Looking for Durango Owners Feedback

[Brandon_SC]

We’re looking to eventually replace my Yukon XL Denali with a new Durango R/T or SRT. We test drove a 2019 R/T that is rear wheel drive. Loved it!
For any of you Durango owners out there, do you tow with the rear wheel drive version? What’s your feedback?
For those of you with the all wheel drive, what’s your feedback? Besides the SRT only being offered in AWD, why did you choose AWD?
Full disclosure: I live near Greenville, SC. We don’t have harsh winters or much snow. My biggest concern is pulling our SX230 out on a wet boat ramp.
Any opinions?
Thanks in advance.

 

[MrMoose]

I towed my 2015 Ar240 with a 2012 rwd rt. No issues. Did a couple round trips from Houston to Fort Lauderdale, one of which included some emergency maneuvering in the Dallas area.

 

[Brandon_SC]

@MrMoose Thanks! Your input is appreciated.

 

[GeauxDeep]

Last year we bought a 2015 Durango Citadel. It had about 32,000 miles on it. It tows the 2015 AR210 pretty well i think. It's the AWD version. I wanted AWD for the winters. we're in north/central VA so it doesn't get terrible but just in case. and also for wet boat ramps and such. anyway, its been great so far. it came with the factory tow group option. so it has the heavy duty engine cooling, the class IV hitch, 7 and 4 pin wiring harness, rear load leveling suspension, and a full size spare tire. the factory tow option was the one other thing that i wanted it to have besides AWD. it doesn't have a tow/haul button like my truck which seemed weird at first but hasn't seemed to matter. bottom line, i would recommend it. we have 3 kids and needed something that would pull the boat and fit us all comfortably. i wanted a Yukon but it was going to be the daily driver for the wife and she didn't want anything that big. i would recommend the factory tow option. just gave me a little piece of mind i guess.

 

[CraigLombardi]

I have a 2013 RWD Citadel. It pulls the boat just OK. I have had it on the highway yet am not a fan of pulling my 242 with it as the Durango struggles a bit. For local use, coming out of a boat launch, it is fine.

 

[Mainah]

Recently convinced my wife to keep her 2015 R/T because we love it so much. The appearance and engine package on the SRT is awesome and AWD on the R/T is great for wet or snowy roads.

Obvious tip is to not let the driver get in the habit of leaving both sets of keys in your Durango with it running in your driveway and your dog inside while you grab coolers. Dog may step on the lock button and next available lockout assist may not able to get to you for hours. The doors have anti slim jim disconnects on the handles so even if you do manage to pop the lock while the neighbors stare at you struggling with a slim jim the exterior door handles wont work. Next option is to take an axe to the window while the neighbors are staring at you and your wife is crying because she left both sets of keys and the dog locked inside is starting to whine. At least it shares many parts with top end grand Cherokees including the front windows and not too hard or pricey to replace.

At least the a/c was on for the dog with climate control in auto mode last weekend. If you do ever have to replace a window get one from ebay remove the first door panel, door speaker, and open the access hatch in the second panel. Gently pry the white clips that hold the window to the mechanism after lowering it half way so they are reachable through the speaker hole and access panel pull out the window. The new window will slide right in and snap in place. Reconnecting all of the exterior door handle mechanisms is tricky with the middle panel still on until you get the hang of it.

The point is these things are very well built yet not too bad to work on yourself.

 

[Brandon_SC]

Thanks for the info guys!

 

[The D]

2015 R/T rwd pulling a 190 with zero issues. No problems at the ramp either.

 

[Cambo]

2014 R/T AWD picked it up with 4K miles it is now at 98k great fun truck multiple trips to Vermont with the boat in tow 300 miles each way .

 

[Billtex2000]

This thread might help:

https://jetboaters.net/threads/request-for-the-guys-towing-with-14-durangos.21614/

 

[Rumbo]

We owned a 2012 Durango and I HATED it. The traction control was horrible, I felt like I was constantly fighting it while driving. We also made the mistake of buying without the tow package. We added a hitch to tow our old 20’ boat which weighed about 3000-3500 lbs. Not sure if it was because our hitch was aftermarket or because of the unibody construction but we felt every single crack, bump, etc. in the road. Towed with it once and got rid of it within 6 months.

We now tow with a 2016 suburban ltz and love it! Plenty of power (towing up 6% grades everywhere near us at 7,000 ft elevation with 6500+ lbs. trailers). I also have a 1 ton dually Ram with a Cummins diesel and prefer to tow with the suburban. The suburban rides so smooth too.

 

[MrMoose]

We owned a 2012 Durango and I HATED it. The traction control was horrible, I felt like I was constantly fighting it while driving. We also made the mistake of buying without the tow package. We added a hitch to tow our old 20’ boat which weighed about 3000-3500 lbs. Not sure if it was because our hitch was aftermarket or because of the unibody construction but we felt every single crack, bump, etc. in the road. Towed with it once and got rid of it within 6 months.

We now tow with a 2016 suburban ltz and love it! Plenty of power (towing up 6% grades everywhere near us at 7,000 ft elevation with 6500+ lbs. trailers). I also have a 1 ton dually Ram with a Cummins diesel and prefer to tow with the suburban. The suburban rides so smooth too.

Not sure that you are comparing apples to apples. Is your experience based on the R/T?

 

[Rumbo]

Not sure that you are comparing apples to apples. Is your experience based on the R/T?

Not apples to apples, it wasn’t an R/T but many aspects are the same such as unibody and the traction control system. Both of those aspects made towing horrible on the 2012’s.

 

[MrMoose]

Not apples to apples, it wasn’t an R/T but many aspects are the same such as unibody and the traction control system. Both of those aspects made towing horrible on the 2012’s.

Sounds like not apples to apples, or maybe there was a problem with your Durango. Maybe it had a different tow rating than the R/T, or maybe your aftermarket tow kit was insufficient. My '12 R/T didn't come from the factory with a hitch, but the dealership installed one. It came from the factory with a transmission cooler, so I assume it was designed to tow(there was a tow mode in the computer) .
Your experience is what it is. I just can't agree with your statement that 2012 Durangos do not tow well. I think that it is misleading.
I'm not loyal to any brand and I sold my R/T a couple years ago. It was a great vehicle that towed my 2015 Ar240 without issue, over 5000 miles of towing.

 

[Need A Vacation]

@Brandon_SC,

My dad had an older Durango AWD that towed his open car trailer and various ‘60s & early ‘70s muscle cars without any issues. I can only imagine the newer models are even better!!!

Only suggestion I can make, is to verify the factory receiver hitch max weight ratings ( BOTH max tongue weight and trailer ) when only using a ball mount (weight carrying) is enough for your 230’s loaded weights.

Good luck deciding!!!