After an accident totaled out their old SUV that they used as a third car, they decided to get a new vehicle to replace it. It needed to be roomy, have the same utility as the SUV, and get acceptable MPGs. The first thing on their list was the GL320 BlueTEC, but they proved to be too expensive. The Tahoe and Yukon SUVs were off the list due to their third row of seating that doesn't fold flat. The Highlander hybrid wasn't robust/big enough. The Pilot, Explorer, and Grand Cherokee were considered, but were all wrong for various reasons. So... Today they became owners of a Dodge Durango 2mode Hybrid. A 399hp Hemi-powered fullsize SUV that gets 20/22mpg (a 62% improvement over their old SUV)? Neat-o. Shame they're out of production. This one was one of the last around. Among the hybrids, it's definitely rare and esoteric. They're excited!
chrome, you are an absolute genius my friend...... Time for me to start wearing my parents down on a hybrid!
^ Thanks. I really didn't want them to get the Pilot, which seemed like a front runner. I called Chrysler and was able to get them an additional rebate. It wasn't a lot, but it definitely helped. In the end, the Durango did everything right, and the [substantially reduced] price was reasonable. I think the Aspen looked better, but finding a hybrid one of those proved even more difficult. As I said, it's a rare bird, so it'll be fun to see how it does. Unlike the Prius, I'm sure finding other owners to chat about it will be a challenge.
Since the Durango Hybrid shares the same 2-mode hybrid system as GM's Tahoe Hybrid, Escalade Hybrid and Yukon Hybrid, as well as the BMW X6 ActiveHybrid, those owners you can definitely compare notes with, since most of the operating characteristics should be very similar.
That's an understatement! It was dead before shortly after arrival, only produced for a few months by Chrysler. Two-Mode works fine, but is way too expensive and scale down as promised. So, there's little market opportunity for it. .
