November 15, 2010 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - November 15, 2010 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - Buckle in and hold tight. Dodge is jumping back into the sport utility (SUV) segment with the 2011 Dodge Durango, a three-row vehicle spacious enough to carry the entire crew and performance-tuned to thrill anyone who truly loves to drive. Durango will lead the Dodge brand's new product onslaught for 2011.

From its sleek exterior design to its modern, spacious interior, and intelligent, fuel-efficient and powerful powertrain options, the 2011 Dodge Durango is all-new from the inside out. And the changes are more than skin deep. The Durango's unibody structure is more than 25 percent stiffer than its predecessor. The end result is a vehicle with crossover versatility, SUV capability and performance in a different league than its competitive class.

"Dodge Durango appeals to customers who need the versatility of a crossover and capability of an SUV, but want the refinement and characteristics of a premium performance vehicle," said Ralph Gilles, President and CEO, Dodge Brand and Senior Vice President, Design - Chrysler Group LLC. "Durango owners love to drive and relish the feelings it evokes, but also want a vehicle that stands out from the crowd and expresses their individuality."

Durango customers live busy lives. They need a vehicle that is spacious and flexible enough to haul three rows of passengers and their gear, but powerful and agile enough to keep it fun. Durango customers are looking for the perfect balance of functional versatility and luxury at an outstanding value. Durango is the only vehicle in the segment that will meet their needs.

RE-ENGINEERED FROM THE ASPHALT UP
The all-new 2011 Durango delivers excitement and refinement with world-class suspension and performance. It's a driver's SUV that delivers impressive on-road performance and capability with the flexibility of a three-row SUV.

Benchmarked against premium performance SUV's in the market, Durango delivers modernized refinement with electronics, suspension and structural characteristics that are usually found at much higher price points.

The unibody structure is built with a selection of high-strength and ultra-high-strength steels that improve driving dynamics by integrating the suspension with the body - reducing flex when compared with the previous body-on-frame design. In fact, 52 percent of the Durango's structure is made from these advanced steels. More than 5,500 welds and more than 4,100 mm of arc welding contribute to torsional stiffness levels greater than the Mercedes-Benz GL.

The all-new short/long arm front suspension and isolated multi-link rear suspension features isolated front and rear cradles for improved on-road handling and comfort.

The all-new Durango delivers on the pavement with aggressive shock and spring rates and large sway bars to handle body roll in hard turning maneuvers. Available electro-hydraulic performance steering, along with standard electronic stability control also contribute to maintain tire grip and vehicle stability.

A robust structure, impressive braking and unexpected stability contribute to the Durango's best-in-class trailer tow capability. On models equipped with the Pentastar V-6 engine, the Durango can tow up to 6,200 pounds-more than the V-6 and small V-8 that were available in the previous Durango. When coupled with the 5.7-liter HEMI® V-8 engine, the all-new Dodge Durango offers trailer-tow capability of up to 7,400 pounds-more weight than a 24-foot boat and trailer.

A drag coefficient of approximately 0.35 enables an aerodynamic improvement of more than 14 percent compared with its predecessor, contributing to quiet interior and improved fuel efficiency.

Inside, the new Durango boasts 28 different seating configurations, with as much as 85 cubic feet of cargo and storage areas, leaving plenty of legroom for passengers and gear. With second- and third-row seats folded flat, the Durango can fit a 6-foot couch with room for a coffee table, or for do-it-yourselfers, enough 10-foot 2x4s to build a tree house. Creating versatile and usable cargo space is important to the segment.

Visibility over the third row was critical. Engineering and design worked together to develop a simple solution. When the third row is empty, a single motion actuator can drop the headrests with the push of a button to increase visibility.

Every path that leads to the interior is sealed in one or more ways and joints are made as tight as possible by using sealer between panels, which expands during the paint process. Laminated glass comes standard in all models. Durango features a double wall separating the engine compartment and the vehicle cabin to limit the amount of under-hood engine noise to occupants.

TWO POWERTRAIN SYSTEMS COMPLEMENT THE DRIVING SPIRIT
The all-new Durango is available with two powertrains that provide rear-wheel-drive performance and fuel efficiency. Engines available in the all-new 2011 Dodge Durango include the flex-fuel 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 and 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 - both engines feature variable valve timing (VVT). When equipped with the Pentastar V-6, the Durango can drive more than 500 miles on a tank of gas.

3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine
The 3.6-liter V-6 engine is an all-new design, featuring double-overhead camshafts (DOHC) and a high-pressure die-cast aluminum cylinder block in a 60 degree configuration. Contributing to best-in-class V-6 towing for Durango, the engine delivers 290 horsepower (216 kW) at 6,400 rpm and 260 lb.-ft. (353 N?m) of torque at 4,800 rpm, providing customers with more than 14 percent improvement in fuel economy, a 38 percent increase in horsepower and 11 percent increase in torque over the engine it replaces. The EPA fuel economy miles per gallon (mpg) (City/Hwy) are 16/23 for rear-wheel-drive models, 16/22 for all-wheel-drive models.

