Dodge Durango offers an imposing presence in rearview mirrors with its big crosshair grille and shotgun headlights. Redesigned for 2004, the Durango takes styling cues come from the 1946 Dodge Power Wagon.
Durango's big-rig look is accentuated by its short hood. That short hood leads into a steeply raked windshield and sloping roof. The windshield is aerodynamically efficient and offers good visibility. The fender flares resemble those of a semi. The front fenders make the hood look as narrow as it is short.
The roofline slopes briefly downward at the rear, and the liftgate window curves in to meet it. This reduces that boxy look common on so many SUVs and minivans. Durango's taillights are distinctive as well, looking like afterburners from a jet fighter with two big red stacked circles per side. The sheet metal is molded around them to suggest speed.
Chrysler has an expensive new wind tunnel at its headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and it was used extensively with the Durango to reduce wind noise. The aerodynamics are fine tuned, including the mirrors and the subtle ducktail at the trailing edge of the hood under the wipers, for reducing wind noise over the windshield. The motor mounts were calibrated to reduce the frequencies and harmonics of each engine. The windows have an extra layer of lamination to deaden sound. Foam is injected into many of the body and chassis crannies, which would otherwise serve as tiny echo chambers.
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