 2014 Dodge Durango Citadel. Click image to enlarge |
Review and photos by Justin Pritchard
Fresh out of a mid-cycle update and slathered with Dodge’s recent brand of style, character and confidence, the 2014 Durango hits the family-hauler crossover scene with new goodies, seven-passenger seating and available V8 jam, all riding on the same platform as the latest Jeep Grand Cherokee, which is a good thing.
The tester in question is a Durango Citadel – namely the top-line model with room for seven, V8 power and all the goodies.
Two types of people drive V8-powered SUVs: cops and serious dads. And your writer, for a week or so, during which he found the Durango to be a highly tempting offering for a crossover shopper after some performance and style underlying a product with many strengths.
Like its muscle-sedan cousin, the Dodge Charger, Durango offers up a rare-in-the-segment V8, all of the latest in toys and high tech, and a unique, highly recognizable on-road presence. Further, and more importantly when it comes to courting shoppers, it’s loaded with character and thoughtfulness. There’s an athletic, confident demeanour combined with an array of delightful little touches, features and design bits that show Dodge sweat the small stuff, here. Largely, Durango is a crossover ute that goes that little bit further in several areas to help earn its price tag.
Styling is one example. Durango is low-slung, has a sleek and aggressive fascia and numerous distinctive styling elements so you won’t lose it in the Costco parking lot. A relative rarity in the crossover market, Durango’s styling does its own thing, doesn’t mimic anything, and is likely to get complimented. The headlights, complete with xenon projectors and LED accents, create a slick lighting signature after dark, and the LED light-pipe ‘racetrack’ taillamp looks kickass.
   2014 Dodge Durango Citadel. Click image to enlarge |
Thoughtful touches in the top-line tester included the power tailgate, which cleverly waits a moment before lowering, so you can grab that last bag of groceries with your free hand before getting out of its way. The remote start fires up the heated seats and steering wheel when it’s cold. There’s a cap-less fuel neck, which saves a step at the gas station. And since washer fluid only runs out when its 30 below and very windy, drivers will likely appreciate the nearly fist-sized filler neck for quick and waste-free refilling. Incidentally, there’s a clever bin in the cargo area sized almost perfectly for a jug of washer fluid, too. A self-recharging flashlight is mounted above it. There’s even a button drivers can press to fold down the rear-seat headrests for visibility’s sake if passengers leave them up. The list goes on.
Up front, by relegating the gear shifter and transfer case to small rotary dials, there’s more handy storage space left for other items – including multimedia and electronics which all get nearby inputs or outlets. There are two USB ports within the driver’s reach, as well as an SD card reader for calling up videos and photos on the central screen.
The Citadel’s cabin was styled and trimmed with tasteful restraint. It’s a Dodge, not a Cadillac – and your writer appreciated the absence of over the top trim, glitzy chrome and glossy wood paneling. I’m a fan of cabins that are big on luxury but bigger on sportiness – and if you’re of the same mindset, you’ll like it in here.
 2014 Dodge Durango Citadel. Click image to enlarge |
Ditto if you’re a fan of high-tech since Durango’s numerous interfaces are among the segment’s most modern and functional. The central control screen, for instance, is huge, bright, animated and offers high-resolution access to hundreds of vehicle functions. It’s among the most intuitive and easily learned systems of its kind, mainly because it’s not overcomplicated to all heck. The navigation interface is extremely polished, too.
The speedometer, which is actually its own high-resolution screen, can be reconfigured to call up dozens of informative readouts ranging from transmission temperature to tire pressure to radio station data. That’s handled with big, easily manipulated and chunky buttons mounted to the steering wheel, some of which also activate the Adaptive Cruise Control system. Unlike many competitors, you can run the Durango’s cruise control the good old-fashioned way, without radar assistance, if you like.
Other high-tech touches employed for the driver’s benefit include automatic wipers, automatic high-beams, and the latest in camera- and radar-based hazard detection to help keep you in your lane, keep you apprised of goings-on in your blind spot, and to keep you from rear-ending another car. Your writer lives at the top of a hill that crests in a blind corner, so I loved the Cross-Path Traffic Alert system that can ‘see’ cars coming before you can, as you back into a laneway, perhaps past seven-foot snowbanks. An alarm and flashing light advise you of that approaching car and direction so you can chill out until it passes.
The tester’s rear-seat occupants benefit from two flip-up TV screens to take in a Blu-ray movie, or perhaps some media stored on an SD card. Those rear-seat passengers also get second-row captain’s chairs, their own automatic climate control system, and surprisingly generous headroom despite the presence of a sunroof. As it tends to go with three-row crossovers, your writer mostly appreciated the rear seats in their folded-down position, where they create a generous amount of cargo space.
