The 2017 Dodge Durango enters the new year with a modicum of changes, including the loss of its standard third-row seat. Base Durango SXTs are now five-passenger vehicles and start at $31,090?$400 less than last year. However, those looking for an additional row of seats can add the feature for $695 or upgrade to any of the Durango’s other trims, which still come standard with seven-passenger seating.
While Dodge continues to offer the luxury-lined Citadel and the sporty R/T, the mid-level Durango Limited is no more. In its place sits a new GT trim. Essentially a Durango R/T fitted with the SXT’s more efficient 290-hp 3.6-liter V-6 under its hood, the GT ditches the V-6?only SXT’s chrome bits and instead favors a sinister monochromatic look. At $38,590, the GT costs $500 more than last year’s Durango Limited. That price increase includes additional garnishes like 20-inch wheels (compared with the Limited’s 18-inchers) and dual exhausts. R/T option packages like the blacked-out Blacktop package and the bronze-themed Brass Monkey package also are available on the GT. New to the R/T is an available leather-wrapped dashboard and center armrest, as well as black roof racks. Although the former option is exclusive to the 360-hp 5.7-liter V-8?powered R/T, the latter feature can also be added to the new-for-2017 GT. Starting at $43,190, the 2017 Durango R/T sees its price rise by a modest $200.

Meanwhile, the top-of-the-line Dodge Durango Cita...