Compare the2023 Toyota HighlanderVS 2023 Dodge Durango

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Highlander 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 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 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 Limited/Platinum has a standard Parking Support Brake that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Durango doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Highlander AWD’s standard Downhill Assist Control allows you to creep down safely. The Durango doesn’t offer Downhill Assist Control.

The Highlander’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 (except L/LE/XLE/XSE) offers an optional Panoramic View Monitor 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’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 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, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

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

	Highlander	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 is safer than the Durango:

	Highlander	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 is safer than the Dodge Durango:

	Highlander	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 is 2.9% to 4.8% less likely to roll over than the Durango.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Highlander its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Durango is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick.”

Warranty

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Highlander 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 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’s reliability 28 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.

Engine

The Highlander’s 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 50 lbs.-ft. more torque (310 vs. 260) than the Durango’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6. The Highlander’s 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 50 lbs.-ft. more torque (310 vs. 260) than the Durango’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Highlander
	FWD	2.4 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/29 hwy
	AWD	2.4 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/28 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

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Highlander 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.

Suspension and Handling

The Highlander has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Highlander 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 is 1.4 inches wider in the front and 1.3 inches wider in the rear than on the Durango.

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

Chassis

The Toyota Highlander may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 600 to 900 pounds less than the Dodge Durango.

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

Passenger Space

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

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

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

Cargo Capacity

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

	Highlander	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 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.

Ergonomics

The Highlander Platinum has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer 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’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’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’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 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 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 XLE/XSE/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® recommends the Toyota Highlander, 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 2022.