Compare the2023 Toyota Highlander HybridVS 2023 Dodge Durango

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Payload
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Highlander Hybrid have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Dodge Durango doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Highlander Hybrid are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Durango doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Highlander Hybrid has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Durango doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Highlander Hybrid Limited/Platinum has standard Automated Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Durango doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Highlander Hybrid’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Durango and is not available with SXT.

The Highlander Hybrid (except LE/XLE/Bronze) offers an optional Bird’s Eye View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Durango only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The Highlander Hybrid’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Durango doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Highlander Hybrid and the Durango have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available all wheel drive.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Toyota Highlander Hybrid is safer than the Dodge Durango:

	Highlander Hybrid	Durango
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Leg Forces (l/r)	321/243 lbs.	339/364 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.8 inches

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Toyota Highlander Hybrid is safer than the Durango:

	Highlander Hybrid	Durango
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Restraints	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Head Neck Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Head injury index	102	119
Peak Head Forces	0 G’s	0 G’s
Steering Column Movement Rearward	2 cm	9 cm
Chest Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Max Chest Compression	19 cm	26 cm
Hip & Thigh Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Femur Force R/L	3.5/1.3 kN	5.3/2.5 kN
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L	0%/0%	6%/0%
Lower Leg Evaluation	GOOD	POOR
Tibia index R/L	.52/.4	1.53/.59
Tibia forces R/L	1.1/1.1 kN	1.9/1.4 kN

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Toyota Highlander Hybrid is safer than the Dodge Durango:

	Highlander Hybrid	Durango
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.3 inches	1.1 inches
Abdominal Force	79 lbs.	111 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	152 lbs.	446 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	41 G’s	43 G’s
Hip Force	664 lbs.	714 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Highlander Hybrid is 2.9% to 4.8% less likely to roll over than the Durango.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Highlander Hybrid its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 106 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Durango is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick.”

Warranty

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Highlander Hybrid for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Dodge doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Durango.

Reliability

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the Highlander Hybrid has an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of the 5.7 V8 in the Durango.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Highlander Hybrid’s reliability 56 points higher than the Durango.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Dodge vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Dodge is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Dodge vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in overall reliability. Dodge is ranked 10th.

Engine

As tested in Consumer Reports the Toyota Highlander Hybrid is faster than the Dodge Durango V6:

	Highlander Hybrid	Durango
Zero to 30 MPH	2.9 sec	3.1 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	8 sec	8.3 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	5.2 sec	6 sec
Quarter Mile	16.2 sec	16.4 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	88 MPH	87.5 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Highlander Hybrid gets better mileage than the Durango:

			MPG
Highlander Hybrid
	FWD	2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	36 city/35 hwy
	AWD	LE 2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	35 city/35 hwy
		2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	35 city/34 hwy
Durango
	RWD	3.6 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
		5.7 OHV V8	14 city/22 hwy
	AWD	3.6 DOHC V6	18 city/25 hwy
		5.7 OHV V8	14 city/22 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the Highlander Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Durango doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Highlander Hybrid uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Durango with the 5.7 V8 engine requires mid-grade for maximum efficiency, which can cost 5 to 40 cents more per gallon.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Toyota Highlander Hybrid higher (7 out of 10) than the Dodge Durango (5 to 7). This means the Highlander Hybrid produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Durango every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The Highlander Hybrid has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Durango doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The Highlander Hybrid stops shorter than the Durango:

	Highlander Hybrid	Durango
60 to 0 MPH	123 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	153 feet	160 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

The Highlander Hybrid has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Highlander Hybrid flat and controlled during cornering. The Durango’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Highlander Hybrid is 1.4 inches wider in the front and 1.3 inches wider in the rear than on the Durango.

The Highlander Hybrid Platinum AWD handles at .78 G’s, while the Durango GT 4x4 pulls only .74 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Highlander Hybrid Platinum AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Durango GT 4x4 (28.4 seconds @ .58 average G’s vs. 28.8 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Highlander Hybrid’s turning circle is 3.6 feet tighter than the Durango’s (37.4 feet vs. 41 feet).

Chassis

The Toyota Highlander Hybrid may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 400 to 800 pounds less than the Dodge Durango.

The Highlander Hybrid is 5.9 inches shorter than the Durango, making the Highlander Hybrid easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the Highlander Hybrid uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Durango doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Highlander Hybrid has standard seating for 8 passengers; the Durango can only carry 7.

The Highlander Hybrid has 1.3 inches more front headroom, 1.7 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more front hip room, .5 inches more front shoulder room, .1 inches more rear legroom, 1.5 inches more rear hip room, 1 inch more rear shoulder room, 3.2 inches more third row hip room and 4.6 inches more third row shoulder room than the Durango.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Highlander Hybrid’s middle and third row seats recline. The Durango’s third row seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The Highlander Hybrid’s cargo area provides more volume than the Durango.

	Highlander Hybrid	Durango
Third Seat Folded	48.4 cubic feet	43.3 cubic feet

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Highlander Hybrid Bronze/Limited/Platinum’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Durango doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Payload

The Highlander Hybrid has a higher standard payload capacity than the Durango (1495 vs. 1400 lbs.).

The Highlander Hybrid has a higher maximum payload capacity than the Durango (1535 vs. 1450 lbs.).

Ergonomics

The Highlander Hybrid Platinum has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Durango doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Highlander Hybrid’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Durango’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The Highlander Hybrid’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Durango’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Highlander Hybrid’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Durango’s headlights are rated “Marginal.”

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Highlander Hybrid Platinum has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Durango doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Highlander Hybrid to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Durango doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Toyota Highlander Hybrid XLE/Bronze/Limited/Platinum has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Durango doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® chose the Toyota Highlander Hybrid as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Dodge Durango isn't recommended.

The Toyota Highlander outsold the Dodge Durango by over four to one during the 2022 model year.

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