Dodge Durango, a good tow vehicle?

Considering buying a 2003 Durango with a 4.7, 8 cyl. as a tow vehicle for our 2004 Wakesetter. Opinions?

Buy an '05 w/ a HEMI!!!

I have an 03 Durango R/T with the 5.9L and it works great for towing and 03 Moomba Mobius LSV. With the 4.7L you won't have as much initial torque but you should be fine. What type of distance will you be towing?

I use a 2000 Durango with the 5.9L to tow my MC 205 and compared with the 6.0L Denali I use it doesn't have nearly the power for being almost the same size engine. Also the Durango fairly light, so you might want to consider the jump to a full size.

I have a 2000 Durango with the 4.7L. Last summer I towed my MC PS205 (and wife & kids with all their crap) over 1000 miles on a 3 week vacation. It towed great except when crossing over the WV mountains, where it had to struggle a little up steep hills. I like towing better with the Durango than my 1996 Dodge Ram 3/4 4x4 pickup.

Had an '01 Durango with the 4.7, and it towed great. While obviously not on the same league as my 1-ton I drive now, it was a very nice tow vehicle.

The 4.7 is a much more advanced engine than the 5.9.

I presently tow the boat with my work truck (1989 F250 supercab 7.3 diesel) and of course it is excellent. The truck is not that comfortable on long trips. I would still continue to use the Ford to tow locally, but am looking for something different for a second car and long trip tow vehicle.
I'm thinking of using the Durango for trips, such as summer vacations. These trips are usually about a 3 hour drive.
The other option I'm looking at is a 2001-3 Expedition, but my wife is apprehensive because of the larger size. She will be the primary driver and using it for a daily commute vehicle.

I would put the Expedition over the durange just because will be more stable on those long trips, before the Durango and Denali I use now I used to use and Explorer and Navigator. It is not fun driving longs trips in a midside SUV with crosswinds, semi turbulance, etc. The power of the two you are looking at will be about the same, if your wife is worried have her drive both, I don't think she will find the expedition any harder to drive/park

Oh yes I forgot, you won't notice any difference in mpg with the two either, atleast I have never noticed any better mpg with the durango than with the denali or navigator

my wife and I both have trucks with the 4.7, I have a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee, she has a 2001 Dodge Durango. The engine definitely feels stronger in the Jeep, I guess because it's a lighter vehicle, but the only time i had a real issue with the towing power of the Durango was heading up to Tahoe. It really struggled, though it could have something to do with the elevation change...

Long term the Durango sucks. I purchased a 2001 Durango 5.9 fully loaded - transmission cooler and all. Had a correct craft that I towed from Texas to Michigan and then back to North Carolina. After 40K miles the transmission went south. I purchased an extended warranty on the truck and good thing I did - the repair bill would have come to 2000.00 large ones. The transmission was never the same again on the vehicle. Not to mention a number of other problems I've had with the vehicle. Now have a 1996 Tahoe and the thing runs like a champ with nearly 140K. Go with the large GM's and Ford PowerDiesels when you need to haul your boat.

I have an 04 Durango with the Hemi and the wife has an 04 JGC with the 4.7. Both have plenty of pulling power. The Durango pulls our MC better though, better braking, wider and longer vehicle makes it pull straighter and more precise. I would say you can't go wrong with the new body Durango

The durango would be a fine tow vehicle, the problems you would find with it are, the gas mileage is horrible for the lack of additional power, the quality of materials is typical of chrysler these days(bad), and the resale value down the road is not so good either.

My buddy was pulling a 20' Hurricane (mini deck boat) with the Durango and after just a couple trips to Havasu, he bought a well-used Ford diesel pickup. Although the thing had power, it just felt unstable to him, and I know that boat's not heavier than a towboat. I do remember it spewing antifreeze when we got to the river...

Our other friends with an Avalanche ditched the Durango for a nice, used Duramax. That particular Durango was just a total POS. The HD is pimp, and not really that big.

Our Sequoia's got awesome tow manners but needs a supercharger :-)

it should work until you move into a real tow vehicle.