Okay, so Ford and Dodge each introduced all-new seven passenger SUVs within weeks of each other - apparently thinking that the market is still hungry for these types of American vehicles. MotorTrend did an extensive article on this, which can be found
here.
It's simply too early to tell whether the Explorer or the Durango is better since a side-by-side comparison hasn't been done, so I'll just post the specs for each vehicle and some pictures.
| | 2011 Dodge Durango (V-6; V-8) | 2011 Ford Explorer |
| Base price | $29,195 | $28,995 |
| Vehicle layout | Front-engine, RWD/AWD, 7-pass, 4-door SUV | Front-engine, FWD/AWD, 6-7-pass, 4-door SUV |
| Engine | 3.6L/290-hp/260-lb-ft DOHC 24-valve V-6; 5.7L/360-hp/390-lb-ft OHV 16-valve V-8 | 3.5L/290-hp/255-lb-ft DOHC 24-valve V-6 |
| Transmission | 5-speed automatic | 6-speed automatic |
| Curb weight (f/r dist) | 4889 lb (49/51%); 5307 lb (50/50%) | 4660 lb (55/45%) |
| Wheelbase | 119.8 in | 112.6 in |
| Length x width x height | 199.8 x 75.8 x 70.9 in | 197.1 x 90.2 x 70.4-71.0 in |
| Track, f/r | 63.9/64.1 in | 67.0 in |
| Headroom, f/m/r | 39.9/39.8/37.8 in | 39.1-41.4/38.3-40.5/37.8 in |
| Legroom, f/m/r | 40.3/38.6/31.5 in | 40.6/39.8/33.2 in |
| Shoulder room, f/m/r | 58.5/58.3/50.4 in | 61.3/61.0/50.8 in |
| Cargo vol, behind f/m/r | 84.5/47.7/17.2 in | 80.7 cu ft (behind f) |
| 0-60 mph | 8.8 sec; 7.3 sec | 7.9 sec |
| Quarter mile | 16.6 sec @ 86.1 mph; 15.5 sec @ 91.8 mph | 16.1 sec @ 88.6 mph |
| Braking, 60-0 mph | 120 ft; 125 ft | 120 ft |
| Lateral acceleration | 0.74 g (avg); 0.76 g (avg) | 0.77 g (avg) |
| MT Figure Eight | 28.4 sec @ 0.55 g (avg); 28.3 sec @ 0.56 g (avg) | 28.8 sec @ 0.58 g (avg) |
| EPA city/hwy fuel econ | 16/22-23 mpg; 13-14/20 mpg | 17/25 mpg |
| CO2 emissions | 1.05-1.06 lb/mile; 1.20-1.26 lb/mile | 0.98 lb/mile |
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| Dodge interior |
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| Ford interior (kind of plain IMO) |
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| Explorer side view |
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| Durango |
From a first observation, I really like the re-styling of the Durango. In black, it looks very elegant compared with the Explorer. Both manufacturers are really squeezing the juice out of their V6's, but I like the fact that Ford offers the 6-speed transmission. With a very similar price tag, which of the two do you guys like better? 
