodate cargo, while the second row seats offer a unique 40/20/40 split with a built-in cup holder in the armrest when the middle seat back is folded down. The whole second row can also be folded flat and flushed with the third row to form a large cargo hold that can accommodate 88 cubic feet (2.5 cubic meters) of your stuff. But they best be clean because the beige-colored carpet and side panels can easily be scuffed and soiled. The front seats also have a 40/20/40 split with the middle seat back taking double duty as a center arm rest with a convenient compartment to hide your CDs and other small items. The driver is pampered with an 8-way power seat with adjustable lumbar support.

The dashboard has a clean, purposeful design and most of the controls are ergonomically placed. The dashboard-mounted park light/headlight switch is typical of American cars, and twisting the switch on the left stalk will turn the wipers on, which often happens to most drivers who are used to the headlight switch location of Japanese and European cars. The column shifter is a little heavy to engage due to the relative newness of the test drive vehicle, but the steering is nicely weighted and is attached to a quick-ratio power-assisted unit. The Durango has excellent maneuverability for its size and parking one is easy, aided in part by the truck’s compact dimensions.

The rounded contours of the Durango’s body and the menacing bulge of the hood create an illusion that the truck is bigger than it really is. Parked next to a Japanese-made mid-sized SUV, the dimensions of the Durango are nearly identical to its Asian counterpart, except it is tad taller and a few inches wider. However, parked next to a compatriot full-size SUV competitor, you will begin to appreciate its athletic dimensions. Our test vehicle looked more menacing than athletic in clear-coated black, and the monochromatic paint treatment (black chrome on the accent strips, body-colored grill and lack of chrome accent on the body-colored bumpers) adds a mysterious touch to the design. The cross-hair grille seems to target its competitors. The overall treatment has a love-it-or-leave-it feel about it, as if you want to shout, "Darth Vader, your ride is ready!" The light-colored interior clashes elegantly with the black exterior, and the quality of the fit and finish is first class.

This menacingly athletic body deserves an athletic engine. A 4.7-liter SOHC Magnum V-8 engine with a computer-controlled multi-port electronic fuel injection produces a brutal 235 horsepower at 4800rpm and 295 lb-ft. of torque. A four-speed overdrive automatic transmission transfers the power to a full-time 4-wheel drive transfer case (NV-242 for the 4X4 SLT, NV-231 for the part-time 4WD system). A manly floor-mounted shifter allows the driver to select 4LO (4WD low range) for additional pulling power or 4HI (4WD high range) for loose, slippery road surfaces. A set of 15-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 235/75-15 Goodyear Wrangler tires connects this power to the road.

If you love the sound and the power of American V-8 engines, the Durango will not disappoint you. A thump on the accelerator pedal will push you and your passengers to your seats while the surrounding scenery quickly turns into a blur. The truck accelerates like a mid-60s muscle car, and a cacophony of mechanical sounds becomes increasingly audible as the engine nears its peak. That this wonderful sonorous shriek can still be heard even when the engine is equipped with mufflers and a catalytic converter makes this truck a muscle-bound environmentalist.

With the added traction of 4WD, the four tires bite the road with aplomb to catapult the Dodge to warp speeds. The front coil springs and the rear leaf springs are another throwback to the helicon muscle car era, but thankfully, the suspension gives a firm, controlled ride that feels neither jarring nor mushy. The brakes are equally adept at bringing the truck back to a halt. The front ventilated disc brakes and the rear drum brakes are equipped with ABS to provide sure-footed stops, and the wide footprint made by those 235-mm tires ensure plenty of grip.

Just be reminded that the Durango is still a 4WD SUV with a high ground clearance for the occasional off-road excursion. The center of gravity of the vehicle is quite high and careful judgment (and restraint) must be always being employed, especially when taking corners. After all, this is quite an expensive rig to thrash. At P2.45M for the 4X4 and P1.8M for the 4X2, the Dodge Durango is really intended for the chosen few.

Or as the national marketing manager of Norkis Automotive Resources Corp., Porti Vencer, puts it: "This is the vehicle for those who choose to be different."