Dodge Durango gets the Blacktop treatment

Sat, 09 Aug 2014

The Dodge Durango is getting a meaner, more aggressive look as it becomes the latest model from the brand to wear the Blacktop Appearance Package. The upgrades are strictly cosmetic, but they lend the SUV a more assertive demeanor that some buyers like.

Available on the SXT, Limited and R/T (shown above) models, all Blacktop Durangos get black 20-inch wheels, dual exhaust, bod- color fascia and gloss black trim. The grille surround, air dam, mirrors and headlight surrounds all get the inky treatment, as well. The improvements add $1,590 to the cost of the SXT. They come to $1,990 on the Limited but also include HID headlights with LED running lights and a leather interior. Finally, R/T buyers only need to pay $295 for the upgrades. The Blacktop Durango hits showrooms this October.

If you're already in the market for a Durango but want a dash more style with no added performance, the Blacktop might not be a bad way to go. It certainly gives the SUV a bit more edge than it has in stock form. Scroll down to read the full release.

Dodge Introduces the Popular Blacktop Appearance Package on Award-Winning Durango Three-row SUV for 2014

With unique wheels, dual exhaust and Gloss Black accents throughout, Dodge brand's popular Blacktop Appearance Package offers customization from the factory, giving vehicles a sporty, sinister look

2014 Dodge Durango Blacktop adds unique Gloss Black 20-inch aluminum wheels, dual rear exhaust with bright tips, Gloss Black crosshair grille, Gloss Black side mirrors, Gloss Black badging, black headlamp bezels, and body color fascia and moldings

Durango Blacktop Appearance Package is available on SXT, Limited and R/T models for a U.S. Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) as low as $295

With the addition of Durango, Dodge now offers its signature Blacktop Package on seven of its 2014 model year vehicles, including Charger, Challenger, Dart, Avenger, Journey and Grand Caravan

August 7, 2014 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - Dodge is rounding out its offering of Blacktop Packages for 2014, adding the three-row Durango to the lineup of Dodge vehicles with the sporty, sinister look. With the addition of Durango, the Dodge brand now offers the Blacktop Appearance Package on seven of its 2014 model year vehicles, including Charger, Challenger, Dart, Avenger, Journey and Grand Caravan.

Building on the Durango's distinctive, sporty design, along with class-leading power, driving range and towing, the Blacktop Package features unique Gloss Black 20-inch aluminum wheels, dual rear exhaust with bright tips offering 295 horsepower with the V-6 and 360 horsepower with the HEMI® V-8, a Gloss Black crosshair grille with matching grille surround, Gloss Black side mirrors, Gloss Black exterior badging, black headlamp bezels, body color fascia and moldings, and five options for exterior paint colors. The Blacktop Appearance Package is available on Durango SXT, Limited and R/T models.

"The rear-wheel-drive based Dodge Durango is already one of a kind. It stands out as the Charger of the three-row SUV segment," said Tim Kuniskis, President and CEO - Dodge Brand and SRT Brand, Chrysler Group LLC. "Now with Blacktop Package, customers can make it even more unique, and it's customized by the factory."

Through July, Dodge Durango sales in 2014 were up 13 percent, compared with the same period in 2013. Durango has achieved 19 consecutive months of year-over-year retail sales increases.

The 2014 Dodge Durango Blacktop will start arriving at dealerships in October.

2014 Dodge Durango Blacktop

Dodge introduced its new three-row Durango for the 2014 model year, with a new standard eight-speed automatic transmission, improved fuel economy and performance, new LED exterior lighting, including the signature racetrack tail lamp, new 5-inch or 8.4-inch touch screen, a new programmable instrument cluster and an available high-definition dual-screen Blu-ray entertainment system.

Now Dodge is adding the Blacktop Package to the Durango SXT, Limited and R/T models, adding even more aggression to the already sporty appearance. The Blacktop Appearance Package gives customers the opportunity to customize their Durango straight from the factory at a tremendous value.

