"WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe" (wesbarton89)
10/16/2014 at 20:43 • Filed to: Oppositelock Revue
2
10|
"WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe" (wesbarton89)
10/16/2014 at 20:43 • Filed to: Oppositelock Revue | 2
| 10 |
Introduced in 1998, the Durango was Dodge's first foray into the SUV market. Available with three V8 engines, a 4.7L, 5.2L, and 5.9L, there was no shortage of options. The Durango came in a few trims, such as R/T, SLT, SLT Plus, and Sport, and the rare Shelby Durango SP360. This particular model I will be reviewing is the 2000MY SLT with 4WD, A/T and 4.7L V8 Magnum.
( Full Disclosure: Dodge didn't want me to drive the 2000 Durango so bad, I had to shell out $2,200 of my own hard earned cash to buy it myself.)
So, my particular Durango is relatively loaded. Not completely, but certainly not bone-stock. It comes equipped with cloth seats, driver's seat is powered with manual recline. The front seat is a split bench/bucket style, and it has 2nd and 3rd row bench seats as well, offering seating for up to 4 full-size adults and four munchkins. This particular Durango also has an aftermarket remote-start setup, which is good in the winter time. On with the review.
Exterior 6/10
Overall, the exterior loses points due to rust and rot. (The passenger side front wheel well cladding fell off when we took it to the car wash, and it was all rotted out underneath, we had to fix that) The tailgate also has some rust, and will probably need completely replaced at some point, as well as minor rust on the doors. There's also some minor paint chips from rocks thrown by stupid neighbors at our old place.
The blue is a gorgeous color on this SUV, and it looks really nice when it's been washed, but dirt and dust show pretty bad when it's not cleaned.
Wheels and rims are in good shape overall, with minor wear on them.
Interior 8/10
The interior is in really good shape overall. There are some small rips and tears, and some scratches on the plastic, but overall, it's not too bad. It loses some points because it's a sea of plastic, and because this one doesn't have the leather seats like my mom's does, which to me, are infinitely more comfortable, though the cloth seats aren't too bad. Overall though, the interior looks to be in much better condition than the exterior.
Acceleration 5/10
Acceleration is adequate in this vehicle. The 4.7L Magnum V8 puts out 235hp and 295 lb/ft of torque, which, in this day and age, isn't all that much, especially considering this thing weighs as much as Clifford The Big Red Dog, after eating all the neighborhood children. 0-60 arrives in approximately two episodes of Breaking Bad, and the quarter mile takes about the length of a Chris Brown song. Passing power is adequate, as long as you're just trying to pass a bicycle. In reality, it is relatively slow, but it does accelerate well enough, and gets up to speed. After driving smaller, lighter vehicles with similar power outputs, (and a Dodge diesel with 850 lb/ft of torque) it just feels slower than it is, but it could be worse.
Braking 8/10
Braking on this vehicle is pretty good overall, considering the size and heft of it. It doesn't really hesitate to stop the vehicle, and any of the relatively few times I've had to slam on the brakes, it stopped confidently. Nothing to complain about here. It's got front discs, and rear drums, for what it's worth. Brake fade isn't horrible, but can be noticeable after awhile.
Ride 4/10
This is a large SUV. It does not ride smoothly, it does not float. You feel the bumps and the holes in the road. Part of that can probably be attributed to needing new shocks. There are a lot of squeaks when driving it, and it's just pretty rough overall. It simply does not have a good ride to it, but I suppose, overall, it rides like it should, as I've been in other Durangos, Dakotas, and Ram 1500s of the same vintage, and they all ride basically the same. I'm sure the new ones are much smoother, but this is approaching 15 years old, and it just feels like it has auto-arthritis.
Handling 6/10
The handling on the Durango isn't abysmal, I suppose, but it's not great. It would handle better if the rack and pinion power steering hadn't failed, but beyond that, it's ok. It goes where I tell it to go with minimal fuss. There's not a whole lot of steering feel, but it's adequate. I don't really have a problem with it. There are far better handling vehicles out there, but I would presume this handles about as well as any truck-based SUV made around its time.
Gearbox 7/10
It's a typical Dodge 4-speed automatic, column shift style. It shifts well enough, it doesn't have to hunt for gears too much. You can feel the shifts, but they're not overly rough. It does have lower gear selection and overdrive, which is helpful. I suppose I will include the transfer case in this section as well. It's a floor mounted shifter, as compared to the dial style, with 2WD mode, 4-LO, neutral, and 4-HI. 4WD performs really well, and it does exactly as it should with no fuss. Living in Maryland, we normally get at least one decent snow per winter, and this comes in handy with the bad weather, so it's pretty great. I got it stuck in neutral when I first messed around with it though, and took me a little while to figure out that I had to shift the tranny into neutral to get the transfer case back into another selection. My own dumb fault there, and it's a good feature.
