Since you've made it to the end of this issue of Truckin', you've probably had a chance to check out our special 2004 SUV of the Year coverage, and now you should know we have chosen the redesigned '04 Durango as the winner. We had a very interesting mix of vehicles for the SUV of the Year testing, including the new Nissan Pathfinder Armada, the Porsche Cayenne, and the Cadillac SRX.
The SUV marketplace is definitely a strange arena these days. No one seems to know exactly what the definition of a sport utility is anymore. A decade ago, things were easier. There were only a handful of sport utilities available, led by the venerable Ford Explorer, which some say was the true modern-day SUV. Sport utilities were basically trucks with an enclosed cargo space. Some of the SUVs that have been around a while include the Toyota 4Runner, Nissan Pathfinder, Isuzu Trooper (which has been dropped from Isuzu's '04 lineup), Chevy Suburban, and Mitsubishi Montero. All of these vehicles are very truck-like, usually available in 4WD, have tough powerplants and beefy suspensions, and include a lot of cargo space, and people room, and attitude.
Recently, however, things started to change. Take a look at some of this year's test vehicles - the VW Touareg, Cadillac SRX, Lexus RX330, and Porsche Cayenne. Are these trucks? Certainly not. Specific vehicles, such as the Porsche Cayenne, are closer to sports cars, with nimble performance, canyon-carving quickness, and sleek European styling. Is this a true sport utility? Well, yes and no. What is and what is not a true SUV is really starting to blur. With so many nameplates on the market (at last count, there were approximately 75 different SUVs), there is literally something for everyone, from beefy Ford Expeditions and Chevy Suburbans, to sleek and sporty VW Touaregs and Volvo X5s.
As a general rule, here are the attributes a vehicle must have in order to qualify as a sport utility: a certain amount of off-road prowess, the ability to haul at least four or five people, versatile cargo-carrying ability, seats that fold flat to create a large cargo area, and a reasonable amount of ground clearance.
Here at Truckin', we're basically truck people, and we're somewhat biased about our sport utility vehicles. We like them fairly tough, with a go-anywhere attitude, and the ability to haul a lot of people and gear. Sounds like it meets the above-mentioned criteria, doesn't it? All of our testers during this year's SUV of the Year evaluation were very excited to test vehicles such as the Porsche Cayenne and the VW Touareg. We gave these vehicles very high marks during our testing. However, when it came down to the final evaluation, the entire staff agreed that these are not so much like trucks, but more like sports cars. Sure, they're fun to drive, and have gadgets and doodads to play with, but can they really compete with tried-and-true SUVs? Most of the Truckin' staff said, not really. And when it comes time to fix them up using the latest aftermarket wizardry, do they easily lend themselves to the modification process? Again, not really.
These are the reasons why we picked the Dodge Durango. It has all of the things we love in an SUV - the space, a gutsy powerplant, great off-road ability, and a truck-like attitude. For truck people, this is our kind of SUV and a big reason why we picked it for our SUV of the Year.