2011 Dodge Durango R/T Hemi RWDWhereas its Jeep cousin perpetuates that brand’s dirt fetish, the Durango pursues sport in a different discipline. The two trucks’ suspension layouts are the same, but the Dodge is longer than the Jeep by a full 10 inches, with an extra five between its axles. Additionally, the Durango’s shock and spring rates are stiffer, and it has larger anti-roll bars. The R/T further stiffens the shocks and springs and lowers the ride height by 0.8 inch. Like the Heat and Citadel trims, the R/T includes 20-inch Dodge wheels.All that stiffening paid off. The Durango is a handler, with minimal body roll—particularly for something so tall. It’s also very well balanced. Note that the RWD’s 50/50- and AWD’s 51/49-percent front-to-rear weight distributions are the sort of figures that get us excited about sports sedans. There’s a touch of understeer at the limit, and a delightful enthusiasm for rotation, which is easy to control and rein in with the all-wheel-drive system or prolong without it. The AWD R/T proved to be slightly better on the skidpad, where we recorded 0.81 g of stick compared with 0.79 g for the rear-driver.