Toys 2/10
It really doesn't have many creature comforts. It has an aftermarket remote start (which currently isn't working, I think there's a loose connection somewhere), which comes in handy. It also has a power driver's seat. It does not have the nifty overhead console which displays temp, a second trip computer, DTE, and so on, which is a shame. I may see about wiring one in at some point. Climate control is analog, so no nifty digital displays there. The air conditioning does not work. The condenser needs replaced. It has a digital odometer, single trip computer, and gear indicator. It also has a tow hitch receiver, which I could use to tow some toys, though may not be a toy itself.
Audio 5/10
It comes with the stock head unit, which is AM/FM/Cass/CD. The CD player does not work at all. The cassette player is finicky, but will work sometimes. AM/FM are fine. It does have a blown speaker. I do have a new head unit to put in, but I still need a couple other parts for it, still, but that should bump the score up once I put that in, and replace the speaker. I only paid $15 for the head unit, and it's a single DIN CD with USB and AUX hookup, and it's pretty nice.
Value 8/10
Overall, we got a good price on it. Not dirt cheap, but not overly expensive, either. We drove home 40 miles straight from the dealership where we bought it, and paid in cash. It was the middle of the coldest winter we've dealt with in a long time, and it kept us warm, and didn't disappoint on the rough roads.
Overall 59/100
Yes, it's a relatively low overall score, but it kind of belies the charm of this vehicle. It's a brute, and really doesn't seem made for comfort or luxury. That being said, what it does, it does well. It's safe, spacious, and durable. It looks rough, needs some fixing up, but still, looking past that, it's a good vehicle. It can haul stuff, tow stuff, or seat a boatload of people, and it is completely adequate at everything it does. I wish it was better than adequate, but it's fine.
Engine: 4.7L V8 Magnum SOHC 16V FI Engine
Output: 235hp @ 4800 RPM/295 ft-lbs. torque @ 3200 RPM
Transmission: 4-speed automatic with overdrive
0-60 time: Around 9.6s
Top speed: Around 117MPH
Curb weight: 4,598lbs
Seating: 8 people
MPG: Est. 12 city/17 hwy (approx 12mpg observed)
Nate-964
> WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
10/16/2014 at 20:51 |
|
Wow....great review! My dad had a 1998 Durango with the 5.2L. I loved that car when he had it! I remember it was slow as hell though!
Birddog
> WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
10/16/2014 at 20:55 |
|
I'm not sure about the Durango but I do remember the 4.7 Dakota being quicker than the 5.9.
I love the 1g Dakota/Durango body. They really had it right.
Now, if you ever get a chance to ride or drive in an SP360 you need to do it. At any cost. It's an amazing machine.
|
WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
> Nate-964
10/16/2014 at 20:55 |
|
Glad you enjoyed it. Yeah, we like ours a lot, despite the negatives. I have a mainly Mopar family, and after my mom got her '99 Durango a couple years ago for $800, we loved how it was, and decided to get one for ourselves. We needed a car in a pinch, and it all really worked out. But yes, absolutely slow. It's big, heavy, and has an underpowered engine. I'd love to drive one of the current-gen Durangos, I love the styling on them, and I'm sure they ride a whole lot better. But, I am happy with mine, for sure.
|
WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
> Birddog
10/16/2014 at 20:58 |
|
Smaller engine, for less weight, makes sense that it would be faster. I've never timed mine against my mom's, which has the 5.9, but the same might hold true. I have never been in an SP360, but I did see one that was turned into a limo a couple years ago, and it was pretty nice. Definitely very sporty looking with the blue paint and white stripes. The limo weld job was a little rough, but it certainly was unique.
Nibbles
> WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
10/16/2014 at 23:13 |
|
This was Dodge's first foray into the SUV market:
Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder
> WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
10/17/2014 at 06:48 |
|
''it does not ride smoothly, it does not float.
You feel the bumps and the holes in the road. ''
Sounds like poetry.
gabbo241
> WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
10/17/2014 at 10:34 |
|
That Jeep 5.9 sounded like hells bells. Loved that engine in the 5.9 Grand Cherokee Limited. Gills on the hood!!!
MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
> WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
10/17/2014 at 15:01 |
|
My mom still drives her bought new in 2001 Dodge Durango. She's got the big motor and it moves pretty damn well I think.
her 4x4 is on the dial.
This is one of the vehicles I feel the most at home in, as I learned how to drive on it. Love those trucks.
Hers is the same color btw! Great blue!
|
tmodjeska
> WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
12/28/2014 at 21:54 |
|
I'm curious as to what size the tires are in the pictures. I have those exact wheels but the 235/75-15's that I currently have look too narrow and do not fill the wheel well as good as yours.
|
WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe
> tmodjeska
12/29/2014 at 13:08 |
|
I don't have access to it to check right now. But I will let you know later this afternoon.