[fireman]

It's been a long road but I finally picked up my Durango on Thursday.

Durango Limited AWD V6
Granite Crystal
Towing package
Safety security, and convenience group
Nav/power liftgate
Premium audio

I give a HUGE thanks to the crew at Century Dodge in Mount Airy MD for making this happen when other dealers wouldn't even talk to me. (Traci, Johnny, Mike, and Evan)

I saw on the MOTS tracking page here that my Durango was out for delivery on Wednesday. I was taking my wife out to dinner for her birthday later so I knew I couldn't pick it up but I thought I'd stop by Century Dodge on my way home from work to see if it was there. Johnny surely knew I was anxious and he coincidentally texted me a few pictures while I was on my way. The sales manager... typically the elusive guy in the booth did this... unheard of! I drove up and saw it right out front. I walked in to see my salesman and before long, many of the staff were out front looking at the arrival of Century's first 2014. It was sharp. The more we looked at it, the more we discovered things. Overall reaction was all were impressed with the design and features. Before I left, Johnny offered to put dealer tags on it and let me take it home. I was floored but had to decline... it was my wife's birthday and I wanted that to be my priority. I didn't think about it for a second all night either. :lol: :lol:

Fast forward to my pick up day. If you remember, the ordering system accepted my order but Dodge called a few days after the order was in and said I had to have premium audio to get the safety, security, and convenience group. Century called and told me about it... and said they were eating the cost due to the system error. I tried to at least split the cost with them when I picked it up and they would have no parts of it. Picking it up took a little longer than I expected but it was well worth it. They were able to work up an absolutely amazing finance plan. I did get the $1000 rebate. I put the finance guy through the ringer (unintentionally) but like everybody at Century, he really pulled through. I have to apologize - this is not a dealer ad but they went so over and beyond that I have to mention these things. They're not a huge dealer and it shows... in customer care.

Enough of that, let's get to the review!

Transmission
I'm coming off my 3rd Nissan Murano. The Murano has a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and I have about 400,000 miles combined on that tranny. It's not a 5spd automatic, or 8spd, or any other number. It's infinite (that's the variable part)... you'll never feel it shift. Having said that, this 8spd Durango is smooth! Not CVT smooth but not like the old days where you feel that surge between gears. That's saying a lot coming from a CVT! What I don't like... reverse. Being a volunteer firefighter, I back into the garage so I can get out quickly when needed. I've tried in both Eco mode and normal and have trouble finessing this in reverse. This thing wants to move... fast... in reverse. I don't know much about transmissions but I suspect it isn't a good gear ratio for me... or I just need to get used to the feel. I fear blowing through the wall. Sure, the backup sensors chime but you need to be on your toes if using reverse to back into a parking spot or into the garage.

The steering feels just a little nervous. Maybe I just need to get used to it.

The gauges are great. Using the controls on the left side of the steering wheel, you can use the up and down arrows to change what shows up on the console. There are about 6 options. Traditional speedometer, digital readout, MPG, trip, radio, etc. Using the left and right arrows, some displays have additional options and you can select tire pressure, oil pressure, oil life, you can even modify what shows up in the top corners of the display (outside temp, compass, and a few other things).

I have brought up navigation on that huge center display but I have yet to use it to navigate somewhere so I can't comment on that.

UConnect - I haven't set this up yet so I can't comment on that. Can't imagine what in the world else this thing can do so that should prove interesting.

The Bluetooth works fine with my iPhone. I haven't tried any of the voice stuff yet. This thing even picks up music I have on my phone. I can select and listen to that without even touching the phone.

Speaking of touching... the touch screen works well. There are plenty of options. I like the lady that comes on and tells me I'm driving too fast. I have it set to warn at 10 over. It can be disabled or adjusted but I'm trying it out and it's not obnoxious.

What I find odd is the lack of an AWD selector. Short of paying extra and seeing the AWD emblem on the back, I have no options. I guess it just comes on as it sees fit. I believe the V8 has a selector with low range but apparently, the V6 has nothing of the sort. I tow in the Winter, typically on snowy roads so I hope it works well.

Since I back into the garage, having both side mirrors tilt down is fantastic! The rearview camera is great for showing what is behind me but those tilting side mirrors show me what's on my side. Love it!

