i picked a v6 because in my area in the used market, any one with a v8 was at least an 8-9k premium. To me, that was just too much. I got my 11 crew v6 for 21k OTD, and the cheapest v8 I could find in my area was 26k (plus ttl) and had 20-30k more miles

I am much happier with my v6 now that I got an exhaust on it (see my other threads), but I wasn't unhappy with it before either

 

curb weight for 2012 crew v6 RWD is 4838
2012 Dodge Durango Crew 4dr SUV 3.6L V6 FFV 5-speed Automatic Features and Specs

curb weight for 2012 crew v6 AWD is 4987
2012 Dodge Durango Crew 4dr SUV 3.6L V6 FFV AWD 5-speed Automatic Features and Specs

curb weight for 2012 R/T RWD is 5133
2012 Dodge Durango R/T 4dr SUV 5.7L V8 6-speed Automatic Features and Specs

curb weight for 2012 R/T AWD is 5331
2012 Dodge Durango R/T 4dr SUV 5.7L V8 AWD 6-speed Automatic Features and Specs

 

Thanks for the input! No buyer's remorse here. Definitely interesting to see the weight differences

 

The V6 with less weight over the front wheels should be a little more responsive in the handling dept.
1 sec to 60 might not sound like a lot but at 60mph your traveling 88 ft. every second so the Hemi will be ahead when you merge.
Also consider the Hemi is running a higher rear gear..3.09 vs the 3.45 in the V6.
Put the 3.45 rear in a Hemi and it just would not even be fair.
Some like the sound and the Hemi does have a proven reliability record with 7 straight years on Ward's 10best list.

However, I love the Pentastar and agree with you the V6 is plenty of 98-99% of the time.
Only if you're towing a large boat/trailer long distance should you need the Hemi as the V6 is just that good.

 

With gas prices down to 1.89/gallon here, I certainly have some buyers remorse.. I wish i would have waited just a few more weeks. the v6 power is plenty like others have said.. but a hemi is a hemi. I would have gladly paid the extra 2-3k for a bigger motor if gas prices were back into the 4 dollar range. It sucks because mines only a month old

 

I would have gladly paid the extra 2-3k for a bigger motor if gas prices were back into the 4 dollar range. It sucks because mines only a month old

They'll be back there soon enough....

 

$1.89? Man, I gotta get out of NY

 

I feel you Boomer. Maybe I'm just getting old but, Long Island doesn't appeal to me the way it used to. I'm stuck here till kids are done with school. After that I think it's gonna be adios amigos.

 

Until I sold my business early last year, I couldn't live without a truck and needed the towing capacity. With my current job, I need fuel economy and room for 6 people. Sadly, my D get the same if not better mpg than my Ford Escape hybrid that I had for a sales vehicle at my company. I do love the sound of a raspy hemi, but I'll pick up something like an 06 Ram that I can make more of a toy. My 13 ram was supposed to be decent on gas but in reality, I had to drive like an old lady just to get 16 mpg. When I'm driving the D hard, I'm still getting about 20 mpg

 

$2.81 for premium here! V6 makes a lot more sense mpg wise. But my biggest consideration getting the V8 was that the V6 has chrysler built trannys vs ZF built trannys for the V8. That and it seems that the V6 trans has more issues then the v8 trans. The other thing was i wanted more power .

 

 

Nothing but love for the pentastar. Has plenty of get up and go. First Durango I ever drove was a '11 model Crew as a rental for two weeks and I loved it. My wife's Cherokee has the 3.2 version which is a fantastic engine so far.

Since I was coming out of a car with 5.7 I had this mental thing about wanting to stick with the 5.7...that and I wanted the sportier suspension. Depending on what happens with gas here in SoCal, I may one day regret my decision to stay V8...but right now I love the car even though it feels like a heavy pig (and I owned a challenger!!!)

With all these CAFE standards, who knows how much longer big V8s will exist on the consumer market...They aren't going any time soon, but one day they might.

 

hey, stop crying guys. $3.29 for regular in hawaii. lol. i never did test drive the hemi, so no buyer's remorse here. I was more concerned with mpg's. I'm stoked with my purchase.

 

I drove both and went with the V6 but I really wanted and still want the RT. Not for speed as much because let's face it, we're not lining up to prove who's boss at a red light with a durango (NA). I wanted the RT for looks, sound, and because I just like that it's basically the only midsized with a V8 in this class. The RT didn't feel that much faster but it felt good!

 

In ma I'm paying 2.50 ish for regular still, so mpg matters to me. I also had no interest in getting an awd rt. If I was going to get an rt I'd order a rwd and drive on nice days. The 06 reg cab short bed ram I had was flat out nuts with the mods I did but was virtually unusable when the ground was wet.

 

I never got the chance to test drive the Hemi i would've loved to but i couldn't. Here in NorCal the cheapest gas that i found has been at 2.59 yesterday. Honestly if i would've gone with the Hemi but all the city driving that i do would have drained my pockets a bit to fast.
But I love my pentastar this is the second one i own.
first one 3.7L on 03 jeep liberty renegade and now my 14 durango

 

$1.87 in NJ today for regular
STEVE

 

Yeah but you gotta wait for someone else to fill'er up in NJ don'tcha? Hats the way it was when I lived there...

