Possible tow vehicle purchase. (Revised)

[scot71]

My wife and I are looking at possibly purchasing a 2016 Dodge Durango with the v6 for a part time tow vehicle for our '04 sx230. I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with this setup. It currently doesnt have the tow package, but I'll be making the necessary upgrades to bring it to the 6200# tow capacity.
Thanks for any input.

 

[Nickp98]

I have a 17' Durango R/T.. It tows my AR240 perfectly. Mine does have the V8 but the Durango itself feel very solid with my boat behind it. I would recommend the factory tow package if you could find one.

 

[scot71]

Thanks @Nickp98 From what the dealership told me. All the tow package consists of is the hitch and wiring and an upgraded radiator. I think I could do all the upgrades for about $500. I'd probably add some kind of rear suspension levelling kit also. I guess I'm more curious about whether the v6 with the 8 speed tranny would have enough power for towing. Mind you, this would only be a part time tow vehicle. The truck would still be the primary tow vehicle.

 

[Nickp98]

IMO I think you would be fine. Your still comfortably under the max cap of the Durango with the V6. The V6 has plenty of power to move your boat around.

 

[2kwik4u]

I tow my ar190 with both a V6 and healthy V8 in similar sized GM vehicles.

If I have the choice I take the V8. The V6 does OK but not great. Lots and lots of revs to pull hills.

The 230 is a bit heavier as well.....I wouldn't do it with my V6 powered SUV.

 

[Beachbummer]

If you are looking to keep the car long term, I would suggest considering a transmission cooler. It will improve the life of the transmission.

 

[scot71]

If you are looking to keep the car long term, I would suggest considering a transmission cooler. It will improve the life of the transmission.

The upgraded radiator has a larger tranny cooler, but I would probably look into an aftermarket external cooler.

 

[Pinhacker71]

I tow my 2016 242 lse with my 2014 Durango v6 sometimes. It works fine but like my ram 1500 hemi for long tows. Towed it 4 hrs round trip with Durango and it did fine. Looking to get v8 Durango for next car for added hp.

 

[Betik]

@MrMoose towed his AR240 on the artic cycle with one, so he will probably chime in and give you some advice.

 

[MrMoose]

@Pinhacker71, as @Betik sort of suggested, I towed my '15 AR240 from Houston to Ft. Lauderdale a couple times with my '12 Durango R/T 2wd. No problem pulling the boat at all. I would have purchased another Durango R/T, but I wanted something with more room for road trips, so I went with a '17 Nissan Armada, which although much larger than the Durango, the Armada got 4 mpg more while towing.
I really loved my R/T. People don't believe me when I tell them that it had original brakes when I sold it (just under 80K miles), but I have to admit that for the last year of ownership, I really babied the brakes because I didn't want the expense of replacing them just before selling it. The Mercedes platform of the Durango really makes a difference in my opinion.

 

[scot71]

Well, we picked this beauty up Friday night. Not exactly ready to tow yet but upgrades will begin soon.

 

[Barry]

I have been pulling my 05 SR230 with a 2014 V6 Durango Limited and have not had any issues going on 4 seasons now. We have similar boats and I took mine to a local scale finding it weighs 4,640 pounds all fueled up and ready for a day on the lake, which gives a decent margin from the 6,200 tow capacity. I have the factory tow package and haven't seen any issues. I watch the transmission and oil temps while towing and have found the transmission temps stays pretty much the same as compared to not towing the boat and the oil temp will occasionally go up when going up long hills but then comes down right away. Last year I towed it from outside Philly down to Lake Anna and had no issues. While there are obviously other vehicles that tow better, I have liked my Durango overall as our family vehicle and it does the job just fine in towing the boat. From the pictures it looks like we have the same color, I don't see too many blue Durango's out there for some reason.

 

[1WetBoat]

View attachment 62858 Well, we picked this beauty up Friday night. Not exactly ready to tow yet but upgrades will begin soon.

Make sure you get the factory hitch, factory tow harness and not an aftermarket. With the aftermarket you will be limited to the lower tow rating. Also, if i'm not mistaken, the larger radiator requires a different fan which might not be compatible with your current ECU.

 

[scot71]

We're having the radiator changed along with tweeking the computer. I'll check on the fan, thanks for the heads up.
Im definitely going to get a factory hitch and wiring harness.

 

[Shuck Water]

Almost 4 years with my Durango R/T. Still love it, but wow the new Durango SRT looks pretty sweet.

 

[2kwik4u]

I'm shopping for a new tow vehicle currently. You guys are making it hard to not pursue a Durango in my search. Trying to find a 2014 or newer with AWD, the R/T trim, center row bench, and sunroof is like finding a needle in haystack. Found a couple, but they are all over 250 miles away. Wife isn't enthused about travelling to get another vehicle (I imported my last one to southern IN from Winnipeg )

 

[Shuck Water]

All I can say is that when we live in a world where Tahoes are over $60k, the Durango is a solid choice new or used!

 

[jcyamaharider]

Very nice Scott!!!! Is this a Segway to a camper?

 

[scot71]

Very nice Scott!!!! Is this a Segway to a camper?

Absolutely!

 

[2kwik4u]

Man, my neighbors have been trying hard to talk us into a camper. several of them have lots they keep year round near the local lake. Both of them also have boats (24ft Pontoon, and Centurion 237) and spend a good portion of thier time on the lake during the day. I just can't wrap my head around setting up a second home site less than an hours drive from home. I'll just come home at that point, and the permanent mounting of the camper looses some of the fun of finding new places to "play".

In other news, I'm headed to look at this 2016 Durango tomorrow to replace my POSS......Aside from ditching the fender hash marks ASAP, any thoughts?!?!