Tow Review: 2021 Dodge Durango R/T Tow ‘n Go

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So you love muscle cars, but you also love your three children. Fear not, for it is my privilege to introduce you to our Tow ‘n Go-viour, the Dodge Challenger Wagon. 

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Not really, of course — but kinda. 

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The Dodge Durango R/T is a curious vehicle, at once catering to the muscle-loving adultlescent and the responsible parent. It is a refreshingly literal approach to the Sport Utility Vehicle, and taken in Tow ‘n Go guise, it steps up as a truck, too. It’s a Ram 1500, Challenger R/T, and Grand Caravan all in one!

We’ve reviewed two of these personalities before, evaluating its performance chops and road-trip ability in a pair of fun features. But what of that best-in-class tow rating? How does the Durango R/T Tow ‘n Go stack up on the jobsite with a loaded equipment trailer? 

In short: better than you’d expect. 

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The Durango R/T Tow n’ Go stands near the middle of the Durango lineup, but at the top of what you’d call that lineup’s Sensible Vehicle bracket. Powered by the familiar 5.7L Hemi V8, the equally-familiar ZF 8-speed automatic transmission channels 360 HP and 390 lb-ft of torque through a single-speed transfer case and out to all four wheels. Pricing for the R/T AWD trim starts at $61,795, though as you can read in our full review of this vehicle, it has been optioned up to $81,635. 

The $5,495 Tow ‘n Go kit equips the Durango with a Class IV hitch, four- and seven-pin trailer connectors, inbuilt trailer brake control with native cluster display, self-levelling headlamps, active damping suspension, 20″ wheels, and a bunch more. Hauling is amped up with an upgraded 180 amp alternator, heavy-duty engine cooling, free-flowing performance exhaust, beefy R/T performance Brembo brakes, and an electronic rear limited-slip differential geared to a modest ratio of 3.09. All-in, this boosts the Durango’s tow rating by 1,300 lbs to an unmatched 8,700 lbs.   

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All of this comes packaged in one of the best-looking SUVs on the road. The R/T breaks up the blocky three-row formula with a snarling hood, bulging curves, distinctive LED light clusters, and a comical exhaust signature that make it the mischievous but sympathetic cartoon villain of the SUV market. A cosmetic panel conceals the hitch when not in use, and behind each wheel a bright Brembo caliper hovers in wait over a gargantuan cross-drilled rotor. And like Wile-E-Coyote, the oscillation between brilliance and ever-so-slight stupidity is incredibly endearing.

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I towed a variety of loads with this SUV: a light box trailer, a loaded car dolly, and a 3,600 lb dump trailer carrying some 3,000 lbs of project car parts, Lada drivetrains, tires, and miscellaneous redneck junk. Hauling from the GTA to Parry Sound, I ran along major highways, twisting northern backroads, and some undeveloped forest trail at my destination. 

The Tow ‘n Go is rated to tow up to 8,700 lbs, with a max tongue weight of 870 lbs. This tongue rating is important to note, as the Tow ‘n Go does not come with rear air suspension to level the vehicle and should be run with a load-distributing hitch at higher numbers. Though my largest load fell just short of this figure (measured at the jack), the truck did pitch back just enough to catch my attention. This should not matter in most use cases, but the hitch receiver’s placement should be considered if towing a low, heavy trailer along bowed dirt paths or over uneven terrain.

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Though the 3.09 gearing is somewhat mild, the Tow ‘n Go is a potent hauler. An unladen 0-100 figure of 6.3 seconds may not sound like much, but the R/T really impresses under load. Where others bog down noticeably with a payload, this 5.7-litre Durango still picks up remarkably with ~6,600 lbs in tow. On-ramps and merges are a breeze, and the SRT exhaust sounds a thrill as you upshift under such load. 

It sounds faster than it is, and that’s probably a good thing. The Durango R/T barks like a muscle car, and it corners like one too. Fortunately, it stops: the Durango R/T’s hulking Brembos hold tight reins over its great mass, and the tow brake control is trouble-free. Despite my three passengers and 3,600 lbs behind the hitch, I was largely unfazed by an 80 km/h emergency stop when I encountered a deer around a northern Ontario bend. 

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Chrysler has made big steps with their interiors, but despite the Durango’s recent refresh, this cabin still carries whiffs of past years’ disappointments. Though my tester came well-dressed with a suede headliner, contrasting dash trim, and neat forged-carbon accents, the sheen of the leather seats and some hard plastics make the car feel tired. It’s adequate, and it’s a perfectly fine way to travel — but it isn’t anything to write home about. It just seems such a disservice not to have treated the Durango to the sweet fruits of FCA’s other models. 

Following this thought, this tester came with a $2,150 rear-seat entertainment package. Inbuilt entertainment systems can have their strengths (namely: Xbox hookup through the seat-side connectors), but the rapid pace of modern technology invariably renders these obsolete almost from new. Compounding this off-the-shelf obsolescence is the reality that an inbuilt system can’t be replaced quite so readily as a tablet. My rear-seat passengers found the entertainment interface frustrating, and I was just as annoyed by the DVD player’s consumption of so much of my armrest storage compartment. Quite simply, this 21st-century car phone is a waste of money and weight. Save the cash and buy the kids an iPad instead.

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Through all of this, my biggest gripe is with fuel consumption. Dodge claims that this truck can wean itself to 10.9 L/100km on the highway, but the only time I saw anything close was with coasting downhill at 65 km/h. Driving conservatively along country roads I eventually managed 13.2, but my average ranged from 14.0-16.7. 

And while we have established the Tow ‘n Go’s readiness to tow, I would not recommend it to anyone who makes a regular habit of doing so. Towing those 6,600 lbs north along ON-400, I averaged a painful 26.1 L/100km. For perspective, many diesel pickups will accomplish this with some ten fewer litres per hundred. This is a comfortable family hauler that can step up when called upon, but it isn’t a daily workhorse.

Still, where some European beefcake-SUVs can feel contrived, this gimmicky gas guzzler pulls it off. It feels like a natural part of the automotive landscape.

“Oh yeah, that’s Trent,” the other cars say of the Durango R/T. “It does that.”

It’s a joyfully villainous gimmick, and despite coming in expecting to mock this muscle shirt of family runabouts, I’m glad it exists.