[Updated] There have been no shortage of spy shots, teaser photos and even trademark sketches to be had showing the 2011 Durango SUV, but today Dodge finally came out with full blown pictures and initial specs on its brand-new 7-seater crossover that’s scheduled to arrive in U.S. showrooms in the fourth quarter of 2010 competing against the likes of Ford’s new Explorer.
Even though it makes use of an older name, the 2011 Durango is all-new inside and out. Under the fresh sheetmetal you’ll find the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee’s unibody structure and the same engine options including a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 and a 5.7-liter HEMI engine with the Chrysler Group’s Multi-displacement system (MDS) four-cylinder mode.
Both powerplants are available with all-wheel drive with Dodge claiming a towing capability of 7,400 lbs with the optional V8 HEMI and 6,200 lbs with the standard V6.
Aside from a brief glimpse of the instrument panel and the steering wheel with the brand’s new logo, Dodge has not offered us any other photos of the interior, which can accommodate seven passengers in three rows of seats in a 2+3+2 layout. However, the company does state in the press release that “Durango passengers will feel materials that are refined and soft to the touch” throughout the cabin and that there are 22 different seating configurations offering “plenty of room to store and move plenty of people and their gear.”
Dodge said that standard features across the range will include front seat-mounted side air bags, side-curtain air bags that cover passengers in all three rows, as well as all-new active head restraints, and an Electronic Stability Control system.
Available safety and security technologies will include Blind-spot Monitoring, Rear Cross Path detection, Forward Collision Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control and Keyless Enter-n’ Go.
The new Durango will be manufactured at the company’s Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit, Michigan. Further details and photos are to be released at a later date.
