1998 Dodge Durango Test Drive
Dodge dealers pleaded with Chrysler for a sport-utility-vehicle since the demise of the full-size 2-door Ramcharger in 1994. However, Chrysler’s Jeep division was doing such a good job of moving SUVs that there seemed no logical reason to let Dodge have one and possibly cannibalize sales. For 1998, Dodge dealers finally had their wish granted in the form of the all-new Durango.
Based on a modified truck chassis from the Dakota pickup, the Durango was larger and had more available power than compact SUVs, including the Ford Explorer. (A new-for-1998 Grand Cherokee matched the Durango with the same V8 power plant.) It was also smaller and perhaps more nimble on its feet than the full-size Chevrolet Tahoe and Ford Expedition. It was a logical payoff, but the automaker had little to lose in a market that swallowed up every SUV in sight.
1990: Dodge Originally Planned to Share the ZJ Platform for the First Durango?
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