2014 Dodge Durango Test Drive Review

2014 Dodge Durango Road Test Review

The unibody SUV gains new electronic controls

By Bob Plunkett

Big  chunky rocks, not water, fill the dry bed of a creek cut through the  cedar-studded hills of Texas as a brawny 2014 edition of Durango -- the big-rig  sport utility vehicle from Dodge packing massive firepower and applying  traction to all four wheels -- muscles its way in bump-bump-bump increments  across so many stones.

The  SUV doesn't waver from our mission to ford the dry wash, although its front  wheels, floating independently, articulate way-up and way-down to crawl over  the rocks.

Yet  from a driver's vantage in Durango's cushy cabin with a heated steering wheel  and leather hides covering the three tiers of seats, we never notice the wild  wheel gyrations because this formidable wagon feels surprisingly steady despite  the romp over rough terrain.

That  smooth but rock-solid ride quality begins with a monocoque platform that unites  chassis and body in a cohesive unit that's extremely rigid when set in motion. [Read]