Although few and far between so far, I have to throw in another dislike. the blind spot detection triangle light in the side view mirror. That is nice at night but during the day, it's almost impossible to see the light and depending on my surroundings during the day, it gets lost in the colors of whatever is in the mirror. It does warn if I have my turn signal on and I'm about to merge into somebody but it merely lights up if I'm driving straight. From driving emergency vehicles and that training, I am always aware of my surroundings and certainly don't need the light but I think it would be much more functional all of the time if it was moved inside to the A post (corner of front door and windshield).

One more dislike - the roof rails. Not a huge fan and they added a chrome strip the full length of the base. Personal preference but I don't care much for it.

Another thing I love is the turn signals. Just tap it up or down and it blinks 3 times. It's a nice feature because it takes so much effort to push it that extra 1/2 inch (just kidding:lol. I think I'm the one remaining guy that uses turn signals and I actually find that feature highly useful.

Some of you found a paint imperfection on the passenger side under the hood. Mine has it too. It seems to be consistent across all the 2014 Durango's. I think mine is actually 2 spots in that area but it's under the hood and the paint seems to fully protect it. I don't think I'm worried about this.

The wheels aren't as bad as I was expecting. I have the 18's and although I love the look of the optional 20's, I can live with these. Each spoke bay alternates between polished aluminum and mineral gray. It's hard to see in pics but I'll try to show a good one.

The rotary gear selector isn't bad. I'm pretty much used to it although I do find myself trying to change the radio volume instead at times.

I did find a ding? on the rear hatch, just above and to the passenger side of the hatch handle. It looks like it was created on the inside, pushing out. I can only see it at certain angles but if you catch it just right, it is extremely obvious. The dealer has a dent guy come in and do work once or twice a week and they offered to have him take a look at it.

That's all I can think of so far. Not much in red here. I'm having fun with it and love it (so do the guys at the station - we all sat in it for an hour on Friday night!)

Late edit... the window sticker shows bi-xenon headlights. I thought for sure this was supposed to have xenon low beams and halogen high beams. Sure looks like bi-xenon to me though which is a wonderful surprise. :thumbsup:

Enjoy the pictures - it got a thorough detail last night. I don't blame Vertrkr one bit for paying to have his detailed. Parts of me that I never knew existed are sore today! However, the benefit is I know I did a thorough job and used the products I wanted. Using all Blackfire products, I washed it, ran a clay bar over every inch, added a gloss enhancing polish, and used a polymer sealant. It was foggy this morning so I couldn't get good pictures. By the time the sun came out, it was a little harsh for my photo style.

Sorry I didn't have time to write more. :lol: :lol: :lol:

I know a lot of you are still waiting and there aren't great pictures out there so I hope this helps.

Cheers,
fireman

 

[davewg]

Great pictures!

I need to read through all of this, but we have to run out to a function....

 

[Marlon_JB2]

When I first heard about the '14 Durango having the Racetrack taillamps, I questioned how well they could possibly pull it off without a major re-do of the rear end of the vehicle.

Well this is by far the best implementation yet. I love staring at them at night. More so than my own Racetrack equipped Dodge. Go figure, right? Heh.

Enjoy your "WD".

 

[vertrkr]

Congo rats, nice write up. Haven't noticed the reverse issue, maybe the heal/toe method might be helpful.

Tranny is smooth. I've noticed a few times when it downshifts to 1st from 2nd when driving around parking lots it can be a little clunky, not jarring but certainly not smooth.

I really like the speed limit reminder too. I find myself going way to fast way too easily.

I agree the blind spot light on the A-pillar would be more noticeable but it's not too bad as is, I've never not noticed it yellow when looking at the mirror. Another issue is when you make a left turn in a multiple lane turn and in the right lane it always starts chiming when cars are next to you. Makes me flinch every time.

PS. I think you need to air down your tires looking at your dash display.

 

[fireman]

Great pictures!

I need to read through all of this, but we have to run out to a function....

Thanks Dave. I see it won't be long before you're posting your own review.

 

[fireman]

When I first heard about the '14 Durango having the Racetrack taillamps, I questioned how well they could possibly pull it off without a major re-do of the rear end of the vehicle.

Well this is by far the best implementation yet. I love staring at them at night. More so than my own Racetrack equipped Dodge. Go figure, right? Heh.

