One year with Dodge's eight-cylinder three-row SUV
In 2015, William Walker welcomed a Granite Gray 2017 Durango GT to our lasting fleet, just to have it taken 2 months after its arrival-- lock, stock, key fob, and also 25 large worth of picture gear in the back-- from a Los Angeles-area restaurant's valet whole lot. It's possibly been carrying Russian mobsters around Kamchatka considering that shortly afterwards due to the fact that it was never ever recovered. For a hot minute we considered quietly replacing it with a doppelganger as well as continuing, but the '18 models were just being announced, and also we couldn't withstand upgrading to an R/T model with the cool new SRT nose. 2019 ram 3500 grill As well as because Dodges are much less unusual and also exotic in the brand's home town (and also therefore with any luck much less of an appealing hassle than they obviously are in L.A. ), the substitute car has been entrusted to our Detroit workplace for safekeeping.
Updating from a GT V-6 to an R/T V-8 adds $5,900. Figure the engine is worth $3,995 of that (that's the alternative cost on Citadel trim degrees), with the additional 2 grand getting the abovementioned mad SRT bodywork (aired vent hood, blackout grille, sporting activity front fascia), a lowered sport suspension with load-leveling, fancier lights, rain-sensing wipers, car parking sensing units, Radar Red Nappa sport leather seats (with eight-way power ahead), and also the big-screen infotainment setup. Our snowbelt location required one more ($2,600) "Durango 4" upgrade. An MP 3023 transfer situation supplies on-demand variable torque-split all-wheel drive with low-range gearing as well as a neutral setting (keep in mind flat-tow RVers!). To this already high level of common tools we just added a tech plan (flexible cruise with collision and also blind-spot and lane departure warnings for $2,495), the trailering group ($995), murdered-out black wheels as well as mirrors ($695), and also a freight package of roofing rails, go across bars, and also a freight cover ($395). At $51,970 out the door, it's $9,195 spiffier than our 2017 GT.
Having placed our order in equally as 2018-model manufacturing began, our White Knuckle appeal was built on August 17 and also delivered to us on September 22. As any great new proprietor should, we consulted the proprietors' manual burglary requirements, which were quite simple: "Drive moderately during the initial 300 miles," and "while cruising, quick full-throttle acceleration within the limits of neighborhood web traffic laws contributes to a good burglary." Can do! 2 journeys to my lakeside cabin-restoration task had our Durango fully prepared for action. On those trips we made plentiful use of the 47.7 cubic feet of cargo area behind the center row of seats to transport tools and products, but the 43-inch-wide rear deck will preclude us from using it for drywall or paneling shipment.
So far we are still grooving on our truck's negative kid looks, the Hemi's ready rumble, and also the sport suspension's ride/handling compromise (fairly flexible on the bumps, respectably flat in the contours). To day, our Hemi Durango 4's fuel economy is routing that of our 3.6-liter rear-drive GT significantly. After a month of service as well as regarding 1,800 miles of driving, we're averaging 15.0 mpg. The GT handled 18.9 mpg over regarding 7,100 miles of driving. It's alluring to wish our R/T's gas economic climate will boost as the engine remains to barge in, but the 20 percent drop virtually exactly mirrors the 19 percent difference in EPA combined ratings, so we're not holding our breath.
Our Durango's dance card is currently filled with set up journeys to antebellum Vicksburg, Mississippi, north Canada, as well as numerous tailgate outings with the TEN event trailer in tow. We'll report on all its shocks, thrills, as well as any kind of prospective weakness. In the meantime, if you're taking a trip in some sketchy international country and also area a good Granite Gray Durango GT, send us a snapshot.
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