Durango Hybrid
There was an article in my local paper written by Steven Cole Smith of The Orlando Sentinel. The title was “Durango hybrid a big step.” It’s true. The 2009 Dodge Durango Hybrid is awesome! Chrysler and General Motorsworked together to develop the hybrid system for the Durango. GM’s version of this car was debuted last year as the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid and the GMC Yukon Hybrid. The GM’s cars are more expensive. The Tahoe hybrid starts at $54,210 with shipping, which is $8870 more than the Durango Hybrid.
The Dodge Durango hybrid will be debuted with its “corporate twin” the Chrysler Aspen Hybrid. Soon, Chyrsler will be introducing the 2009 Ram full-sized pickup that is a hybrid as well. The Durango has an electric air conditioner, electric power steering pump, and an electric fans that cool the radiator. New regular cars have many diagnostic checks that the car performs on itself, well the Durango Hybrid has all of these “standard” checks as well as 600 more! That’s pretty unbelievable. According to Smith, “To say this is a sophisticated vehicle is an understatement.”
Here are some specs for the Dodge Durango Hybrid. The city gas mileage is 19 mpg, and the highway is 20. This hybrid only costs about $3000 more than the gas-driven model. There is also an $1800 tax credit for buyers of the hybrid, so the extra cost is only $1200. That’s a big bonus! You will make up that price in a few years, with the gas mileage savings. So, here’s the price…..it’s a little steep, but worth it for the sophistication of the Durango, right?…..fully loaded $45,340 (including shipping.) The Durango Hybrid has a 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 engine with 385 horsepower. So far, so good, people that have test driven this vehicle really like it. Hybrids are becoming more of the norm, so people may not mind spending a little more. We shall see.