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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Getting a Durango as my next TV and have ??
    Posted: 31 Oct 2018 at 4:29pm

DISCLAIMER: I don't own either of the vehicles mentioned. However, FWIW, I think the thought of "future proofing" is good. You never know that you may want a bigger/heavier camper at some point. I vote for the Hemi.

Also, let me think for a moment    ...... "When was the last time that I heard someone complain that their tow vehicle had too much power?" ...... NEVER!

Good luck in your purchase.

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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 Oct 2018 at 4:47pm
+1. But, I do hear complaints sometimes about fuel burn not towing, although none of those folks seem to be willing to give up any hp. Anyhow, i'm the wrong guy to ask, my daily driver is a Prius Thumbs Up. The Highlander is our big gas guzzler. 
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Posts: 3419 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 Oct 2018 at 4:52pm
+1 David, when I bought Pod I went big on tow vehicle, just in case the Pod was not my wife's answer. I didn't want to upgrade both TT and TV.
Mike Carter
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Posts: 2627 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 Oct 2018 at 11:02pm
I still think any of those engines will be fine as long as you have the tow package. The RWD will get you 99% of where most people want to go. Ours is 4WD simply because where we have to turn around and back up our driveway is about a 23% slope. When it's wet, single axle drive will not cut it.
bp
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Nov 2018 at 5:02am
The AWD vs. 2WD debate is where you'll see things play out along geographic lines. If you live in coastal CA or AZ why have AWD/4WD unless you're a skier or off roader? I had a 4WD when I lived there and never used that capability, not once. 

But if you live in or travel to snow country its a different story. I would never want to have to drive a RWD vehicle, especially not a pickup truck, in the Northeast in winter.  Forget trying to drive that in the snow. I would own a FWD daily driver (not for towing) because they get much better traction, but even then only if I also had an AWD for bad conditions. And bad conditions extend to wet summer conditions too. It rains a lot more in the east and south year round so you encounter mud much more often than in the west. 

In TX you're kinda between, like I am here in NC. So it depends on local conditions and on conditions where you travel in winter, or if you plan to travel wet unsurfaced roads in summer. And when in doubt, the solution is to get the AWD. Can't go wrong. 
  
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Posts: 2627 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Nov 2018 at 8:31am
It's not AWD vs 2WD, it was AWD vs RWD for a tow vehicle. In this case the Durango's 2WD mode is RWD, which I consider ideal for a tow vehicle 99% of the time.

And when I lived in Minnesota, I got along just fine with RWD. If you know what you're doing, you can do very well.

BTW - I live in coastal California, and I use 4WD pretty much once a week. I have to use it every time we back our pod into our driveway. We get snow about once a year, and it lasts maybe an hour or two; so it's not snow so much as it's steep and slippery surfaces.
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Nov 2018 at 9:03am
If the vehicle is used 100% for towing maybe but most folks use their vehicles for multiple purposes.  I don't know anyone who would prefer to drive a RWD vehicle in the snow vs AWD. You can make it work, just like you can make FWD towing work, but it ain't fun or pretty. 
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Posts: 1407 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Nov 2018 at 10:33am
Originally posted by mcarter

+1 David, when I bought Pod I went big on tow vehicle, just in case the Pod was not my wife's answer. I didn't want to upgrade both TT and TV.


My wife loves our 179, so I don't have that issue.
Alan
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Posts: 1214 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Nov 2018 at 1:58pm
   We have a Ram quad cab with the 5.7 Hemi and the old 6 speed transmission around town and rural driving we get 21 mpg and towing our Vibe we get 12 to 13 mpg. I would go with the 5.7 it has the advantage of dropping to 4 cyl when the power is not needed. On rural roads and small hills the 5.7 stays in 4 cyl mode when towing our Vibe. With the newer 8 speed transmission your gas mileage would be better and the Hemi 5.7 what I have read has a longer life span than the 3.6 Pentastar. The 5.7 is a better hard working engine for towing. The 3.6 Pentastar engine is a good engine but I think it is better suited for passenger cars that are not used for towing. This is my opinion not having owned the 3.6 only having the experience of the 5.7.
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Posts: 1407 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Nov 2018 at 4:37pm
Thanks for all the input. I've decided that AWD is more important than a V8 at this juncture, so given the budget I had allotted myself, I'm going with a 2019 Durango GT Plus AWD with 3.6L V6. Even that is slightly over budget, but I can manage.

I will probably use our E2 hitch on it, mainly for the built-in anti-sway without the caveats of a friction sway bar. As my wife pointed out, the sway control built into the Durango only helps after sway starts, whereas the E2 will help prevent it from starting in the first place.
Alan
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