2005 Dodge Durango consumer reviews

Found this beauty on keenedodge.net and went to check it out...took it for a test drive and felt the power of the Hemi 5.7L V8...the same engine that is in the Dodge Ram 1500. Car handled wonderfully around the hills near the dealership. Vehicle felt SOLID. For a 2005 with only 81,000 miles on it...I was pleasantly surprised as I had never driven a Dodge before. Christine Devor greeted me at the dealership, acknowledged that I had driven a ways to see the vehicle and made me feel as though she cared about my car buying experience. Had some initial apprehension about the purchasing process...but she walked me thorough it...discussed financing options with me....even fought for me with the manager to get the price of the vehicle to a point that I would be completely satisfied with, and made sure that I was comfortable throughout the entire process; informed me that she wanted me to be happy with my purchase. After the paperwork was signed, Christine had them detail the vehicle for me and that was when I really saw how the vehicle looked..it was a beautiful beast. My other vehicle is an Acura MDX, and that is luxury...this vehicle has leather seats but it is a MONSTER...I see now how people tow boats and trailers with this thing. Afterwards Christine gave me a tour of the dealership, introduced me to the consultants in the service bay, and explained the Keene Gold Rewards program to me, and informed me about the Keene Welcome to the family dinner held at the dealership....never even heard of such a thing. The finance manager was busy but made sure to come out and acknowledge my presence, and let me know that he was working on my paperwork which was greatly appreciated. He explained warranties to me, and the specifics of my transaction. I have only had the vehicle for a couple of days but no complaints yet from me.

I bought the car in Dec 2008 it was a little over 3 years old. It had about 50,000 miles on it. It has been amazingly reliable only going to the shop for oil changes and maintenance. It just had the 48,000 mile check up before I bought it. I have had it 5 years last December and it has not let me down yet. Only thing I bought was a Battery other than oil and gas.

Never had a problem with this sport utility. Very dependable. Confident in the snow. Tons of room inside. A real 3rd row seat and huge cargo area. Very quiet and smooth on the highway. Over 20 mpg on road trips.

I love my Hemi Dodge Durango. I had a conversion van which was nice when the kids were home but now wanted to upgrade to a SUV. Had to have the Hemi power for towing. Used prices between the Hemi and small V-8 is very minimal so why not get the extra horsepower. Would not buy one without a Hemi. Mopar Nut

great all around vehicle. Tows great. Holds 6 people easily. Very powerful and handles great. Reliable and cheap to own.

This car is the bomb. I'm about to buy my third. My 2004 went to my ex, I wrecked the second, 2005, and am replacing it with a third 2005. Yes, I like them. The interior is plastic, but OK. You can spend double for an X5 BMW and get a nice interior. I commute three hundred miles, often in bad weather, and I've never enjoyed a commute more. The ride and handling are excellent for the size, but you need the hemi for frequent passing in a vehicle this big. This car accelerates almost as fast as my M3 from 30 to 70! Unlike the M3, however, it does not get stuck on a wet lawn. In fact, I went up a 45 degree hill in two feet of snow last winter, and the Durango stays nicely in line when other cars are sliding off the road in front of me. If you want gas mileage, buy a Prius. I'd rather be able to hit a deer at 70 and walk away, as I did. I'm six foot, and the seat is perfectly set to step in, without the running boards, though they are a nice touch for the kids. The back fits a 4x8 sheet of drywall and large furniture/windows, so this is a great multi-purpose vehicle. Since there is no premium for these, unlike other big SUV's, you can get a low mileage one for a song compared to new or other similar SUV's. I have not had any reliability problems, and it's a lot cheaper to maintain and fix than my other cars. Lastly, if you buy it for business, it fits the greater than 6,000 lb. sec 179 rules, so it can be expensed the first year. For me, there is no better vehicle, regardless of price.

I have owned my Durango SXT since 2008. I am in love with this vehicle. I have not had any problems other than routine maintenance. It is my first SUV. It handles great, smooth ride, very roomy. Handles great in the snow and rain. I just wish the interior wasn't so basic. I am giving mines up because of the driving distance that I have to do because of school, but when I am done in a couple of years I will be looking into a newer Durango.

