The Orlando Sentinel, Fla., Steven Cole Smith column: Dodge shows off Durango Hybrid

Oct 05, 2008 (The Orlando Sentinel - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- GM | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- MIAMI

LIKE A PROUD FATHER -- which, in a sense, is exactly what he is -- Abdullah Bazzi, manager of hybrid engineering for Chrysler, is showing off the 2009 Dodge Durango Hybrid.

For the past couple of years, Bazzi has lived and breathed Chrysler gasoline-electric hybrids, finally breaking cover as the Durango and its corporate twin, the Chrysler Aspen. They will soon be followed by a hybrid version of the redesigned 2009 Ram full-sized pickup.

At a news media event here, Bazzi poked, prodded and pointed at a Durango Hybrid, showing me the lithium-ion battery pack, concealed under the middle-row seat in the seven-passenger SUV. He pointed out the electric air conditioner, the electric power steering pump, the electric fans that cool the radiator, and a big black box under the hood that, he said, contains the "brains."

You know how a regular new vehicle has dozens of diagnostic checks that it performs on itself? Like monitoring fuel pressure, ignition, that sort of thing? Bazzi said the Durango Hybrid has all that, plus 600 more.

To say this is a sophisticated vehicle is an understatement. Chrysler has never built and sold anything this complex. But Chrysler engineers such as Bazzi also have done their homework, and the Durango Hybrid I tested performed as advertised.

Which means fuel mileage of 19 miles per gallon in the city, 20 mpg on the highway. While that beats the highway mileage of the non-hybrid four-wheel-drive Hemi V-8 powered Durango by only 1 mpg, in the city it's an improvement of 6 mpg.

And here's the part Bazzi is proudest of: All this extra hybrid equipment adds only about $3,000 to the price of the Durango over a comparable gas-driven model. And since Chrysler is expecting an $1,800 hybrid tax credit for buyers of the Durango, "you are in effect only paying an extra $1,200 for the hybrid system."

If you do a lot of in-town driving, you could recoup that in a couple of years. And the resale value of hybrids is outstanding, so you'll get a return there, too.

Still, this is a little misleading. The absolutely loaded Durango Hybrid I drove lists for a base price of $45,340 (which includes shipping), and $48,045 as tested. Yes, this may be about $3,000 more than a comparable regular Durango, but you'll pay close to list price on a Durango Hybrid, and I'd expect a discount of at least $6,000 on a regular Durango, probably much more. So while they are pretty close in list price, in actual transaction price, they are a long way apart.

That said, it must be noted that Chrysler and General Motors worked together on developing this hybrid system, and GM's version debuted last year as the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid, and the GMC Yukon Hybrid, both of which I have tested and liked. But the GM products are more expensive -- the Tahoe Hybrid starts at $54,210 with shipping, $8,870 more than the Durango Hybrid.

Now, with that out of the way, how does the Durango Hybrid work?

Very well, thanks. Power comes from a 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 engine that, with the electrical propulsion system, pumps out 385 horsepower. That's good, because with the extra weight the hybrid system adds, this Durango weighs a hefty 5,609 pounds.

The Durango Hybrid can operate on electric-only mode up to about 25 mph, then the Hemi kicks in, or sooner if more aggressive acceleration is needed. The Hemi also has the MDS technology, which allows the onboard computer to drop four of the Hemi's eight cylinders when less power is needed. It's all quite seamless.

On the road, the Durango Hemi rides more roughly than the Tahoe Hybrid, but this is, after all, a truck, capable of towing 6,000 pounds and willing to tackle some serious offroad trails. The regenerative brakes, which help recharge the batteries, need work -- they are not particularly linear in feel and require a lot of pedal pressure.

Inside, this is an ultra-deluxe SUV, with leather upholstery, a navigation system and color back-up camera, and options that include a sunroof, a rear-seat entertainment system and Sirius satellite radio and TV service. We averaged just under 19 mpg in overall driving, on regular gas. That's no match for a Toyota Prius, but a Prius won't carry eight people, all their stuff and tow a boat.

The Durango and Aspen hybrids are commendable first steps for Chrysler's hybrid program, but the company really needs its own Prius-fighter, and that won't come until 2010 at the earliest.

Says Abdullah Bazzi: "Stay tuned."

Sentinel Automotive Editor Steven Cole Smith can be reached at scsmith@orlandosentinel.com, at 407-420-5699, or through is blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/gasgauge.

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