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As we drove the 2011 Dodge Durango last Saturday evening toward the Coors Events Center in Boulder, Jan was cheerfully recalling the days years ago when on such a drive our vehicle would have been filled with kids.

The Durango, redesigned on the same platform as the new Jeep Grand Cherokee, will haul a load of people. Not only has its wheelbase been stretched 5 inches beyond that of the Grand Cherokee, the Durango has three rows of seats. Its far-back seats are easily accessed and fairly comfortable.

The Durango’s road manners are similar to those of the well-liked Grand Cherokee, and it guided us round and round to a parking spot on the top of the four-level parking garage at CU.

We watched the Sterling Tigers outfinesse Windsor for the Class 4A state high school boys’ basketball championship, then saw Coach Ken Shaw’s Regis Raiders edge Boulder for their third-straight Class 5A title. Interestingly, the legendary Shaw was Sterling’s coach when it previously won a state basketball title in 1984.

The ’11 Durango is back on the SUV/crossover scene after production was discontinued for almost two years. Forget the SE, SLT and Limited, and welcome its new model designations of the base Express, R/T, Crew and the high-end Citadel. The midlevel Crew was lent to me.
It is the thickness of a car key short of 200 inches in overall length, which shapes up about the same as the beautiful Audi Q7.

Though offering a rather boring sideview, it is more sleekly styled than previous Durango models, somewhat distinctive with a vertical crosshair grille, 20-inch wheels and a busy-looking rear end.

Unibody construction in place of body-on-frame has allowed the Durango to shed its trucklike qualities and provide a more carlike feel, with a quiet, refined ride.

Let go of fear for the Durango’s manhood, though, for it is equipped with the wonderful 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 of 360 horsepower and will tow 7,400 pounds. With a 5-speed automatic transmission, the Durango’s acceleration is strong in all ranges. Steering is firm; understeer is noticeable on some accelerated cornering.

The all-wheel-drive Durango offers a low-range transfer case; it is not nearly so sophisticated as is the Jeep Grand Cherokee’s Selec-Terrain system.

The Hemi delivered an average of 17.9 miles per gallon; it is rated at 13/20. Base engine is Chrysler’s new 290-hp Pentastar V-6, which carries a 16/22 rating. Both engines run on regular gas.

Materials used inside the Durango are more upscale in feel and appearance than in the past, and little noise invades the cabin, as a double wall separates the engine bay from the passenger space. In a nighttime feature, the instrument gauges are ringed with red illumination. Rear cargo space is 17.2 cubic feet; fold the third-row seats into the floor and that expands to almost 48 cubic feet.

While the Durango Crew AWD carries a base price of $35,195, the review model’s sticker price swelled to $46,975 with a long list of optional amenities. Adding $5,000 was a package including a Garmin navigation, touchscreen radio media center, leather-trimmed bucket seats, power tilt/telescope steering column, heated front and second-row seats, rain-sensitive windshield wipers, SmartBeam headlamps and 20-inch polished wheels.

Among other options, besides the Hemi, were power sunroof, adaptive speed control, blind-spot detection, rear DVD entertainment and heavy-duty brakes.

Power liftgate, rearview camera, dual-zone and rear climate control, trailer-sway damping and remote start were among standard items.

Chrysler car show fortunes brighter

Struggling a year ago following bankruptcy, Chrysler flair had dimmed for the 2010 Denver Auto Show.

This spring, though, fresh off its powerful “Imported from Detroit” commercial for the Super Bowl featuring the new Chrysler 200 and Eminem, and with a half-dozen other new products, the company takes a big step back at the Colorado Convention Center.

It hopes to regain its position as one of the car-show favorites, with the aforementioned Dodge Durango and Chrysler 200, along with the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Compass, Chrysler 300, Fiat 500 and other models.

The 2011 Denver Auto Show will open Wednesday, March 30, and continue through Sunday, April 3. Hours will be 6 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, 5 to 10 p.m. Thursday, noon to 10 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Admission prices will be $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 7 to 12; there is no charge for kids 6 and younger. Thursday will be Senior Day, when those 65 and older will be admitted free from 5 to 10 p.m. The five-day car show is sponsored by the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association.

2011 Dodge Durango Crew

$46,975

(price as tested)

MPG City 13 Highway 20

Vehicle type: Midsize SUV

Wheelbase: 119.8 inches

Length/Width/Height: 199.8/75.8/70.9 inches

Weight: 5,330 pounds

Engine: 5.7-liter Hemi V-8

Transmission: 5-speed automatic

Fuel mileage: 17.9 mpg

Fuel tank: 24.6 gallons

Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles basic; 5/100,000 powertrain

Competitors: Ford Flex, Chevrolet Traverse, Ford Explorer, GMC Yukon, Audi Q7

Built at: Detroit, Mich.

Parts content: U.S./Canadian 69 percent

THE STICKER

$35,195 base

$5,000 Navigation, heated leather seats, SmartBeam headlamps, rain-sense wipers, 20-inch wheels

$1,895 Hemi V-8, 2-speed transfer case, heavy-duty brakes

$1,695 Rear DVD entertainment

$1,195 Adaptive speed control, blind-spot detection

$850 Destination

PLUSES

Carlike ride

Hemi power, towing

Three-row seating

MINUSES

Fuel mileage

Noticeable understeer