Dodge Durango as a TV

I bought a 2013 Durango w/ the 5.7 V8, AWD. Its the R/T model. My trailer is about 4100 lbs dry so maybe a bit over 5000 loaded up. I just took it out on its maiden voyage after breaking in the engine for about 1500 miles. It pulled the trailer easily most of the time, I went up a lot of mountain roads and it did well on all but the steepest of the inclines where is stayed in a lower gear and topped out about 50mph. Other than those couple of hills it pulled up the others fine.

What I am regretting now though is for us we prefer to boondock and the Durango does not have running boards or any sort of mud flaps so I got a lot of small scratches on my lower rocker panels, I am sure a lot would have been avoided had I slowed under 25mph on the dirt/gravel roads but I now wonder if say a Tahoe or Armada may have been a better choice as they sit a tad higher and have the option of mud flaps and running boards. Of course the Durango R/T has a more aggressive stance than other Durangos or SUV's in general but for us its a great vehicle for what we need it for the other 98% of the time so I decided to compromise and just slow down on those type of roads instead of getting something else.

I would not mind a truck but my wife is convinced she likes the smaller feel of driving the new Durango and we NEED a SUV and not a pickup. I love the vehicle, i just cringe thinking about gravel/dirt roads now.

IMO, it's all in the numbers:
What Can I Tow?

Does the new Durango (with your regular load) have the specs to tow your camper?

We towed a 3500 pound pop-up with our '03 Durango. I'm fairly positive we were overloaded on payload/GVWR, but never had the setup weighed. (In fact, I didn't have any idea about weights like I do now.)

I don't understand the desire for 3 rows of seats with 2 people and some dogs. Isn't the truck bed useful for camping? Dirty stuff, wet stuff,, bikes, grill, etc. I lost the pickup vs. SUV on the current TV and miss my pickup bed.

Durango would be fine for towing.

Thanks for your feedback. I wish they'd bring back the Dakota sized truck.

I use an '05 Dodge Dakota, and I believe it is very similar to the Durango. We tow a 25' TT, which weighs around 5,000 lbs loaded. Truck has a 4.7 V-8 and tow package with 3.92 r/e. The tow rating for this vehicle is 7,200 lbs. We've had absolutely no trouble up and down the east coast including the North Carolina mountains. Camp on!

Glad you asked the question. I am also considering a 2014 Dodge Durango to tow my 3500 lb. trailer. Seems to me that the new 8- speed transmission would be perfect for towing. Very interested to see the responses.

Bruce

The new Durango will make a good tow vehicle, we love ours!