Transportation

Car Review: 2015 Dodge Durango

Published

10 years ago

May 1, 2015

Reporter II

2015 Dodge Durango R/T Blacktop

By Frank S. Washington
NNPA Columnist

CHICAGO (NNPA) – We drove a 2015 Dodge Durango here from Detroit and navigated around the Windy City for about 10 days.

There was some apprehension, not with the Durango but with fuel consumption. Our tester was powered by a 5.7-liter V8 HEMI and immediately the price of gasoline during a 10 day-stay came to mind. After all, this HEMI made 360 horsepower, 390 pound-feet of torque and the Durango was all-wheel-drive.

However, the engine was mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, it had what the company called fuel saver technology, only four of the eight-cylinders would operate when less power was needed, and the all-wheel-drive system was rear-wheel-drive based. That helped handling and performance.

Our R/T model had a sport-tuned suspension but it wasn’t harsh. We barely noticed any bumps or sways on the way here or after we arrived. And the truck-like ride of some full-size sport utilities was nonexistent on Interstate 94 as well as the surface streets and expressways here. The Durango tracked true; we never had to adjust the steering wheel to keep it in place.

It had what is quickly becoming old-fashioned rack and pinion steering that was hydraulic, not electric. Hydraulic steering gave us a much better connection to the road. The front suspension was a short and long armed affair with coil springs, as well as gas-charged, twin tube shock absorbers. And in the rear, the suspension was multi-link with coil springs, twin tube shocks and an aluminum lower control arm.

What’s more, fuel consumption was not bad – for a V8. Our Durango had an EPA rating of 14 mpg in the city and 22 mpg on the highway. In real world driving, we added about 1,000 city and interstate miles to the odometer of the test vehicle and gassed up four times; that included a full tank when the vehicle was delivered. Out of pocket fuel cost was less than $100; that is pretty affordable for a 10-day trip that involved a lot of daily driving.

The Durango was a three-rowed sport utility. We folded the third row and loaded two duffle bags onto the flat cargo floor and tossed in a second jacket for good measure. The 17.2 cu. ft. of storage space with those third row seats folded just swallowed the bags and we could have stored a couple more.

Dodge’s large sport utility has always had a muscular look but it has been contemporized. Our test vehicle had LED daytime running lights and Xenon headlights. Dodge said the front lights had leveling technology that would adjust for “slight” changes in elevation.
We had the R/T model and it featured body colored front and rear lower fascias, wheel flares, a revamped horse collar grille and sill moldings. The R/T’s ride height was lowered 20 mm and it featured 20-inch aluminum wheels.

In the rear, the Durango had Dodge’s LED “racetrack” taillight design that is also on the Charger and the Dart. It is a seamless ribbon of light. Large dual exhaust tips were standard on our V8 powered Durango. It looked racy, even in winter which is when we test drove it.

Dodge has done a nice job upgrading the interiors of all of its vehicles. The Durango featured a dial gear selector that created a clean look and a lot of space on the center console that was not there before.

There was a leather interior with French stitching and an 8.4-inch touch screen. Our test vehicle had the latest version of Uconnect; there was an SD card slot, a USB outlet and auxiliary jacks. Heated seats and a heated steering wheel were much appreciated during what we thought was the last arctic blast of winter.

There was a 7-inch TFT screen between the odometer and the speedometer. Dodge said it could be customized more than 100 ways to give the driver information.

We spent our time using the Durango’s Wi-Fi hotspot with the Uconnect app to play Pandora off of our smartphone. It was a little slow responding or switching stations but it was a more customizable alternative to the vehicle’s satellite radio.

Our test Durango was a good ride. It had a quality interior, stylish exterior, it was practical in terms of cargo area and seating adaptability; during white outs on the drive back the all-wheel-drive system gave a measure of security and the sticker was reasonable.

Base priced at $42,195, with options including a rear-seat entertainment system, a USB charging port, Uconnect with satellite radio and the navigation system, the total for our test vehicle came to $48,170.

Frank S. Washington is editor of AboutThatCar.com.

