2017 Dodge Durango Review

The 2017 Dodge Durango is a seven-passenger SUV with bold looks, a great interior and everything you need to haul your family around, or across, town.

Whether you choose a V-6 AWD Durango or go all in on power with the Durango R/T with a Hemi V-8 and a more aggressive look, you’ll find a capable SUV. This might be just what you need to comfortably fit your car seat, kids, and cargo in with more room than 5 passenger SUV.

Dodge delivers a pleasing ride, so don’t believe the rumors that the Durango drives more like a truck than you’d like. This is an incredibly capable seven seater, and depending on the trim level you’ll find a wide array of options to trick out the interior and the style of the Durango.

2017 Dodge Durango Review Summary

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The 2017 Dodge Durango starts at $29,995 for the SXT trim level, which includes the 3.6L V-6 engine and Rear Wheel Drive. Dodge offers All Wheel Drive on all Durango Trim levels for an added fee. We spent a week driving the 2017 Dodge Durango GT Brass Monkey with All Wheel Drive. The Dodge Durango GT starts at $37,495 and $40,095 with All Wheel Drive.

Our review vehicle included the Premium Group at ($2,395), Rear DVD Entertainment Center ($1,995), Trailer Tow Group IV ($995) and Safety, Security & Convenience ($1,195). A $595 Brass Monkey Appearance package adds 20-inch burnished bronze aluminum wheels.

This also includes the Second Row Captain Chairs that you can add to any of the trim levels and drops the seating capacity down to six passengers. This is a $995 upgrade and this model includes the Second Row console that adds storage room and an extra USB port.

We highly recommend the Safety, Security & Convenience package.

The 2017 Dodge Durango features more comfortable seating than the 2017 Mitsubishi Outlander GT and bolder looks. The Volvo XC90 boasts a more luxurious interior and more robust safety and technology features, but the price starts at $52,250.

2017 Dodge Durango Performance

Dodge adds the Durango GT trim level for 2017, which is what you’ll see here. This includes a sportier style, but it includes the base 3.6L V-6 engine and 8-speed automatic transmission. The only other performance upgrade is in the Durango RT with a 5.7L V-8 Hemi.

The 2017 Durango drives exceptionally well with a suspension that manages to absorb bumps and uneven road surfaces and a responsive, well-weighted steering. While the V-6 is not as thrilling as the Hemi, it does a very good job of delivering the power most drivers need. You won’t be drag racing, but you can get up to highway speeds quickly, merge into traffic and punch through a busy intersection when you need to.

Although the Durango is larger and heavier than a car or a compact SUV or even some of the seven passenger competition, it handles very well and rides like a smaller vehicle.

There is an Auto Start Stop feature to help save on gas, but you can turn it off with the push of a button on the dash. There is also a Sport mode.

The EPA rates the 2017 Durango GT fuel economy at 21 MPG combined with 18MPG city and 25 MPG highway. We saw similar numbers and found that it delivered slightly better than average city fuel efficiency.

2017 Dodge Durango Design & Interior

While not the most spacious seven-passenger SUV, the 2017 Durango capably hauls adults, even in the farthest back bench seat. With the captain chair upgrade in our model, the seating capacity drops to six, but you gain more storage in a center console and a nicer seating setup for adults in the middle row. If you are hauling adults or even older kids, this is an upgrade that is well worth the price. The seats fold forward for easy access to the rear seat, even for adults.

The front seats are the most comfortable, and you lose a little comfort with each row you go back, but there is still enough cushion in the back row. The front and middle seats are both heated.

DVD screens flip up from the back of the front seats and wireless headphones allow your passengers to watch or game without bothering the driver. There is a normal power plug so you could connect a game system or you can use the built-in Blu-Ray player.

The Durango GT includes a sportier trim package and the Brass Monkey package includes stunning rims that really pull the package together.

2017 Dodge Durango Tech and Safety

With Keyless entry, you can walk up to the Durango and unlock it by placing your hand on the door. This system pairs with a push button start that lets you leave the key in your purse or pocket.

The UConnect 8.4 touch screen includes Navigation options, apps, and the car includes it’s own connection to the internet that you can use with the apps and as a personal hotspot. In Ohio, we saw slow 1x speeds most of the time, which is quite slow.

The UConnect system is easy to use, the screen is responsive and the system is capable. This does not support Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, though some 2017 Dodge Vehicles with the 8.4 Uconnect screen do.

You can connect your phone with a USB connection or with Bluetooth. The nine-speaker Beats Audio Premium Sound package delivers good sound and a lot of volume if you want it. There are plenty of USB charging connections throughout the car and there are HDMI in connections to hook up game systems or other devices to the fold down DVD screens.

Blind Spot Monitoring is an excellent safety feature which uses sensors to let you know when it is safe to switch lanes. There is a small indicator on both side view mirrors that alerts you to someone in that lane, allowing you to drive with more confidence.