2014 Dodge Durango fully leaked ahead of NYIAS debut

We use the work “leaked” but what appears to have happened is that one of the sources trusted with embargoed images of the 2014 Dodge Durango R/T have gone ahead and posted them a bit early for everyone to enjoy. Because of that, we don’t just get a couple odd angle shots of the new Durango but instead, we get the best look that you can ask for unless you are seeing the new full sized SUV in person. We should note that all of the leaked images are of the R/T package so some other trimlines might vary a bit as the R/T traditionally has a uniquely sporty design compared to the rest of the lineup.

As we expected when the 2014 Dodge Durango was teased on the Dodge Facebook page, the refreshed back end features an absolutely beautiful race track style taillight that runs across the entire rear end od the big SUV. This full width taillight has a unique means of lighting itself that provides a very continuous glow the whole way around with two smaller rows of red reflectors found on the inside of each of the lens assembly. This design was a homerun on the Charger and the Dart – and it looks every bit as great on the new Durango. The current generation has always had a sporty, aggressive front end and now it has a proper rear end to match.

The front end of the 2014 Dodge Durango is also refreshed, beginning with the lower front fascia that now features a basic design similar to both the current 2013 Grand Cherokee SRT8 and the entire 2014 Grand Cherokee lineup. This includes a large central grille in the lower fascia flanked by a set of smaller, diamond shape openings that house what looks to be the chrome lined openings of brake cooling ducts (non-R/T models may have fog lights here). The upper grille, headlight shape and hood all appear to be the same but the headlights have a redesigned inner layout with projectors on the outside, traditional bulbs on the inside and a row of bright LEDs running along the lower edge of both headlights – adding a bit of high tech taste to the sporty SUV.

On the inside, the 2014 Durango now has a customizable thin film transistor (TFT) gauge cluster in a floating bezel similar to the new Grand Cherokee and the new Dodge Dart. The new Durango also features the big, bright 8.4” infotainment screen that will offer controls of pretty much everything in the vehicle from the air condition to the sound system to the vehicle settings. There is also a new steering wheel that appears to pack plenty of buttons to offer further control of the infotainment system and the customizable TFT gauge cluster. Finally, the new Durango gets a shift knob on the center console similar to that found on the new Ram 1500 rather than a traditional shift level while a set of paddle shifters mounted on the steering wheel offer the driver the ability to control the shift pattern of the new 8-speed automatic transmission.

Since these images were leaked without an accompanying press release, we will have to wait for the 11:40am debut of the 2014 Dodge Durango tomorrow morning for the full details but in the mean time, click any of the thumbnails on this page to take a closer look at the new Durango R/T.

Source: Autoblog