2004 4x4 Truck Of The Year Vehicles

Dodge Durango SLTHighs *Hemi power*Very quiet inside*Huge brakesLows *Minivan DNA*No limited slip of any kind*Very little ground clearance

VerdictMore of a chase vehicle than an off-road competitor

We don't know about you, but we think one too many minivan owners were on the team that designed the new Durango. It's not that we think the engineering is flawed or weak; it's just that we get the sense there was too much family and not enough hot-rod emphasis put into this 4x4. On one hand, we dig the bold Power Wagon style. But on the other, we feel like it was crossbred with a Dodge Caravan to form a watered-down SUV with lots of power. The chassis seems manly enough with its fully boxed frame, huge brakes, and Hemi engine taken right from the 11/42-ton Ram. But the ride characteristics appear tuned for a weekend cruiser/trailer hauler rather than the canyon carver/prerunner we were hoping for. The Durango certainly has a unique look, but we're still trying to decide which angle it looks best from. The ride height is too low in the front, the front bumper has too much of a chin, and the afterburner taillights are a little too overdone for our tastes.

As a family SUV, the Durango is great. The steering is good. The cabin is extremely quiet and features an available DVD player and the best-sounding stereo of the group, thanks to the Infinity system that finds its home in the dash. The seats are comfy in a firm German kind of way, and there are enough cup holders for all your juice boxes.

But that's the stuff your family cares about. Underneath the Durango's skin is a new solid-axle rear suspension that uses a Watts linkage instead of the more common track bar. And while we can't honestly tell you that we can feel how much better the rear Watts linkage works, we like knowing it's back there. And yes, the Durango's got a Hemi. Not the 426 variety of the musclecar era, but a high-tech 5.7L version that has the most horsepower of any engine in the test. With that much engine we expected more from the Durango during the acceleration testing at the dragstrip, but when we factored in the SUV's curb weight and NV244 full-time four-wheel-drive system, we were again reminded that what we want to use a 4x4 for and what the design team had in mind are not always the same thing. Oh well, at least it comes with an 8,950-pound tow rating.