My look at the 2013 Dodge Durango

December 10, 2013

Does the idea of car shopping send your mind into a state of panic? I have to admit: it does for me a little bit. In my case, shopping for a new car is something I really have never done before. When I turned 16, my very first car was selected by my dad. My little gold two-door sporty car was picked out without much input from me (which was totally fine). I wouldn’t have known the first thing to look for at that age. When I went off to college, I inherited my current crossover SUV…and I’m still driving it today. My car is now about 13 years old, and although it is running fine at the moment, I know in the back of my mind it is time for me to start saving some pennies to put toward a new set of wheels. So, when I was presented with the opportunity to test drive the new Dodge Durango recently, I had to see what it was all about. I mean, have you seen the commercials as of late? Of course, you have: how can you miss them? Not only have I been drawn in by the insanely funny Will Ferrell, but the commercials also piqued my interest in the car as well. I honestly went into the test drive without many expectations. Since I’ve never purchased a new car, I haven’t actually experienced getting behind the wheel of one for a test run. As for the Durango itself, the only preconceived notion I had about the vehicle was its size. My brother and sister-in-law happen to have a Durango (from a previous year), and I always thought it looked incredibly large. I am not sure if my memory was rusty or if the new Durango is shorter/slightly smaller, but when I laid eyes on the 2013 Dodge Durango it did not look intimidatingly large. Win! I thought to myself, “I could definitely manage a car of this size.”

I could clearly see how the design of the Durango is sleeker than previous years’ versions. The lines are curved and streamlined throughout. Plus, the technology involved is pretty fantastic. For instance, there is the class-exclusive⁺ Uconnect^® Access System⁺, which features services that include an on-demand WiFi Hotspot⁺(available with paid subscription). It also has Bluetooth, an available class-exclusive Blu-ray^TM Entertainment Center, and SiriusXM Satellite Radio is an option. ***Ahem…my current vehicle still has a cassette tape slot. I’m not kidding.*** Capacity-wise, the Durango seats up to seven people comfortably in three rows. The combination of storage/seating was a great feature to see during my test drive. I liked that you could fold the seats down in a number of configurations to allow for storage and passengers, depending on your situation. I imagine I would keep the back seats down for most occasions currently, but it would be so nice to accommodate up to seven people for other instances! As for miles-per-gallon, the Dodge Durango rings in at a Best-in-Class 25 hwy mpg (SXT, Limited, and Citadel RWD). Pretty impressive, I have to say. When I imagine my future vehicle, fuel efficiency is definitely a factor, so It was good to see the Durango wouldn’t be held back in that category. Even though I know my car still has more miles to go, I can’t help but be bitten by the “new car bug.” I’ve always had it in my mind that I’d simply purchase the newer version of my current car, but after taking a spin in the Dodge Durango, perhaps I will need to consider expanding my search! And guess what! There’s a lovely little prize available for one of my lovely readers. You can comment at the end of this post for a chance to win a $100 Shell gift card! Simply answer the following question to be considered:

Which Dodge vehicle would you most like to take for a spin?

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