Start with what the Dodge Durango is: a 5-door SUV with 239 cuin Magnum V6, built from 1997, when airbags, anti-lock brakes and Japanese build quality became the world standard. What it meant takes a little longer. The shape is credited to Dennis Myles (1995).
Where it came from
The Dodge Durango is a mid-size SUV produced by Dodge starting with the 1998 model year. The first two generations were very similar in that both were based on the Dodge Dakota and Dodge Ram, both featured a body-on-frame construction and both were produced at the Newark Assembly Plant in Newark, Delaware through the 2009 model year. The third-generation Durango began with the 2011 model year. It is built on the same platform as the Jeep Grand Cherokee, features unibody construction, and has been assembled at the Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit, Michigan, since late 2010.
Each generation had options for different engine sizes and power ratings, with different transmissions also. In 2009 a hybrid variant was introduced, but ended quickly with the second generation Durango. From 2007 to 2009 the Durango was available as the Chrysler Aspen from Chrysler. Over two million Durangos have been sold since it was introduced in 1998.
Under the skin
The engine is 239 cuin Magnum V6; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. On the scales it comes to 4689 lb. Drive goes through a 4-speed TorqueFlite automatic / 4-speed RFE automatic / 5-speed RFE automatic. The wheelbase is 116.2 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
In the Dodge line-up the Dodge Durango has a clear place: it replaced the Dodge Ramcharger / Dodge Town Wagon; the factory was Newark, Delaware, United States (Newark Assembly). The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Toyota Prius, the Subaru Forester, the Chevrolet Silverado. Nearby in the Dodge catalogue sit the Dodge 1500 and the 1955 Dodge.
Owning one today
Buying one now means $15,200–$74,500 for a typical example, and running it — fuel and maintenance at its age — costs about $3,478–$7,928 a year. Insurance sits around $1,240–$2,780 a year. The figures are class-level estimates from the federal record, with the formula on the methodology page; the model-year pages carry complaints, recalls and repair costs year by year.