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1998 Dodge Durango is Catching on All Over

15 January 1998

The ad folks at the Dodge division of Chrysler Corp. did a pretty good
job hyping the sport ute universe regarding the impending arrival of
the new Dodge Durango.  As soon as it hit the auto show circuit, it
started selling briskly. We brought our test vehicle to the office and
before we had it parked someone in our office building who had seen
the truck out of his window came dashing up to us saying, "it's here!
This IS the new Dodge Durango, isn't it?"  From 50 yards it could have
been any kind of Jeep, or Montero, or big Blazer, but this guy was
primed and knew what he was looking at.

Even though some Jeep dealers are miffed that Dodge/Chrysler came out
with a vehicle that closely competes with the venerable Jeep, the
Corporation says it is to go up against GMC Jimmy, Ford Explorer, and
Chevy Blazer; and that Durango's claim to fame is that it has more
power, more room, and more capabilities than the other brands.

It's built tough, just like Dodge trucks, and has that aggressive
countenance that trademarks the truck line.  When you couple, tough,
rugged, Durango cowboy images with a magnum motor, you come up with a
personality that market researchers says is very positive.

If you've driven full sized sport utes, you know their long suit is
not performance. We wrote about the Infiniti QX4 recently--and loved
it--but 0-60 took half-a-day.  The Durango on the other hand prides
itself on having lots of "dig," and the 5.2 liter, 230 h.p. magnum V8
comes on strong. You can win the stoplight GP with this vehicle, if
you go up against any other SUVs.

The base motor is a V6, 175 h.p. at 3.9 liters, but forget that and go
with the v8, 'cause it gets the job done--unfortunately, at the
expense of lousy gas mileage.  You can also get a 5.9 liter motor, if
your gas credit card is all paid up (EPA for that engine is 13 city
and 17 highway).

Dodge likes to point out that the space is ample for three rows of
seats, and the way they're arranged is neat--like the Stratus 2-door,
where the back seats are situated "theater style," raised so the folks
in the back can see what is going on up front.

For 1998, the Durango only comes as an all-wheel drive, but next year 
two-wheel drive will be available.

It seems like a mans car; women buy Land Rovers, and Dodge pushes its
sporting capabilities: hunting, fishing, boating. It has a towing
capacity of 7,000 pounds.  It is aimed at the outdoorsman, wherever he
is, and not pointed toward being used by "soccer Moms".

It drives great, like the truck that it is, and if there is any
driving characteristic that stands out, it's that good old Dodge
performance--impressive.

The Durango with a V6 has a sticker of $27,435 and the 5.2 V8 Magnum
version starts out at $28,025.

If you really want a sport ute with steam, look at the Durango--a lot
of people are.

Bill Maloney -- The Auto Channel