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Bay Area

Former Mayor Willie L. Brown Endorses Dana Lang for BART Board District 7

Former San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown has announced his endorsement support for Dana Lang for BART Board District 7 Seat, which includes voters from both sides of the Bay, and in San Francisco includes Bay View Hunters Point and Treasure Island. Brown acknowledged that Lang has been a behind-the-scenes force in transportation funding for many years and can help BART manage its financial challenges.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Photo courtesy of Dana Lang.

By Oakland Post Staff

Brown acknowledged that Lang has been a behind-the-scenes force in transportation funding for many years and can help BART manage its financial challenges.

“When I met with Dana Lang I asked many questions, then I asked others about her contributions. Getting to know her I realized that she truly understood transportation. At a time when BART is facing a “fiscal cliff” and an upcoming deficit of nearly $360 million per year, Dana is more than ready for this job, she is ready to meet the moment!”

Over the past 24 years Lang has been a funding and grants specialist with several municipal transportation agencies, including the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, San Francisco Muni, San Francisco Police Department and San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

Lang says, “I’ve faced a number of fiscal crises in my career — such as securing $52 million in new transit security funding for SFMTA (Muni) during the 2008 Great Recession, when others thought it was not possible. I have always managed to identify new funding and ways to make transit more secure. Facing a crisis is the best time to act, through advocacy and policy setting. We’ve got to keep BART running and make it safer and more vibrant in order to meet the needs of our riders, our work force, and our community.”

Lang grew up in the low-income minority community of East Palo Alto, CA, and knew that locating grants and resources could positively impact an entire city and its surrounding region — helping to create and retain agency jobs, getting transit riders to their workplaces, and encouraging small business development near transit hubs.

With that in mind, she pursued a bachelor’s degree in economics from Wellesley College, then an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. She started her municipal career as a policy advisor to Mayor Elihu Harris and helped secure grants for the City of Oakland before moving to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to serve as a transportation grants specialist.

During her 24-year career she has helped secure hundreds of millions of dollars for Bay Area transit agencies and municipalities. In addition to BART’s financial health, Lang’s priorities for BART also include safety, cleanliness, station vitality — and bringing riders back to BART. She has served on the BART Police Civilian Review Board since 2022.

Lang is also endorsed by BART Board Director Robert Raburn, former BART Board Director Carole Ward Allen, the Rev. Amos Brown, pastor of San Francisco’s Third Baptist Church, Alameda County supervisors Keith Carson and Nate Miley, former Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris, District 4 Oakland City Councilmember Janani Ramachandran, Oakland Chinatown leader Carl Chan, and many others.

Lang is seeking the BART Board District 7 Seat, which includes San Francisco’s Bay View Hunters Point and Treasure Island, a large portion of Oakland, the cities of Alameda, Emeryville, Piedmont, and a small portion of Berkeley.

Oakland Post

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Bay Area

Alameda County Supervisors Keith Carson and Nate Miley Endorse Dana Lang for BART Board District 7

Alameda County Supervisors Nate Miley and Keith Carson have announced their support for Dana Lang for the BART Board District 7 Seat. These supervisors say that Lang has been a behind-the-scenes force in transportation funding for many years and can help BART manage its financial challenges.

Published

1 month ago

October 1, 2024

Oakland Post

Courtesy of Dana Lang.

By Oakland Post Staff

Alameda County Supervisors Nate Miley and Keith Carson have announced their support for Dana Lang for the BART Board District 7 Seat.

These supervisors say that Lang has been a behind-the-scenes force in transportation funding for many years and can help BART manage its financial challenges.

Supervisor Nate Miley acknowledges that, “At a time when BART is facing a “fiscal cliff” and an upcoming deficit of nearly $360 million per year, Dana is the person for the job. As a transportation leader, Dana Lang is exactly ready to meet this moment.”

