Recently, I reserved a premium car at Enterprise for a trip back to the old state. I made this mistake once before and received a shitty Ford Explorer. I did not count it against Enterprise, as the kind gentleman at the service counter mentioned the Passat I would have had was in the shop for electrical problems. Unfortunately, this was not a one off event and Enterprise issued me a steaming pile of goat dung in the form of a Dodge Durango.

performance (or lack thereof)

Conveniently, the roughly 10,000 pound Durango came with Chrysler’s weakest and most pathetic six cylinder engine. Because my travel itinerary included driving across the Appalachians and stopping in two cities with substantial hills, this was a complete disaster. Exacerbating the issue was the slushbox’s refusal to down shift as the truck lost speed going up inclines.

Steering feel was atrocious. I have been on sailboats that were more responsive.

Complementing the feeling free steering was a pillowy suspension, which made the SUV feel like it was about to tip over when provoked by the slightest change in direction.

Stopping power provided by the brakes was acceptable for a vehicle of this size, however advance planning was required.

positive characteristics

Lest the Prizzo Skeezy be accused of lacking fairness and balance, the Dodge Durango did exhibit the following good traits:

• Impossible to get a speeding ticket;
• Hauls a fuckton of crap; and
• Fun to drive across creeks.

inevitable conclusion

The Dodge Durango is not recommended. Even with the optional Hemi, this SUV would still be a dog, as simply adding more power would not address the atrocious handling. However, the Durango was useful on this specific trip for hauling several people around northwestern Pennsylvania and dragging loads of stuff at the same time. I still would have preferred the premium car I reserved.