 

WAIT?? Pull in the guy fills it who cares $1.87 and I dont get dirty hands ...lol
STEVE

 

So for real? Still can't pump your own gas in NJ?

 

I don't live in NJ but have been there many, many times visiting family. Still full serve

 

For Real...I sometimes do on My D but why? So I pay less for Gas and dont touch it.
STEVE

 

We test drove the V6 and liked it, but with the Grand Cherokee only getting 14-15 mpg downhill with a tail wind, we decided to go with the Hemi because there was no way it would be worse! Lol

Yes, New Jersey they pump for you, but the station I go to I pump the gas.

 

It had a V6 4Runner before this. I needed a V8 in my life. Hemi was the go to w/o hesitation.

In regards to gas prices, I filled up from about an 1/8 of a tank to full for $37. $1.79 here in Lexington. I could get used to that...

 

Here in LA, we're paying about $2.75 for Plus and $2.85 for premium. When we test drove the Durango, the salesman had us test drive the R/T first and then a V6 after that. I'm fairly certain he did that on purpose so that we wouldn't even want to consider a V6 after driving one with a Hemi first and sure enough we didn't.

Our gas mileage is terrible (in the 11-15 mpg range but its 95% city driving, 10 miles roundtrip to and from work, in the hills, with about 20 stops along the way counting lights, stop signs etc). We knew before buying that our mpgs would be bad especially in comparison to the Honda Pilot we were getting rid of, but I told my wife if we're spending this much money on a vehicle to make sure its one we love to drive.

 

I looked and drove both.I considered a 14 sxt rally, but it was almost $35k and the rt ended up being $39k. For the $4-5k difference, you get so much more with the rt that it was a no-brainer. And it has a Hemi! Saw gas for $1.99 here today.

 

39k for a R/T How on earth? RWD? I'm looking at a limited v6 with only a couple extra options and the best price i can get is around 39k....

 

I drove a 12 R/T and liked but ended up buying a 14 Ralleye. Gas is down to $1.70 at some places here and I have driven from Houston to Shreveport and back on a tank of gas. The V6 is all the power most people need. I enjoy my Ralleye but of course I would love an R/T but here there is a 10-12 thousand dollars difference in price. Everybody that has every rode in the D were very impressed it was just a V6, and I do drive it hard I have found the 115ish mph limiter many times on several road trips, the 8 speed trans also makes a world of difference also. My main reason for the Ralleye was it had the looks of an R/T minus all the bells and whistles, being in the auto industry and working with high end cars, I have learned how expensive some of the creature comforts can cost when they break. It is all just a personal preference both trucks are also and I enjoy my Durango to the fullest, best purchase I have ever made.

 

I agree, the eight speed really makes all the difference. I would have gone with the ralleye I took out because I liked the look and it was granite crystal which was my first color choice. I ultimately went with the limited because it had the options I wanted and my dealer offered it at the same cost as the ralleye. Nevermind the fact that the other dealer was pulling shady stuff. I have not found the limiter yet, but am guessing the intune will remove that.

 

Oh, did I forget to mention? The Hemi is so much more powerful. I know there is only 1 second difference in 0-60 time, but the torque is what sells it. I have a 14 GC(Grand Caravan, lol), and the 3.6 is great. It's by far the fastest minivan I've ever driven, but it's no Hemi R/T.

 

Almost 2 years ago I gave up my 11' Camaro SS when my kids out grew the back seat. At the time I made a safe choice and went back to a quad cab Silverado. Buying the R/T helped restore the balance lost when I gave up speed and power for functionality. So far I have no regrets. Gas prices falling have been icing on the cake!

Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk

 

I got rid of a 11' Camaro SS myself, but not for kids. I wanted the R/T AWD for snow for now and for hauling stuff for a new house. I'm eyeing a vette or a viper in less than 10 years.

 

I had a 2014 JGC V6 before I got my R/T and I will say that the V6 is nice but it has to work very hard to get that 0-60 in 7.5sec the hemi is like butter it will take off with vigor just off idle. Had the V6 use very week in passing above 50mph my wife wife's mazda 3 would take it in a passing test. In my 20 min mixed driving drive to work I am seeing a 2 mpg difference between the two so it only costs me a few hundred dollars more a year for a lot more satisfying drive.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

 

Newbie here, but saw this topic almost immediately and I wanted to chime in. We recently purchased a 2014 SXT V6. Prior to truck, I had a HEMI Charger for a few years so I was well aware with the HEMI capabilities, but after having drove the v6 with the 8speed tranny I cant say i'm going to miss the HEMI all that much. Obviously gas mileage was a big factor, as was price - but when I was in the Charger I thought I could never live without a V8 anymore. The V6 pulls hard enough to let you know that there's some power, and the engine still has a nice growl to it.

One of the first mods I will be doing is purchashing some type of Diablo tuner to squeeze those last bits of HP/TQ out of the V6, I feel like I will be pretty happy with a little over 300hp Afterall, I bought this for comfort and features before power.

 

Very well said! Diablo tuner is my next mod. Hopefully a RT exhaust will be soon as well since mine came with a single exhaust