Enjoy your "WD".

Thanks Marlon, I am certainly enjoying it so far. You guys do good work. :thumbsup:

You know, just about everybody has an option for HID/Xenon and LED's on the front. There is absolutely no mistaking those racetracks at night though. I tried taking a picture that showed them off fairly well.

 

[fireman]

Congo rats, nice write up. Haven't noticed the reverse issue, maybe the heal/toe method might be helpful.

Thanks for the congo rats! Heal/toe - I think I'll practice that one outside of the garage first! Part of the problem is a lip at the entrance of the garage that I have to get the front wheels over... the Durango is long enough and the garage is shallow enough that there isn't a lot of forgiveness.

Tranny is smooth. I've noticed a few times when it downshifts to 1st from 2nd when driving around parking lots it can be a little clunky, not jarring but certainly not smooth.

Noticed the same in the same situation.

I agree the blind spot light on the A-pillar would be more noticeable but it's not too bad as is, I've never not noticed it yellow when looking at the mirror. Another issue is when you make a left turn in a multiple lane turn and in the right lane it always starts chiming when cars are next to you. Makes me flinch every time.

Interesting. I hadn't noticed that yet.

PS. I think you need to air down your tires looking at your dash display.

Good catch. :thumbsup: I dropped them to 36 cold per the door tag. They weren't at 41 to start so that pic was probably taken with them still warm... or maybe it reads high. I'll keep an eye on it.

 

[davewg]

What I find odd is the lack of an AWD selector. Short of paying extra and seeing the AWD emblem on the back, I have no options. I guess it just comes on as it sees fit. I believe the V8 has a selector with low range but apparently, the V6 has nothing of the sort. I tow in the Winter, typically on snowy roads so I hope it works well.

Still reading your comments, but noticed this and wanted to respond. The AWD Durango with the V6 is a 50/50 split all the time. I'm not sure how (it it does at all) apportion power from left to right at each axle. I assume it has some system to redirect power left to right using the brakes as part of the ESC system.

The Hemi does have a low range (and a neutral for flat towing the D; the V6 cannot be flat towed) that would help in certain situations (e.g. after dropping a boat off a ramp into water).

 

[davewg]

First off, I'd like to say "thanks". Great write up, and I like the pro/con colors.

Your photos are among the best I've seen - worthy of magazine placement. Great lighting and perspective. Will put my ham-fisted shots to shame. I particularly like the rear three quarter shot in the foggy morning. I think it really shows the depth of the Granite Crystal color.

I have brought up navigation on that huge center display but I have yet to use it to navigate somewhere so I can't comment on that.

I really like this. I have built in navigation in my Yukon, but its mounted in the center stack. It's irritating at times to try and see where the display is sending you while looking for a turn/hunting for the street sign to ensure you have the correct spot.

Since I back into the garage, having both side mirrors tilt down is fantastic! The rearview camera is great for showing what is behind me but those tilting side mirrors show me what's on my side. Love it!

This feature popped up on us on test drive of a 2013. My wife was like "what's that all about" . I have them on my Yukon, but have always had them turned off. Not sure how she feels about them, but its a great feature in circumstances such as yours.

Late edit... the window sticker shows bi-xenon headlights. I thought for sure this was supposed to have xenon low beams and halogen high beams. Sure looks like bi-xenon to me though which is a wonderful surprise.

That feature is one of the big reasons I wanted the SSCG option. Glad to hear you like them.

Ours is on the move - still in MI, but on a train and headed in the right direction.

We have a big family get together on the 10/19 for my FILs 70th birthday. It'd be great to have the D by then - have a couple of "into cars" relatives who I'm sure will appreciate looking it over.

 

[davewg]

Did Century place any sort of dealer badge or sticker on your Durangoi (aside from a license plate frame)?

My wife is adamant there not be any, so I need to ask them not to if they do.

Thanks.

 

[fireman]

First off, I'd like to say "thanks". Great write up, and I like the pro/con colors.

Your photos are among the best I've seen - worthy of magazine placement. Great lighting and perspective. Will put my ham-fisted shots to shame. I particularly like the rear three quarter shot in the foggy morning. I think it really shows the depth of the Granite Crystal color.

Thanks Dave. Century Dodge just uses the license plate frame, as seen in the pictures.

