Explorer VS Durango

[fe298]

I have been looking to get a second vehicle in the garage. I wanted something a little bigger with a third row in it. I like the looks of both the new Explorer and Durango. I have been going back and forth trying to decide which way to go. My last Explorer was a 2002 EB with the 4.6 V-8. I have been looking at both and they both seem to have their pros and cons. The Explorer has a softer ride and better fuel milege and the Durango has better interior materials and a V-8 option. I though I had decided to go Explorer, but then I read last months motor trend where they rated it last, and have had a couple people (that have more car knowledge than me) say it is just a front wheel drive car and not to buy it if I want a real SUV. So I am looking for some feedback maybe from others that looked at both of these vehicles.

 

[kappaknight]

It really depends on what your needs are. Don't let your friends peer pressure you into something you don't want.

I have a lifted Jeep Wrangler now and will be upgrading to an Explorer soon. Granted, I don't really wheel so whether it's a real or fake SUV, as long as it can hold 7 people and take them places with roads, it'll be good. The Explorer also comes with a 4WD version so that's always an option if you're worried about slippage.

As for the review you mentioned, I believe they were testing/comparing a pre-production vehicle with other production line SUV's.

 

[Rocketfan]

I was in the same boat you were and ordered the Explorer debating between it, the new Durango, and the Pilot. Take all reviews professional and otherwise with a grain of salt. Everyone has their own biases and backgrounds.

Drive the cars and pick the one you like best that best fits your needs. At the end of the day, the Durango and Explorer were real close for me but I have owned Fords and Dodges before and while my Ford was a champ and never let me down, my Dodge was good for about 4 years before things steadily went wrong.

Since my Dodge experience was a while ago, I checked the magazine that doesn't take ads and won't allow car makers to use its awards in their advertising for more current and broad based reliability ratings. This Consumer Reporting mag ranks Ford as the 10th best car maker out of 27 and Dodge as the 24th (and Chrysler as 27th) out of 27 in reliability and build quality. This, plus MyFord Touch (who needs redundant knobs and buttons/ I am not that old and even Consumer Reports acknowledged that the latest MFT update fixed almost all of the glitch and lag type issues but still said if you are "older" you should check it out to see if you are ready to not have the old knobs and buttons) pushed the balance in favor of the Explorer.

Long way of saying, I have biases and things I am looking for too (I am old but have always loved gadgets and been an early adopter). Test drive and examine both SUVs as much as you can and pick the SUV based on your own wants, needs, and biases and don't look back. I don't think you can lose here as I really liked the Durango too.

 

[GregV8]

.

 

[GregV8]

I did the same too.
(Also included the Ford Edge and Grand Cherokee in my search.)

In the end it really boiled down to the difference in transmissions. Dodge uses a 5-speed, Ford uses a 6-speed auto. This, combined with a V6 engine makes the Durango very lazy. It hates kickdowns, takes too long to respond, and I cannot be as "surgical" in heavy traffic (e.g. changing lanes or maintaining a close distance to the car in front of me in a traffic jam).
The manual shift on that transmission is just a limiter (you set the highest gear but cannot force it into one).

You get the same 5-speed with the V6 or with the HEMI. Sure, the HEMI is a great engine but in this combination it's wasting its talent - and fuel. Every time I drive by a gas station and see the prices, I'm glad I chose the Explorer.

Now, there is talk about a new 8-speed auto for all Chrysler products with a V6 engine, coming year. That would be great news, but I didn't have time to wait for months. (Called Chrysler HQ and even they couldn't give me an ETA.)

Oh and another thing, as bad as MFT is, the UConnect radio that comes with Dodge sucks just as much, or even more.

 

[baxterdown]

Fe298,

We own a 2011 X and a 2011 Grand Cherokee. We shopped the GC against the Durango and sans the third row found them to be very comparable. Here are my likes and dislikes of both:

Explorer Likes
- Steering
- Technology
- Park assist (self-parking)
- Dynamic rearview camera guides
- Power-folding mirrors
- Ambient lighting
- Seat comfort

Explorer Dislikes
- Interior materials. It's a sea of plastic in there...
- Black headliner. Comes with it no matter which color interior you have. It makes the interior feel cavernous.
- Split moonroof.
- MyFord Touch. Don't get me started!

Grand Cherokee Likes
- Seating position (you sit much higher, it reminds me of our old ML350 -- I wonder why!)
- Wheels
- Panorama roof
- Interior (the GC's interior materials are truly exquisite)

Grand Cherokee Dislikes
- The spray-painted look on the Saddle leather
- MyGig (GC should have come with the new Chrysler system. That N730 RHR system is so old school...)
- Green ambient lighting. That was a shocker! All press photos show blue. We were blown away the first time we drove the car at night.

I think you are right on the money with your thoughts about both. It's gonna be a matter of personal preference or availability. You said that you're not willing to wait months; Explorers are hard to come by and most people are having to order because dealers have little or no inventory. Durangos are readily available.

If you decide to go with the Durango, look into a membership with Tread Lightly (http://www.treadlightly.org/page.php/chrysler_discount). Members pay 1% below invoice, no haggling. We went that way and it was great!

