Beautiful Hybrid SUVDodge Durango lovers are in for a special treat as the all new 2009 hybrid Durango is slated for release in the second half of 2008.  And if the PR folks at Dodge are telling the truth, Durango die-hards can expect this Hemi powered hybrid to deliver a much sought after blend of power, performance, utility, versatility, capability and fuel savings.

Those may seem like lofty expectations from an auto manufacturer without any previous hybrid history, but at least the technology of the two-mode hybrid system will already have been tested in GM’s Yukon and Tahoe hybrids.  And since the Durango has been around for about 10 years now, this truck should be ready for market.  Gas mileage improvements for this greener Durango are expected to be 25-40% greater than the traditional gas-only 5.7 liter engine, with the greatest improvements in city driving.  That should equate to 18-20 mpg, rather than 13/17.

You could play musical chairs in this SUV!The 2009 model year Durango hybrid will be rated to tow 5000 lbs via its 385 hp Hemi and 300 volt powerpack combination.  In addition, it will only be offered as an all wheel drive (AWD) model.  With seating for eight (8) passengers, this is one big hybrid ute!  No pricing has been announced as of the time of this article, but some industry experts are speculating it to be around $42,000.  I’m guessing a few grand more as the only trim level offered seems very well equipped.

Official website is here (our photos are courtesy of this site). If you have some questions about this big green people hauler, hang out on their website for a while and you might be prompted to do some live chatting with a representative from Dodge.  I waited about 20 minutes for someone to help me, but finally had to move on.  If you learn anything, we’d love you to share it below.  Until we know more, here are some other resources:


Locate the Car You Want at the Price You Want

JDPower
CarandDriver
YouTube video
Yahoo Autos

10/23/2008 - Update: Just 2 months after the first 2009 Dodge Durango hybrid SUV became available for purchase, Chrysler has announced that it will discontinue production of this hybrid before 2010, due to closure of the Delaware plant where the Durango is built. Same bad news for the 2009 Chrysler Aspen hybrid. Read the full story about these discontinued hybrids here.