5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine
The all-new 2011 Dodge Durango is also available with the legendary 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine with fuel-saver mode. The 5.7-liter delivers 360 horsepower (268 kW) and 390 lb.-ft. of torque (520 N?m) at 4,250 rpm and also features VVT. The available V-8 delivers performance, best-in-class 7,400 lbs. of towing capability and fuel efficiency. The EPA fuel economy mpg (City/Hwy) is 14/20 for rear-wheel-drive models and 13/20 for all-wheel-drive models. The 2011 Dodge Durango features two automatic transmissions and two available full-time all-wheel-drive systems (V-6 and V-8 versions). The drivelines provide smooth operation of the vehicle over a variety of road conditions. Where competitors have switched to car-based platforms, the HEMI-powered, all-wheel-drive Durango features a low-range transfer case for light off-road recreation and to ease maneuvers while towing, such as pulling a boat out of the water from a high degree launch or backing up with a trailer attached.

A PLANTED PROFILE AND AN UNFORGETTABLE INTERIOR
The all-new Dodge Durango carries the muscular body and confident personality customers expect from Dodge and surprises with all the utility and convenience designed to fulfill the needs of a three-row family or the active individual with plenty of recreational equipment.

"We took the performance car mantra from our own backyard and applied the formula to Durango," said Joe Dehner, Head of Dodge and Ram Design - Chrysler Group LLC. "The Durango and Charger were designed at the same time, allowing the bold styling from the Charger to spill over to our all-new three-row SUV."

In line with Charger, the side profile of the Durango features a powerful shape, accented by muscular fender arches and curves that flow back in through the doors, resembling the iconic shape of a "coke-bottle." The greenhouse of the car blends seamlessly into the body, completing the "double-diamond" shape. A body-color rear spoiler significantly reduces drag and adds visual drama to the side profile.

The Durango's all-new interior is a surprise owners always deserved but never expected. Created by the same interior design studio that designed the much-lauded interior in the Ram trucks and the all-new Jeep® Grand Cherokee, the Durango's upscale interior materials and thoughtful design will make owners and their crews want to jump in, hunker down and thoroughly enjoy even the longest drive. Everywhere they touch, from the steering wheel all the way back to the soft third row armrest, Durango passengers will feel materials that are refined. Not only is it a pleasure to behold, it is extremely functional and gives owners a first-class experience, regardless of the trim level. Durango's interior is also extremely comfortable for all three rows of passengers, and there's a surprising amount of interior flexibility.

The all-new instrument panel features a beautifully crafted monotone or two-tone appearance with a dark upper and lighter lower color and premium soft-touch materials for all price classes. Panel construction also features tighter gaps when compared to its predecessor and almost 50 percent fewer intersections of parts for higher fit and finish levels, giving customers "I can't believe this is mine" looks.

MORE THAN 45 SAFETY AND SECURITY FEATURES AVAILABLE
The all-new 2011 Dodge Durango offers consumers 45 safety and security features, including standard electronic stability control (ESC) that delivers three security features to improve overall vehicle stability both on- and off-road: electronic roll mitigation (ERM) reacts and applies brakes during extreme situations, while available Hill-start Assist (HSA) works with standard Trailer-sway Control (TSC) to enhance off-road and towing capabilities.

Other safety and security features available on the 2011 Dodge Durango include Blind-spot Monitoring (BSM) and Rear Cross Path (RCP) detection, which aid drivers when they're changing lanes or in parking lot situations. In addition, Durango features standard seat-mounted air bags in the front row. A side curtain air bag extends protection to all three rows. Durango also includes standard front-row active head restraints.

QUALITY IS TESTED WITH A NEW PROCESS
Chrysler Group engineers put the 2011 Dodge Durango to the test, actually thousands of tests, to ensure its performance and reliability for the long haul.

"The Dodge Durango was designed, developed and built with quality as a top priority at every stage of the process," said Doug Betts, Senior Vice President, Quality - Chrysler Group LLC. "For example, we have increased the precision and the number of evaluations of fit-and-finish, making adjustments starting with the early digital design phase. Our engineers benchmark hundreds of criteria to set and achieve aggressive targets for performance against competitors."

Beginning with the all-new models developed for the 2011 model year, Chrysler Group has significantly increased the number of reliability testing miles. Engineers tested the new Durango for the equivalent of 6 million miles during its reliability and durability evaluation in the company's scientific labs, at the proving grounds and on public roads in various climates. This builds upon the 7.5 million testing miles of the Durango's platform mate, Jeep Grand Cherokee, for a total of 13.5 million miles for the company's redesigned SUV platform.

Chrysler Group has adopted new manufacturing quality processes from its global alliance partner Fiat as part of the World Class Manufacturing (WCM) initiative. To help consistently execute these standards, the Jefferson North Assembly Plant (JNAP) in Detroit, where the Durango is built, is the first Chrysler Group assembly plant to house a Metrology Center.

The Metrology Center is a new 20,000-square-foot space within the body shop dedicated to verifying the fit of each body component and how well it conforms to the design requirement.

Quality inspections do not end once Dodge Durango SUVs reach the end of the assembly line. During the initial launch, 60 to 100 newly-built vehicles are randomly selected and driven up to 60 miles in a final verification test to make sure the customer receives top notch quality.

HIGH-TECH FEATURES KEEP PASSENGERS ENTERTAINED AND SECURE
From families taking a long road trip and needing to keep the kids entertained, to sports enthusiasts who don't want to miss the game and teens who can't live without on-line gaming, the all-new 2011 Dodge Durango offers the latest high-tech features to keep driver's eyes on the road and passengers connected. Drivers can communicate, navigate and select entertainment options with advanced voice-recognition controls. Passengers can stay entertained with the latest available features, including, SIRIUS Satellite Radio?, SIRIUS Backseat TV? and Uconnect® Web.