I couldn’t be bothered to waste my time with the old Durango. It was old, creaky, had bad plastics, and felt out-of-step when compared to its newer competition. Yeah, it may have been stout, strong, and capable, but the price you had to pay in terms of style and sophistication just wasn’t worth it in my book. So when the new Durango was announced, I’ll admit to being more interested than normal in this latest SUV. Would it look more modern? Would it be roomier? Would it continue to provide nearly full-size SUV room in a nearly mid-size footprint? Would I, a person less-than-enthusiastic about most SUVs, find something to like about it? Would the new design justify the new price?

Let’s start with the price. With a base of $34,530, the Durango 4x4 Limited comes standard with the 4.7-liter Magnum V8, electronic transfer case, three-row seating, AM/FM/6-Disc CD with MP3 player, and stuff too numerous to list here. The trailer towing group adds $455, traction control $360, split-fold third-row seats $150, full-time AWD two-speed transfer case $195, 3.92:1 rear axle $40, power sunroof $800, heated front seats $250, Sirius satellite radio $325, P265/65R-17 On/Off-road tires $135, and the rear-seat video system $1,150. Destination adds another $645. Opting for the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 costs $995. It’s well worth the price.

In fact, the Hemi made it tough to drive this Durango slowly. Under moderate acceleration, the engine put out a wonderful “wuffle” from the exhaust, while full-throttle made it sound like Turn Three at Daytona. “That thing gotta Hemi?” Hell yeah it does! And that engine is more than up to pulling around this 5,100-lb 4x4.

Just don’t expect small-car gas mileage. With a 27-gallon fuel tank, you’ll get a bit over 300 miles from a tank of gas – and a bill closing in on $40 for a fill-up. Though rated at 13 city/18 highway by the EPA, the Durango returned about 16 mpg average, with highway mileage – according to the on-board trip computer – hovering just below 20 mpg under most circumstances. Which isn’t extreme for a vehicle that’s 200.8-in long, 74.3-in tall, 71.3-in wide, with 8.7-in of ground clearance and riding on a 119.2-in wheelbase. In other words, a big vehicle that can climb mountains when it isn’t busy being one.

What amazes me most about this Durango is that I like it. I really do. It has a distinct personality that is both friendly and strong. It rides well, is impressively quiet, accelerates hard, corners well (for a big SUV, that is), is comfortable, and looks unique. It may not be the most handsome vehicle from some angles – the bluff nose, wheel cutout shapes, and bumpers look odd in isolation – but it looks unique, is broad shouldered, and surprisingly stylish overall. Even the interior is nice.

About that interior. The plastics have tight tolerances, flush fits, and fine color and grain matches, though the plastics appear hard and a touch glossy. But I was struck by an extreme sense of déjà vu that haunted me until I realized that the dimpled silver “buttons” at the base of each gauge needle look exactly like the ones found on a VW Beetle Turbo. Ditto the dimpled sliver interior door handles. In fact, they are so close to the ones found on the Beetle, I was certain – or as certain as I could be without having the vehicles side-by-side for comparison – that they were the same part. Weird.

The only downbeat to the interior was a radio that occasionally went AWOL for no reason. Drive the Durango for a short jaunt or an extended period with the radio on, park it for a period less than overnight, and it might be there when you come back. Or it might not work at all, no matter what you do with the buttons and knobs. Even the time display disappears. But walk away for an evening, and chances are everything will be fine in the morning. It’s as though nothing had ever happened. Which also is weird, but – I hope – isolated to this particular audio unit. Especially when you consider the $39,970 as-driven price. Dodge needs quality to be perfect in order to justify this price tag, and – except for the radio – it appeared to be. Which is much more than I could say about the previous Durango.