Based on the same platform, shared with Mercedes-Benz, which underpins the new Grand Cherokee, this is the first Durango to feature a unitary body – previous generations used Ram chassis underpinnings.  It will also receive the same engines as the Grand Cherokee: the new ‘Pentastar’ 3.6-litre V6, and the 5.7-litre VVT HEMI. The Pentastar is attached to Mercedes’ W5A580 five-speed automatic, while the HEMI uses the 545RFE automatic transmission.

The Durango will be built alongside the Grand Cherokee at the Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Michigan. There will be five- and seven-seater configurations, with the third row optional. The front passenger seat will feature fully-flat-fold capability, the second row will have a partial split, and the rear headrests will be able to be lowered to improve the view rearwards.

The teaser images and video follow the appearance last month of a spy image on Twitter, which showed the car thoroughly dressed by Dodge and featuring the brand’s traditional large, aggressive front grille. The teaser shots build on this image, with a close-up look at the detailing of the new light units to be featured, while there a non-colour-coded lower bumper grille section finished with a wide chromed bar, and sports-style 5-spoke aluminium wheels fitted with low-profile tyres. Every panel has been changed – the wheelarches feature a more consistent curve than the Grand Cherokee’s three planes, while at the rear, the smoothing-out of the Jeep’s styling cues continues, with the tailgate and three-quarter panels being much more simple that the overly-busy rear of the Jeep. However, the rear three-quarter window appears quite awkward in the images (although they do not reflect the final production appearance). A chrome bar, arcing between the two tail-light clusters, mimics the front-end styling feature, and is embossed with the Dodge logo. Inside, the teaser video shows an engine-start button, also a feature carried over from the Grand Cherokee. The car is somewhat less-thought-out generally than the Grand Cherokee, reflecting the need for differentiation as a primary design objective, but also its focus on the North American market, where its should sell strongly, while the Jeep version, being sold globally, needs to be amenable to a far broader variety of tastes.

The new Durango will provide an urgently needed replacement for the outgoing version which was discontinued over a year ago, although unlike its predecessor, it will not receive a badge-engineered twin, with the axed Aspen not expected to be replaced in the Chrysler lineup.