Hauling around any combination of people and gear your writer tossed the Durango’s way was the Hemi – none other than Chrysler’s award-winning 5.7L V8 unit with cylinder deactivation. That’s teamed to a new eight-speed automatic and an always-on four-wheel-drive system with low range for hauling the boat out of the lake.
The big Hemi is a docile brute when driven gently – fully capitalizing on its low-end torque when the ‘Eco’ mode is engaged to keep things spinning away at under 1,500 revs while the transmission changes up, seamlessly, seven times before highway velocities are achieved. Driven as such, you’ll barely hear a peep from the engine room.
   2014 Dodge Durango Citadel. Click image to enlarge |
Hammer on it, and the 360 horsepower charge into action, flooding the cabin thickly with a meaty, authoritative roar that’s distinctively V8, distinctively Detroit, and complete with a quick but delightful pause in sound effects as the engine cuts power for a moment when the transmission shifts. With eight ratios on tap, there’s always a perfect gear to get the Durango hustling along, and it feels responsive and eager to move.
So, a versatile powertrain: on one hand, very comfortable being driven gently with a sense of effortlessness and quiet enabled by the big-time low-end grunt. And, on the other hand, entertaining in terms of acceleration and noise when called upon for full steam ahead. Plus, the all-American sounding engine transmits just a hint of manly vibration into the cabin for added effect. It’s a beautiful power plant that should hit the mark with shoppers after fantastic noise, response and effortless performance.
Mileage? With excessive use of the remote start, extreme cold temperatures and plenty of heavy-footed backroads driving, the low-mileage tester averaged 18 L/100 km in city driving. You’ll do better. Highway-only driving, keeping up with traffic, saw that figure drop to around 10.5 L/100 km. Interestingly, that’s about the same figure I logged in a low-mileage Subaru Outback 2.5i a week prior on the same road. Take these results as you will, as yours will vary.
  2014 Dodge Durango Citadel. Click image to enlarge |
The Durango is a big heavy thing and often feels such – though the turning circle is a little smaller than expected and the suspension is set towards the sporty side of the equation. Durango is relatively stable and flat should drivers find occasion to toss it through a bend. Though the powertrain and styling work hardest towards Durango’s confident athleticism, the handling isn’t opposed to some spirited driving as needed.
Too bad about the steering – which is often a little too quick and vague at highway speeds to create a confident, heavy and locked-on feel that so many SUV shoppers love.
Notes from my late-December test drive, (during which Mother Nature assaulted the Durango and I with very extreme cold and three heavy snowfalls), included fantastic performance from the xenon projectors in inclement weather, and AWD/4WD system operation that’s as seamless and intelligent as they come. Durango also fires up reliably at 34 degrees below zero without plugging in, although the Hemi sounds a little upset at the task for the first few seconds of idling. A few moments later, it starts pumping usable heat into the cabin, which is nice.
Further, Durango’s stability control system has an appreciably relaxed approach at low speeds and feels expertly calibrated. It allows plenty of wheelspin and even a little sliding to help drivers get moving quickly from a dig, as opposed to frustrating throttle shutdown at any sign of slippage. For all intents and purposes, the system fully disengages at the single tap of a button if you wish to fling the Durango around with the throttle. This is naughty and not advised, but it is a whackload of fun when you beat the plows to the backroads. Incidentally, even with over an inch of snow caked onto the Durango’s backside after a hearty romp down an un-plowed camp road with some Subaru STI buddies, that LED light-pipe taillamp remained highly visible.
Complaints? The factory tires aren’t fantastic in the snow, and if you drive it really hard, Durango’s Hemi will suck back the sauce like Rob Ford before a Leafs game. Plus, that low-slung stance means limited ground clearance, so don’t plan on any serious off-roading unless you want to change out a bumper, which you don’t.
Ultimately, as a family-ready SUV with above-average feature content, character, performance and style, as well as some wholesome, thoughtful touches, consider this one a priority test drive.
Pricing: 2014 Dodge Durango Citadel 4×4
Base price (Hemi Citadel): $39,995
Base price (Hemi Citadel): $52,295
Options: Granite Paint ($195), HEMI V8 ($2,300), Uconnect with Navigation ($525), Second Row Captain’s Chairs ($600), Trailer Tow Group ($795), Technology Group ($1,450), Rear Seat DVD Players ($2,150)
Freight: $1,695
A/C Tax: $100
Price as tested: $62,105
Competitors
Buick Enclave
Chevrolet Traverse
Ford Explorer
GMC Acadia
Honda Pilot
Hyundai Santa Fe XL
Mazda CX-9
Nissan Pathfinder
Toyota 4Runner
Crash Test Results:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)