The 2nd generation Durango is like having a minivan that you can take off road. Pros: Hemi power, 3rd row seating, multiple power outlets, best handling in class, styling (if you like it) Cons: Hemi mileage, lots of hard plastics inside, styling (if you don't like it) We've always had a minivan for the school and an SUV for trips off the beaten path, but with 2 kids involved in activities, my Grand Cherokee was too small for carpool duty, and getting too small for family trips. The Durango isn't as off-road capable as the Jeep, but what is? The AWD has been more than capable in snow, on fire roads, and in deep sand at the beach, plus it easily carries 5 kids when we carpool, or everything our family of 4 needs to go camping. The huge back doors open 90 degrees to the body, making access to the 3rd row seat easy with the tilt and tumble middle row. The middle row also has a large center armrest/small center seat that folds down to provide convenient cupholders and a wide space between the children (parents will appreciate this). There is almost no room behind the 3rd row when it's up, but that's pretty much par for the class. Fold it down and you've got plenty. I already had a car-top bag, and while getting it on and off of the very tall Durango is a challenge, it means that we can actually carry 7 people on long trips in relative comfort. I'm amazed at how quiet the car is, at highway speeds you hear the pleasant rumble of the Hemi and wind noise comparable to my wife's minivan. The handling is surprisingly good for a car this tall and heavy. The Hemi means you never lack for grunt, and the suspension works very well, with minimal body roll and well weighted, linear steering. That comfort diminishes after an hour or so because the seats are somewhere between "firm" and "hard", but I figure that means it will be longer before I'm sitting on the springs. Driver comfort is a tossup for me between the D and my wife's Sienna van - the van seats are softer, wider, and flatter, the Durango is supportive and well-bolstered, with a better relationship to the wheel and pedals. I like the control layout of Dodge products, so I find everything right where I expect it, and nearly everything works as I expect. All of the controls are large and well labeled, and mostly logically laid out. There are power outlets in the dash, center console, and cargo area, with the latter 2 configurable to be on even when the key is off (convenient for charging cell phones/iPods/games, or for running inflators/trouble lights). The center console is cavernous - with a tray to keep small items from getting lost. A very thoughtful touch is that the lid allows you to run the cord for your phone charger from the outlet inside the console to the cubby designed to hold your phone on the outside. There are also plenty of places for your stuff - a giant bin in the console, thoughtfully lined with a rubber mat to keep things from sliding. The robustly styled interior matches well with the Freightliner/Power Wagon exterior. I like the styling of the Durango, particularly compared to the Tahoe and Navigator, but it's definitely strongly styled, and I get that not everyone will like it. Still, it's executed well and consistently, and kudos to Dodge for that. On the con side, the hemi is thirsty - although I'm averaging slightly better mileage than I expected: 18mpg give or take for a mix of town and highway driving, with a little idling in the carpool line thrown in for good measure. The interior is filled with hard surfaces - lots of plastic and not a lot of padding. I hope that it will hold up well, and it does make cleanup easier, but finding a place for your elbow on a long trip and be challenge. Many reviews pan the 3rd row seat as unusable, and I certainly wouldn't ask any particularly large adults to sit back there, but it's more than sufficient for our 3rd row use. The rear seats also fold/unfold quickly and easily, giving you a wide, flat space for your stuff. I haven't tried to carry a full 4'x8' sheet of plywood back there yet, but it looks like it might fit. Most of the reviews I read that panned the Durango seemed to be from people who bought the wrong class of vehicle. If you want to park in the compact spaces and get 30mpg, buy a small sedan. If you want go-kart handling and a spoiler, buy a sports car. This is a large midsized SUV - and in that class, it's an A student.

We bought our 2005 Durango Limited 4x4 used with 30,000 miles on it. For such a large SUV it drives and handles great, the more you drive it the smaller it seems to feel. We have a family of 4 and travel alot and it had been wonderful. The gas mileage isn't great but that was expected for an SUV of this size. Very smooth ride and great visibility. My only complaint is the keyless entry went out at 60,000, and to get a new key it is $150 per key! I've owned several cars and have never had this happen before. Also on the Limited trim I would have expected it to come with a sunroof and DVD player. Over all it has been an excellent car for our family and we plan on keeping it for years to come.

Like the ride and comfort,my wife injoys driving with all the kids know instead of the smaller suv we had.(ford explorer)