My daily ride is a two-door hatchback. The chances that I’ll own a seven-seater full-size SUV are about as remote as Manchester United winning any silverware this season. But then I also thought that I was never going to have a kid and here I am now; with a feisty 10-month-old and her baby wagon – a compact SUV – that fortunately my wife is happy to drive.
The way I see it, a seven-seater SUV is the definitive symbol of male domestication. You wouldn’t be too far off the mark if you deduced that the owner of this vehicle is a responsible dad with two child-seats, a nanny in the third row and two strollers in the boot – just the sort of bloke who’ll try your patience in a mall parking lot; just the sort who secretly yearns for the 2014 Dodge Durango R/T.
If you have to drive a full-size SUV, you might as well be seen in something with a bit of character – something that brings a sense of excitement to your developing domestic role.
The 2014 Durango R/T gets a mid-cycle makeover, so the redesign includes new front and rear fascias, as well as an 8.4in touchscreen and some interior tweaks. Also, the new models all come equipped with a more fuel-efficient eight-speed transmission with paddle shifters.
Dodge’s split crosshair grille dominates the front of the car and the angular lines give it a real air of masculinity. The rear borrows from the new Charger – with 192 individual LED bulbs that make up the “racetrack” tail lamp. It looks like one band of lights and is distinctly Dodge. Riding high on 20in alloy wheels, the R/T is the sharpest looking full-size SUV.
The instrument cluster has a 7in customisable screen that lets you choose the information you want displayed like tyre pressure, oil levels, fuel efficiency, messages and so on. You can even choose to have your speedometer completely digital or as an old-school analogue display. There are way too many buttons on the steering wheel, mostly to manage the Chrysler’s Uconnect infotainment system on the touchscreen.
New for 2014 is the gear shift rotator that is similar to the ones you’ll see on the Jaguar and Land Rover. The interiors are spacious; my test unit had captain’s seats in the second row but you could ask for a bench if you wanted. The third-row seats are easy to access. Unless you are really tall, you won’t have any trouble sitting anywhere in this car.
The 5.7-litre, V8 Hemi engine is a beast and despite its size (the car weighs in excess of two tonnes and has a wheelbase of 3,045mm), the R/T is surprisingly nimble. I threw it around interchanges and roundabouts without really having to worry about body roll.
Thrash it around a bit and the fuel gauge indicator will certainly drop quickly, but then with a 5.7 Hemi engine, what did you expect? And on highways, the cabin gets a bit noisy. That’s one for Dodge to fix in future models, but cabin noise within the city is negligible.
The Durango has its quirks, but for the price you pay you get a lot of value. Think of it this way – if there’s ever a zombie apocalypse and you need to escape with your family and the bookshelf, the Durango R/T would be your vehicle of choice. It is built like a tank, has the agility of a sports car and doesn’t compromise on the safety features. Who would have thought domestication could be so much fun?
Is Kate the new Diana?
Get selfie ready
Michael Fassbender finds his sweet spot in Hollywood
Kalki Koechlin on finding her niche in Bollywood
Watch feature