Glad you enjoyed the report and pictures. I had to resize the pictures from 20MB each to less than 1/2MB each but they still seem half decent.

The granite is interesting in that it looks different in different conditions. Sometimes it looks silver, sometimes it looks black. We'll see how it holds up to dirt.

So your Yukon has the tilting mirrors. I've never heard of them before but I'm sure glad the D has them.

I was shocked at the headlights when I saw them. I didn't even think about it until I turned on the high beams driving down the road and was expecting halogen but saw brightness. I had to go back and see what the window sticker said because I didn't think any of the Durangos were going to have bi-xenon.

At least your train is moving now. Hopefully, it doesn't sit too long in Jessup and you'll have it in time for your relatives to take a peek.

 

[Scottina06]

congrats!

 

[TBLWK2]

I love those wheels! Looks awesome!

 

[mrmitsou]

It's been a long road but I finally picked up my Durango on Thursday.

Great review Fireman. Are you also a staff photographer for Motor Trend Magazine or something? Great shots:thumbsup:; thanks for those; I love how the granite shows off a variety of hues depending on the light, particularly in that shot in front of the red-brick building. Looks like a beautiful, timeless color. It's got me second guessing the black I chose for the Durango I have on order. Glad to hear you love it; was your wife equally pleased (that's one thing I'm hoping goes well for me when it arrives)?

 

[fireman]

Great review Fireman. Are you also a staff photographer for Motor Trend Magazine or something? Great shots:thumbsup:; thanks for those; I love how the granite shows off a variety of hues depending on the light, particularly in that shot in front of the red-brick building. Looks like a beautiful, timeless color. It's got me second guessing the black I chose for the Durango I have on order. Glad to hear you love it; was your wife equally pleased (that's one thing I'm hoping goes well for me when it arrives)?

Thanks Scott and TBLWK2. Like the bi-xenon's, the wheels are more pleasing than originally expected. :thumbsup:

mrmitsou,

No, not a staff photographer but I'll work for hire! I'm a serious sports and nature photographer by hobby and I will go to extremes to get a shot. The crazy weather yesterday forced me to take some of the pictures in harsh sun. I was disappointed in the lack of good Limited pictures out there and really wanted to provide some good pictures that may help anybody on the fence over color or trim.

That black they have is really nice. The metallic bits in it are spectacular close up when the vehicle is clean. Waxes and polishes can enhance that even further. Even when not clean however, the contrast between the black and chrome makes up for it. I'm fairly certain both you and your wife will be pleased with your choice.

Yes, my wife loves it. She says it matches her car now.

 

[Temerarius]

A note on the 4x4 system on the Durango.

The V6 has what is the equivalent of the QT1 (QuadraTrack 1) system found on the Jeep.

The V8 has the optional 2 speed gear box with High and Low gearing. This effectively gets you QT2 from the Jeep.

None of the Durango's offer the QD (QuardaDrive) system found on the Jeeps (means you have an Elecrtonic Diff in the rear).

 

[Laureljoke]

Thanks Scott and TBLWK2. Like the bi-xenon's, the wheels are more pleasing than originally expected. :thumbsup:

mrmitsou,

No, not a staff photographer but I'll work for hire! I'm a serious sports and nature photographer by hobby and I will go to extremes to get a shot. The crazy weather yesterday forced me to take some of the pictures in harsh sun. I was disappointed in the lack of good Limited pictures out there and really wanted to provide some good pictures that may help anybody on the fence over color or trim.

That black they have is really nice. The metallic bits in it are spectacular close up when the vehicle is clean. Waxes and polishes can enhance that even further. Even when not clean however, the contrast between the black and chrome makes up for it. I'm fairly certain both you and your wife will be pleased with your choice.

Yes, my wife loves it. She says it matches her car now.

Fireman, I'm VERY late to the party, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading your reviews, and all the comments you have received. Your Durango is just stunning, and your photographs ought to garner you an offer from Chrysler. I, too, was fascinated with the subtle color changes apparent depending on the light and surroundings. So glad your wife is happy too.



I agree about finessing reverse until one gets used to it, and a little nervous is a good description for the steering. More sensitive than my last vehicle, but I'm working on it. I also agree about the blind spot assist.... easy to spot on a gloomy day or especially at night.... not so easy on a bright sunny day.