 

[donm527]

Really comes down to personal preference... but good to hear others reasonings and compare them to yours

For me, I chose the X for a number of reasons but a big reason with asthetics... so offroad ability and towing capacity was not the main reason.

Just love the strong lines of the X from practically all angles. I think it looks better than the Pilot and Highlander that I was shopping against. The interior is more car-like than the others and just seems they really designed it around the new platform than an afterthought like I thought they did with the Highlander or 4Runner.

I kind of think that the current X has the looks outside and inside that compares more to the Land Rover and the BMW X3-X5 than the highlander or pilot and has the drive quality like them but at my lower budget level. Poor mans Land Rover

The Durango lines dont seem very exciting... Clean, soft lines in general... except for the front grill that does nothing for me. I was considering the Jeep Grand Cherokee near the end cause I did like the lines and interior if I couldnt get the X with the options I wanted in my budget.

Eh, just opinion.

 

[GregV8]

It's gonna be a matter of personal preference or availability. You said that you're not willing to wait months; Explorers are hard to come by and most people are having to order because dealers have little or no inventory. Durangos are readily available.

If you decide to go with the Durango, look into a membership with Tread Lightly (http://www.treadlightly.org/page.php/chrysler_discount). Members pay 1% below invoice, no haggling. We went that way and it was great!

Um maybe I wasn't clear but I got the Explorer already! Picked it up earlier this week. I'm loving it.
(The tread lightly offer sounds interesting and had I known about it it may have changed my approach. That said, I got a pretty decent discount on the X too.)

 

[baxterdown]

Sorry Greg, I meant the OP. I'm gonna fix my post now

 

[GregV8]

Just love the strong lines of the X from practically all angles. I think it looks better than the Pilot and Highlander that I was shopping against. The interior is more car-like than the others and just seems they really designed it around the new platform than an afterthought like I thought they did with the Highlander or 4Runner.

I kind of think that the current X has the looks outside and inside that compares more to the Land Rover and the BMW X3-X5 than the highlander or pilot and has the drive quality like them but at my lower budget level. Poor mans Land Rover

The Durango lines dont seem very exciting... Clean, soft lines in general... except for the front grill that does nothing for me. I was considering the Jeep Grand Cherokee near the end cause I did like the lines and interior if I couldnt get the X with the options I wanted in my budget.

Eh, just opinion.

Very interesting, may be worth a separate thread.
I was considering exactly those vehicle .... Started out with BMW X3/X5. I don't think they are overpriced, just couldn't afford them, especially the X5.
Looked at Highlander and almost fell asleep in the showroom - boring.
Durango doesn't look as exciting... but nice interior.

 

[RandyH2]

I test drove both the Durango w/ Hemi and Explorer Limited AWD back-to-back. Here are some thoughts:
- Explorer interior looks better to me, but both are "nice enough"
- Durango seats were slippery and not as comfortable.
- Durange 2nd row seats were uncomfortable, poorly padded
- Durango had nice power and engine sound
- Explorer felt less truck-like in steering
- Durango was very nosiy over cracks, joints, etc. in pavement. A bad "thump" sound
- Explorer stereo sounded much better than over-bass Durango stereo. I could not get the Durango to sound even decent. Bass booming all the time, even with bass level set to minimum.
- Body style is personal preference. I think the Durango may be a bit larger inside?
- 5 Speed transmission in Durango was a disappointment, but only because of the "it's not as advanced" thought.

I chose the Explorer but I don't anticipate any serious off-road use. Dirt roads, camping, towing but no rock crawling.

 

[GTMD]

I'll be honest,I am Ford all the way,but I do like to look at Ford's competition.My opinion of the Durango is that it is a well designed and Looks great.Things I did notice,the old tech with a five speed transmission,less gas milage.One thing I really have a problem with is why you would put the battery in the passenger compartment,under the passenger seat.

 

[SeaFoam]

All you need to know

 

[ATLcanuck]

Surprised no one else on this thread mentioned they were considering the Acura MDX as well. We wanted 3 rows, and for us it came down to the MDX and the Ex. And at the end of the day, we couldn't find $7-10K worth of difference in the cars...and I actually liked the styling of the Ex much better.

Oh, and to the original poster...were your friends who cautioned you against buying a "fake" SUV that was really just FWD, were their names perchance "Thaywood" or "Jaswood"??

 

[fe298]

I am just trying to get input from all sources. One of my main concerns is towing. I know with the Explorer I can go up 5000 pounds and with the boat I tow sometimes this would put me near that limit. With the Durango I believe I can go up to 7400 pounds. It's a little puzzling why Ford doesn't offer a V-8 in this. I asked a salemen at a local ford dealer and he said let me check then came back and said no it's not offered. He said maybe next model year they are always making changes. I know next year the Durango is supposed to get a 8 speed transmission. So now I am thinking maybe I should just wait for the 2012's to come out and see whats new. So these are my concerns I don't really care about offroad capability as I never go offroad and if I did I wouldn't buy either one of these. I would get a Grand Cherokee.

 

[RandyH2]

I wonder what the engineered overage is on towing with the Explorer, and what the limiting factor is on it. It can't be the power of the engine as my X5 has something like 220 HP and a tow rating of 6,000 pounds.