On SXT models, the Blacktop Package adds Gloss Black 20-inch aluminum wheels, dual rear exhaust with bright tips, Gloss Black crosshair grille with matching grille surround, Gloss Black side mirrors, Gloss Black badging, black headlamp bezels, and body-color fascias and moldings. Blacktop is available for a U.S. Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of only $1,590 MSRP.

On Limited models, the Blacktop Package includes all of the above content, plus HID headlamps and LED daytime running lights (DRLs), to complement its premium leather interior, for a starting U.S. MSRP of $1,990.

On the R/T, the Blacktop Package adds Gloss Black 20-inch aluminum wheels, Gloss Black crosshair grille with matching grille surround and Gloss Black badging for a U.S. MSRP of $295.

Available in Billet Silver, Bright White, Brilliant Black, Granite Crystal and Redline Red, the Gloss Black accents are prominent on the monochromatic exterior body of the Durango SXT, Limited and R/T Blacktop models.

The Dodge Durango SXT Blacktop and Limited Blacktop feature Durango's standard 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine and dual exhaust with active intake, paired with the new standard eight-speed automatic transmission and generates an impressive 295 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft. of torque, and can tow up to a best-in-class 6,200 pounds. The V-6 powered Durango also features a best-in-class driving range of more than 600 miles on a tank and up to 25 miles per gallon.

The Dodge Durango R/T Blacktop features a standard 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine that produces a best-in-class 360 horsepower and 390 lb.-ft. of torque with a best-in-class tow rating of 7,400 pounds. The 5.7-liter engine's Fuel Saver Technology with cylinder-deactivation seamlessly alternates between smooth, high-fuel-economy four-cylinder mode when less power is needed and V-8 mode when more power is in demand. Models with the HEMI V-8 engine achieve up to 23 miles per gallon.

With standard seven-passenger seating and luxurious second-row captain's chairs available on all models, the seats in the 2014 Dodge Durango can be converted to as many as 50 different configurations.

Families with three or more children will find the Durango's available captain's chairs with pass-through especially helpful as two car seats can stay latched into the second row seats, and there's still easy pass-through for passengers to walk between to get to the third row. The second-row captain's chairs will also make adults feel like they are riding in first-class, with available Nappa Leather heated bucket seats with individual armrests.

The Durango's new instrument panel features a redesigned center stack that houses the 8.4-inch Uconnect touchscreen. The bottom of the center stack houses a new media hub with an SD card slot, USB outlet and auxiliary jacks, as well as a storage bin. The new center console features a new segment-first rotary shifter for the standard eight-speed automatic that adds another level of refinement over the traditional gated automatic shifter. Manual shift functions have moved to paddle shifters on the back of the Durango's new steering wheel.

About Dodge

The Dodge brand is tearing into its centennial year as America's mainstream performance brand, celebrating its 100th anniversary on July 1, 2014. With the purification of the brand and consolidation with SRT, Dodge is getting back to its performance roots with every single model it offers. The consolidated Dodge and SRT brands will offer a complete lineup of performance vehicles that stand out within their own segments. Dodge will be the "mainstream performance" brand within the Chrysler showroom. SRT will be positioned as the "ultimate performance" halo of the Dodge brand, together creating a complete and balanced performance brand with one vision and one voice.

From muscle cars to compact cars, minivans, crossovers and full-size SUVs, the Dodge brand's full lineup of 2015 models deliver best-in-class horsepower, class-exclusive technology, unmatched capability and a slew of cool features, such as LED headlamps, Dodge signature racetrack tail lamps, dual exhaust, 8.4-inch touchscreen infotainment centers and 7-inch thin-film transistor (TFT) customizable gauge clusters, to name a few. For the 2015 model year, customers will be able to drive the new 2015 Dodge Charger and Challenger, as well as the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. The Dodge brand lineup also includes the 2015 Dodge Dart, Durango, Grand Caravan and Journey, including the new Crossroad model, and Dodge Viper SRT.

By Chris Bruce