I'm enjoying all the gauges, and the info available through the EVIC. I've been using the digital speedometer, and decided to activate the speed limit lady (another technical term). She's very polite and not a nuisance at all. Rather liked her reminding my husband when he was driving the Durango on Friday AND conducting business on his cell phone. (phone wasn't paired). Oh, and speeding! Easy to do in the Durango, or so we have found. I also like that turn signal feature where one tap gets you three blinks for changing lanes. Glad you use yours.... safety first! All in all, I think so many features are pretty well thought out.

Sorry to hear about that ding. Does your paint look cracked at all there? I might like to see some of his work first if you meet your dealer's dent guy. Hope he can help if you decide you want your spot addressed. We have the same paint imperfection under the hood. Interesting how that is so consistent among the 2014s.

I will be curious for your thoughts as you test out your navigation and UConnect. Also, I will be interested to hear how others think you sound on your paired iPhone. I have the iPhone 5, I certainly speak well above a whisper, but I've been told by two different people that I don't sound so clear on the other end when calling from the car.

I'm also very impressed that you have detailed your Durango. Big project, and not surprised you had a sore muscle or two. That was on the short list of projects I hoped would happen around here over the weekend, but let's just say we encountered a rain delay. Might be a couple more weeks, but we WILL get to it, or I'll find someone to get to it for us!


Thanks again for writing such a thorough review, and touching upon both the pluses and minor minuses. Now I am going to look at your photographs again, because they are JUST THAT GOOD!! :thumbsup:

 

[fireman]

Fireman, I'm VERY late to the party, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading your reviews, and all the comments you have received. Your Durango is just stunning, and your photographs ought to garner you an offer from Chrysler. I, too, was fascinated with the subtle color changes apparent depending on the light and surroundings. So glad your wife is happy too.

How can you be late to a party that doesn't end any time soon?

I'm glad you liked the photos, even though conditions didn't allow me to show my best. I had a horrible ride home from work on Monday... the most amazing light and sky color... and my camera was at home and my detailed Durango had just been rained on all day. I have a fairly scenic commute and I passed one opportunity after another. The good news is that my detail job held up amazing well. I got it into the garage and found no water spots and little evidence it had even been rained on all day long. :thumbsup:

I agree about finessing reverse until one gets used to it, and a little nervous is a good description for the steering. More sensitive than my last vehicle, but I'm working on it. I also agree about the blind spot assist.... easy to spot on a gloomy day or especially at night.... not so easy on a bright sunny day.

I'm getting a little better in reverse and in sensing the size of the Durango in the garage. I've concluded my biggest issue is slowly getting over that little lip in the concrete that keeps rain out. As for the blind spot light in the side mirror, it really needs to be by that little speaker on the front door to have the most usefulness in all conditions.

I also like that turn signal feature where one tap gets you three blinks for changing lanes. Glad you use yours.... safety first! All in all, I think so many features are pretty well thought out.

What? You mean to tell me there are two people left that use turn signals??? I agree that many of the features are pretty well thought out.

Sorry to hear about that ding. Does your paint look cracked at all there?

I'm not sure I can even call it a ding. It's the tiniest thing but when caught at just the right angle, the effect is more obvious. I'll have them take a look at it but I'm really not sure if it's something I'm going to make myself too worried about. The paint is fine there. I suspect it happened pre-paint.

I've only made a few calls so far. Nobody has complained about sound quality yet. I think the sound on my end (me hearing the caller) may be a little weak but due to my commute through the middle of nowhere, it could be I'm just further away from cell towers.

I'm also very impressed that you have detailed your Durango. Big project, and not surprised you had a sore muscle or two. That was on the short list of projects I hoped would happen around here over the weekend, but let's just say we encountered a rain delay. Might be a couple more weeks, but we WILL get to it, or I'll find someone to get to it for us!

I wanted to start out with a good detail job. Hopefully, that will make things easier in the future. It really wasn't THAT bad. I used products and methods that were all new to me so it took a while but I suspect the next time I do it, it won't take nearly as long. The sealant (alternative to wax) I used couldn't have been easier to apply or remove. I'm not sure I'll ever wax again!

Now I am going to look at your photographs again, because they are JUST THAT GOOD!! :thumbsup:

Thanks for the kind words!