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dslc6487's avatar
dslc6487
Explorer
Dec 20, 2015

Durango Hybrid or Aspen Hybrid

Anyone out there in tow land using a Dodge Durango Hybrid or a Chrysler Aspen Hybrid as a tow vehicle? Or, does anyone out there have any experience with either of these hybrids whether towing or not. Looking at maybe buying one of these to tow a small travel trailer and carry several passengers. Any help will be greatly appreciated.
  • Really interesting vehicles but they were a short lived collaboration with GM and BMW during the Daimler days. I'd be a little concerned about winding up with an orphan.

    Chrysler is heavily committed to the ZF 8 spd and their own 9 spd version of the same transmission. If they go the hybrid route again, I suspect it will be using that transmission instead of a CVT. Audi and VW style.
  • A big limitation for such hybrids, is very poor payload capacities.
    SUVs generally have low payload capacities but hybrid SUVs are even worse due to the hybrid batteries weight.

    IMHO, purchasing a hybrid for towing is a bad idea.
    Maybe a popup/A-frame trailer.
  • I wasn't even aware of this model so I did a little research. There were less than 1000 of these made, and while they get significantly better mpg than the non-hybrid model, they use technology that is not mainstream in the hybrid world. Chrysler techs are likely to be clueless in how to work on them and parts are said to be very expensive. You are likely to spend much more in repairs than you would save in fuel.
  • I think that was a short product run that did not sell many units.

    Interested to hear the feedback though.