GARAGE

UPDATE

AUDI

A4

JAGUAR

F-PACE

UPDATE

UPDATE

BMW

530i

JEEP

RENEGADE

UPDATE

BMW

M2

KIA

NIRO

CHEVROLET

BOLT EV

KIA

STINGER

UPDATE

ARRIVAL

DODGE

DURANGO

MAZDA

CX-5

FORD F-250

SUPER DUTY

MAZDA

CX-9

HONDA

CR-V

MERCEDES-BENZ

GLC300

UPDATE

HYUNDAI

TUCSON

SUBARU

LEGACY

UPDATE

ARRIVAL 2018 Dodge Durango 4 R/T Frank Markus

“Thieves enabled us to upgrade our long-term Durango to bad-boy SRT styling backed up with an angry V-8 roar.”

EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 14/22/17 MPG BASE PRICE $47,390 PRICE AS TESTED $51,970

Let’s try this again. Last March, William Walker welcomed a Granite Gray 2017 Durango GT to our long-term fleet, only to have it stolen in May—lock, stock, key fob, and 25 large worth of photo gear in the back—from a Los Angeles–area restaurant’s valet lot. For a hot minute we considered quietly replacing it with a doppelganger and carrying on, but the ’18 models were just being announced, and we couldn’t resist upgrading to an R/T model with the cool new SRT nose. And because Dodges are less rare and exotic in the brand’s hometown (and hence hopefully less of an attractive nuisance than they apparently are in Los Angeles), the replacement vehicle has been entrusted to our Detroit office for safekeeping.

Upgrading 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 option cost on Citadel trim levels), with the extra two grand buying the aforementioned angry SRT bodywork (vented hood, blackout grille, sport front fascia), a lowered sport suspension with load leveling, fancier lighting, rain-sensing wipers, parking sensors, Radar Red Nappa sport leather seating (with eight-way power in front), and the big-screen infotainment setup. Our snowbelt geography demanded another ($2,600) “Durango 4” upgrade. An MP 3023 transfer case delivers on-demand variable torque-split four-wheel drive with low-range gearing and a neutral setting. (Take note, flat-tow RVers!) To this already high level of standard equipment we added a tech package (adaptive cruise with collision, blind-spot, and lane departure warnings for $2,495), the trailering group ($995), murdered-out black wheels and mirrors ($695), and a cargo package of roof rails, cross bars, and a cargo cover ($395). At $51,970 out the door, it’s $9,195 spiffier than our 2017 GT.

As any good new owner should, we consulted the owners’ manual break-in requirements, which were pretty simple: “Drive moderately during the first 300 miles,” and “while cruising, brief full-throttle acceleration within the limits of local traffic laws contributes to a good break-in.” Can do! Two trips to my lakeside cabin restoration project had our Durango fully ready for action. On those treks we made abundant use of the 47.7 cubic feet of cargo space behind the middle row of seats to haul tools and supplies, but the 43-inch-wide rear deck precludes us from using it for drywall or paneling.

So far we are still grooving on our truck’s bad boy looks, the Hemi’s ready rumble, and the sport suspension’s ride/handling trade-off (reasonably supple on the bumps, respectably flat in the curves). To date, our Hemi Durango 4’s fuel economy is noticeably trailing that of our 3.6-liter rear-drive GT. After a