2013 New York Auto Show: Dodge unveils restyled Durango SUV
Dodge rolled out a restyled Dodge Durango at the 2013 New York International Auto Show, offering some new technology in the cabin and a fuel-saving eight-speed transmission.
The 2014 Durango, however, will not get the diesel engine option soon to be available in its corporate cousin, the Jeep Grand Cherokee, which debuted in redesigned form at the Detroit Auto Show.
PHOTOS: Highlights of the 2013 New York Auto Show
The Durango’s new automatic gearbox -- which can be shifted with steering wheel paddles or a “rotary” shifter in the console -- will increase gas mileage by up to 9%, Dodge said.
The Durango gets mild exterior updates, including a restyled front and rear with LED lights. Inside, the full-sized SUV offers a choice of a 5-inch or an 8.4-inch touchscreen that includes audio and climate controls, among other functions. A separate 7-inch screen serves as the instrument cluster and can be customized, Dodge said.
More screens are available for entertaining back-seat passengers -- two 9-inch units with Blu-ray and DVD capability built into the back of the front seats.
Dodge hopes the updates will help the Durango compete in the growing full-sized SUV segment, which the automaker said had grown 82% since 2009, with about 900,000 total vehicles sold last year. More than half of those were three-row vehicles like the Durango.
The new Durango will come with the same engine choices, a 3.6-liter V-6 making 290 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque, or a 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 producing 390 horsepower and 360 pound-feet of torque.
Dodge expects to start production of the 2014 Durango in the third quarter of this year.
ALSO:
PHOTOS: 10 worst cars sold in America
