Size, power, interior design, seating capacity, storage capacity, towing capacity, ease and availability of additions and modifications

Gas mileage (known isue with all SUVs), battery, Goodyear tires

I love this truck. It does what I want it to do, goes where I point it and doesn't complain except when I try to pass a gas station, but I knew that going into an SUV.

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Better than any SUV I drove in the same price range

Size: not to big, not to small. Good for city driving as well as long road trips. Comfotable seats. I got cloth interior because I don't like leather.

Tires by Goodyear. They need to be upgraded after you wear them out. Dodge should perhaps make standard another manufacturer.

My impression is that Dodge did great design work with this vehicle. This is my first SUV and after trading in a SAAB for it I have been wondering how I ever got along without it. No shop visits, No small or large repairs, great ride, decent gas mileage. I got 21.6 mpg on a road trip recently. Easy to modify engine. IP stage II intake, full synthetics, IAT modification with 10K resistor. This truck will last a long time. Good mechanicals. This is a vehicle for anyone looking for an SUV. The size is perfect and it is built well.

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Better than Ford, Chevy by far.

I bought the Durango for its looks, ride, and roominess. Those have lived up to expectations.

Mechanical. All parts.

My overall impression is that I would never buy another Dodge as long as I live. The second day I had it, the driver side window motor went out. Now, 2 years later, I've replaced all window motors multiple times, replaced the thermostat, replaced the door locks, replaced the battery (after 2 weeks of normal use), replaced a sensor in the engine, overhauled the transmission, replaced the powertrain control module, etc. etc. It has been nothing but trouble after trouble. And for all that I've been through, based on other people's stories, I consider myself lucky. The dealership has always been courteous in helping fix the problems. But I am very concerned about major problems when the warranty runs out.

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None

Tons of legroom (I'm 6'-5"), Plenty of power. I liked the ride until it started shaking at 47000 miles. Lot's of space for work and play. The 4x4 components seem more rugged than the Explorer I own.

Bad fuel mileage. The ball joints and upper control arms need replacing already (wow). The painted section of the front bumper isn't very durable. Weak headlights

Size wise a perfect fit for me. Thinking about dumping it after 2 years because of a rash of mechanical problems popping up. Too bad, I'm sorry it's not a truck with longevity.

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Ford Explorer 1991, still in the family with 175,000 miles. All original front end component intact. The Explorer was flawless until 4 years. It had several incidents of bad hubs.

Room: fold down 3rd seat is the best and easiest on the market. Even with 3rd seat up you still have plenty of cargo room for "stuff." Looks great too. Engine has plenty of power. You get lots of room and power without feeling like you're driving a barge. Easy to park and manuever, drives more like a car than a truck though admittedly not as nice a drive as some of the SUV's.

Road noise is bad. Interior is rather cheap looking and poorly designed. The arm rests are awkwardly placed. Hey Dodge what's with the windows??? Power windows aren't a new technology, why all the problems?? Also be careful this vehicle has some major blind spots. Gas mileage sucks but this is sort of a given for an SUV.

Great basic design. Needs refining and fine tuning. Dodge has a winner with the Durango if they'd only pay a little more attention to QUALITY and detail. I love the size, not too big, not too small; as Baby Bear says "Just right." I've been driving mine for two yrs without any major problems. It's the minor ones that irk though. Small things that shouldn't break, such as the power windows and the engine ping. The service dept. at the Dodge dealership is SOOOOOO bad that I've been living with the malfunctioning windows and the ping rather than go through the hassle. Thankfully I haven't had any major problems. (knock on wood)

I'd love to see Dodge make some improvements. Maybe upgrade the interior or at least offer some options that would give it more of a luxury feel and not seem so cheap. DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE WINDOWS. And I'd love the ride to be a little smoother and a lot quieter. Oh well. I still love my Durango and feel it's a good buy.

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Ford Explorer: Too big and third seat option was poorly designed.
Jeep Cherokee: Yuck

Great Power, Plenty of room (especially with the folding seat configuration making it easy for multiple possibilities), Handling, quiet interior, plenty of external power sources for CB, TV inverter, etc.

Gas mileage (But I didnt buy it for that!!)
this may sound funny, but the front seats do not recline far enough (especially for the passenger) to get comfortable for naps when on long drives (ex. vacations or weekend trips) They only seem to recline about half as far as most other vehicles. My wife ends up moving to the back seats and laying down while I drive on long trips out of town.

I love this truck. Its the first new American vehicle I have purchased and I am really happy with it. I am used to driving Toyota's but they just dont have the power I was looking for. I can justify purchasing the R/T because of how nice the interior is (vs. the "bland-ness" of the other models) but mostly because of being able to haul my motorcycles and equipment on my trailer with no problems for every race weekend and also not freaking out when I see big pools of water on the highway or sideroads after a good storm. What can I say, you almost dont even have to put it in true 4-wheel drive even when it snows because of the wider rims and tires and full-time 4 wheel. Mind you, my wife drives an acura integre and I have a little Honda as a 3rd little "beater" car as an everyday driver, but knowing I have such a versatile, powerful, and luxerious truck sitting in my garage puts a huge smile on my face. In fact, my wife refuses to let me call it a "truck" becaus of how nice and smooth it is. I would recommend this truck to anyone looking for the hybrid of power, 4x4, and comfort and can afford a little extra to do so. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions about the Durango R/T!!!!

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Very powerful engine, very easy to tow very large things. Love the stereo system. Drives very smooth. Lots of room.

There are transmission problems with this vehicle, I have spoken with a few other Dodge owners with the same transmission as us, who have had to replace it and then were having problems again. I do not think that Dodge knows how to fix this issue. They tell u they cannot even find a problem.

We really like the style and the feel of this car, but we have had some issues. One the transmission. We bought one of the largest engines and we are on our third trip into the dealership. They cannot find anything wrong, but when you shift from 1st to second, you feel like the transmission is going to fall out. It makes a big clunk noise. We are also having probelms with our brakes, then intermittenly drop all the way to the ground and fell like they are going to not work. They also cannot find anything wrong with this. We have already had two flat tires and we have only had this for 6 months. Very cheap tires. We also have a problem with the seal on the drivers door has fallen off. It takes a week to order a new one. Overall we like the vehicle, we just wish that we were not always in the shop.

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Driver smoother than Chevy Blazier
I have not been in any other SUV's.

It is very roomie and comfortable. The engine is powerful and reliable.

It has a bumpy ride (almost like a truck). Some times it's difficult to put it in gear. The gas milage isn't too great either.

(1999 Model) - Overall, even with it's weaknesses, this is a great vehicle. You get a sense of control and safety while driving it.

motor, room, looks great,

rides like a truck

(1999 Model) - This is a very nice vehicle. I love the room, especially wtih the kids. The third seat is great. Powerful motor helps. Last suv was pitiful. All around great vehicle. Gas is high but known upfront and expected. I love mine!

It's an nice-looking SUV. Great turning radius.

Stiff suspension, and drives too much like a truck.

The Durango is a great SUV. It looks compact but in fact has large amounts of room inside. It seats 6 without the optional 3rd row seat. It steers great(though I've already had problems with the steering pump). The sound system could have used more thought in the design. Overall, I think the only other SUVs I would consider are the Fords.