2018 Dodge Durango Fuel Economy REVIEW
Crossovers with a four-cylinder under the hood are more efficient, but the Durango’s V-6 is still competitive with other V-6–powered rivals. In our highway fuel-economy test, the V-8–powered Durango R/T surprised us by outperforming its EPA rating (and even its own V-6–powered variant) as well as the lighter and more modern GMC Acadia V-6.
What’s New for 2018?
The 2018 Durango’s fuel-economy ratings are the same as those of the 2017 model. As such, we expect the 2018 model to perform similarly in our real-world testing.
2017 Dodge Durango
While the V-6 Durango’s fuel efficiency is on par with some of its V-6–powered rivals, the story isn’t as rosy when you compare the Durango with its four-cylinder rivals. Ratings of 19 mpg city and 26 mpg highway for rear-wheel-drive Durangos and 18 mpg city and 25 mpg highway with all-wheel drive aren’t terrible, but as the industry downsizes engine displacement and adds turbochargers, the Durango falls behind. The Durango V-6 matches the GMC Acadia V-6 on the highway in front- and all-wheel-drive versions of both vehicles. The Honda Pilot is slightly more efficient thanks to its nine-speed automatic transmission, but that feature is available only on top-spec Touring and Elite models. Lesser trims make do with a six-speed automatic and return the same 18 mpg city as the Durango and Acadia.
The Durango’s optional V-8 is thirstier, earning EPA ratings of 14 mpg city and 22 mpg highway with either rear- or all-wheel drive. Its V-8 power does give it a significant advantage in the towing department: A maximum rating of 7400 pounds for the V-8 with rear-wheel drive places the Durango way ahead of the class.
We’ve devised our own fuel economy test in an attempt to replicate how most people drive on the highway. Our procedure entails a 200-mile out-and-back loop on Michigan’s I-94 highway. Our test drivers maintain a GPS-verified 75 mph, using the cruise control as much as possible, mimicking the way many drivers behave during long trips.
In our testing of a V-6 GT model with all-wheel drive, we recorded a disappointing 22 mpg on our 200-mile highway fuel-economy loop, 3 mpg lower than the EPA’s highway rating. Curiously, our V-8–powered, all-wheel-drive R/T test vehicle returned 23 mpg on our test loop, besting its EPA rating by 1 mpg. In fact, the V-8 Durango outperformed an all-wheel-drive, V-6–powered Acadia on the same loop; the Acadia saw a disappointing 20 mpg, 5 mpg less than its EPA estimate.
Based on our testing, the Durango with all-wheel drive and the V-6 should provide 540 miles of highway cruising thanks to its large 24.6-gallon fuel tank. However, the V-8–powered Durango, which managed to outpace the supposedly more efficient V-6, should provide a longer range of 570 miles.