Over the past 24 years, Lang has been a funding and grants specialist with several municipal transportation agencies, including the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, San Francisco Muni, San Francisco Police Department and San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

Dana Lang says, “I’ve faced a number of fiscal crises in my career — such as securing $52 million in new transit security funding for SFMTA (Muni) during the 2008 Great Recession, when others thought it was not possible. I have always managed to identify new funding and ways to make transit more secure. Facing a crisis is the best time to act, through advocacy and policy setting. We’ve got to keep BART running and make it safer and more vibrant in order to meet the needs of our riders, our work force, and our community.”

Lang grew up in the low-income minority community of East Palo Alto and knew that locating grants and resources could positively impact an entire city and its surrounding region — helping to create and retain agency jobs, getting riders to their workplaces, and encouraging small business development near transit hubs. With that in mind, she pursued a bachelor’s degree in economics from Wellesley College, then an MBA from Cal Berkeley Haas School of Business.

She started her municipal career as a policy advisor to Mayor Elihu Harris and helped secure grants for the City of Oakland before moving to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. During her 24-year career she has helped secure hundreds of millions of dollars for Bay Area transit agencies and municipalities. In addition to BART’s financial health, Lang’s priorities for BART also include safety, cleanliness, station vitality and bringing riders back to BART.

She has served on the BART Police Civilian Review Board since 2022.

Lang is also endorsed by BART Board Director Robert Raburn, former BART Board Director Carole Ward Allen, Oakland City Attorney Barbara Parker, former Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris, former San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown, Oakland Councilperson Janani Ramachandran, Alameda Councilperson Tracy Jensen, Oakland Chinatown leader Carl Chan, and many others.

Lang is seeking the BART Board District 7 Seat, which covers most of the East Bay, including Oakland, Alameda, Emeryville, Piedmont, and a small portion of Berkeley. The district also includes Bay View Hunters Point and Treasure Island in San Francisco.

Oakland Post

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Bay Area

Congresswoman Lee Celebrates Federal Green Transportation Investments for California

Published

2 months ago

September 12, 2024

Oakland Post

Congresswoman Barbara Lee

OAKLAND, CA — Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12) today celebrated the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) announcement of two grants for California to expand clean transportation infrastructure. The DOT announced that Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) will receive over $14 million to install Level 2 EV charging ports at all BART-managed parking facilities for use by customers and community members. The DOT also announced that the California Department of Transportation will receive $102 million for the West Coast Truck Charging and Fueling Corridor Project to deploy charging and hydrogen fueling stations for zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles along 2,500 miles of key freight corridors in California, Oregon, and Washington.

The transportation sector is the largest source of U.S. carbon emissions. According to the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a 50 percent reduction in carbon must be achieved by 2050—and as much as a 91 percent decrease by 2100—to stay within the globally accepted goal of limiting the planet’s warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

“Today, I am excited to announce that BART has been selected to receive this critical federal funding to help expand mobility and end fossil fuel dependence,” said Congresswoman Lee. “It is especially important the first phase of the project will prioritize deployment at stations in or near disadvantaged communities. BART is an essential part of our public transit system, and these funds will improve transit for its riders in throughout the Bay Area.”

By installing chargers at BART stations that are close to multifamily housing, workplaces, medical facilities, schools, and retail, the project will support robust EV adoption across a wide range of socioeconomic groups and road users.

Furthermore, because of discriminatory policies, highways were built near and through Black and brown communities, making these communities much more vulnerable to chronic illnesses associated with disproportionate exposure to air pollution. A reduction in gas-powered cars will be especially beneficial to communities of color and low-income communities who have been disproportionately harmed by infrastructural and environmental injustices.

The West Coast Truck Charging and Fueling Corridor Project will enable the emissions-free movement of goods connecting major ports, freight centers, and agricultural regions between the U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada.

On this funding, Congresswoman Lee said: “This funding will go a long way toward not only combatting the climate crisis, but it will create good-paying jobs as well. I thank the Department of Transportation and the Biden-Harris administration for their continued commitment to a cleaner and healthier environment.”

Last year, alongside the California delegation, Congresswoman Lee sent a letter to DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg urging support for the grant application of the West Coast Truck Charging and Fueling Corridor Project through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Charging and Fueling Infrastructure program.