If you were forced to say goodbye to your Charger or Challenger to make room for a family-friendly vehicle that can tow a LOT, all is not lost. The 2022 Dodge Durango can return you to your glory days, and you can bring the family along! Long known as the home of the muscle car, Dodge hasn’t disappointed us with the 2022 Durango. Still part of the steadily-improving 3rd generation launched in 2013, this road beast will let you haul everything you need in sturdy style—and do it comfortably enough to suit your fussiest family members.
For 2022, Hellcat out, SRT 392 In
So what’s changed for the Durango in 2022? Most notably, 2021’s top-of-the-line trim, the Hellcat, has been discontinued, to be replaced by the SRT 392. Not to worry—it comes equipped with the 6.4-L SRT HEMI V8 engine, so the 392 can still deliver enough power to satisfy just about any need. There’s no doubt about it; if you’re looking for hauling and towing power, the 2022 Dodge Durango is the top choice.
Other changes for 2022 include three rows of seats, now standard in every trim, and the addition of some new safety features (even Mad Max worries about his kids). All trims now include blind spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alerts, which, when combined with electronic stability control, trailer sway damping, and a rear back-up camera, give the Durango an overall NHTSA Safety Rating of four out of five. Four trim options—the GT Plus, Citadel, R/T Plus, and the SRT 392—are now equipped with forward collision warning systems, active braking assists, and adaptive cruise control to manage your following speed while in cruise. You also get LaneSense Lane Departure Warning with the Lane Keep Assist system to help you and your vehicle stay in your lane; this is always useful when you’re towing.
A Parade of Options
You’re sure to find a Durango to meet any need. Choose from seven different trims—starting at $35,475—along with three different engines; the choice of RWD or AWD in just about every trim (the SRT is available only in AWD); and a number of appearance, performance, and entertainment packages. The first four trims available—the SXT, GT, GT Plus, and Citadel—are all equipped with the sturdy 3.6-L Pentastar V6 engine, producing up to 295 hp. That’s plenty of power for smaller loads. (See below for more on haulage.)
The Citadel, which contains luxury features such as Nappa leather, captain’s chairs in the second row, and heated and ventilated front seats, offers the option of the 5.7-L HEMI V8 engine, and that HEMI is standard in the R/T and the R/T Plus. If this doesn’t seem like quite enough power, you can opt for the SRT 394’s 6.4-L SRT HEMI, delivering 475 hp and enabling a 0-60 pickup as low as 4.4 seconds. You’ll also find Sport Mode steering for extra responsiveness in every trim. Plus, you can get steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters in the GT Plus and successive trims. The SRT includes seven driving mode choices.
In addition, the 2022 Durango has a variety of appearance packages, such as the stealthy Black for the SRT trim, and Blacktop (which, in the GT and R/T trims, includes the vented hood standard on the SRT) for the others. Add the Harman Kardon stereo system—standard in the R/T Plus, and available as an option in several other trims—and you can really blast the tunes while you haul your house down the highway.
CAN You Bring Your House?
Long the go-to model for big tow jobs outside the pickup world, the 2022 Durango can haul just about anything you want to bring along—perhaps not your house, unless it’s the kind with wheels, but you’ll still have a lot of latitude. All variants can tow 3500 lbs before the addition of a factory-installed tow package, and adding the appropriate package can enable towing up to 6200 lbs with the base 3.6-L Pentastar engine. Tow package prices run from approximately $1195 for the basic package of enhancements to about $4995 for the top-of-the-line Tow N Go package for the R/T. The latter includes a host of other features, such as three more drive modes, automatic headlamp leveling, and run-flat tires.
If you decide to get the 5.7-L HEMI V8 for your Citadel, you can tow up to 8700 lbs. Choose the 6.4-L HEMI V8, equipped with the Tow N Go package, for extreme torque as high as 470 lb-ft. That’s enough power behind the wheels for even more towing fun (or drudgery; it’s up to you, but we recommend fun). If you elect to purchase the SRT 392, you can tow the same amount. In short, we cannot state it too strongly: the Dodge Durango is the choice for hauling your big toys.
There’s plenty of room inside as well. The Durango boasts plenty of cargo space—85.1 cu.ft. with all rear seats folded, 43.3 cu.ft. with the third row folded, and 17.2 cu.ft. behind the third row.
Escape Your Enemies (or Boss) in Comfort!
This is another way in which the 2022 Dodge Durango stands out. It’s a sport utility vehicle that takes comfort seriously. Drivers and front-seat passengers enjoy over 39 in. of headroom and around 40 in. of legroom, with about 38 in. of legroom in the middle seats. The rear seats are a little more cramped, but will keep most kids happy with 33.5 in. of legroom available.
Also, depending on the trim you select, you can enjoy creature comforts such as heated front seats and a heated steering wheel (standard from the GT on up, with heated second-row seats in the GT Plus). Other available features include a sunroof, a 10.1-in. infotainment screen, Nappa leather inserts and stitching (from the R/T Plus), Blu-ray- or DVD-compatible screens for the rear seats, six- or seven-passenger configurations, and more.
Every Durango trim style comes with UConnect 4 or 5, an infotainment management tool with various options such as Sirius connectivity, integrated voice command with Bluetooth, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and even real-time navigation. In sum, various features available through different trims and options packages allow you to emphasize whatever aspect of driving is most important to you (Performance? Comfort? Entertainment?) without making sacrifices elsewhere.
Can You Traverse the Australian Outback?
Chances are good that Mad Max won’t have to stop for repairs if he’s smart enough to drive a Dodge Durango. Each model year of this generation has seen an increase in this road warrior’s reliability. J.D. Powers predicts a “Great,” or 81 out of 100, rating for the 2022 Dodge Durango.
And, it’s been given a 3.5 out of 5 rating by Repair Pal, with an estimated $675 per year in repair and maintenance costs. This is good news for anyone with big stuff to haul, because there’s nothing more irritating, and sometimes scary, than having to sit by the side of the road awaiting a tow that may not be able to manage your stuff. Vacation-ruining breakdowns aren’t nearly as likely in your Durango. But, if they are required, you won’t have to use all your cash reserves to make that happen.
Whatever you need—a way to haul your work tools, an SUV to get the boat in, a cross-country trip with the family, or a drive through the desert with thirty land pirates—the 2022 Dodge Durango is here to help you. Do it all easily, fearlessly, and comfortably.
