2021 Dodge Durango vs 2020 Honda CR-V

The 2020 Honda CR-V, part of Honda’s fifth generation of compact crossovers, had a familiar and fun design. Its exterior featured curvy, car-like lines with a family resemblance to Honda’s sedans, giving it a station wagon look rather than a traditional SUV appearance. Inside, the CR-V’s interior was a mix of textures and materials, with upscale touches like wood-look trim and leather upholstery in higher trims clashing with some low-quality plastics. This reminded drivers that even the pricier CR-V versions were upgrades of a commodity car rather than truly premium products.

In contrast, the 2021 Dodge Durango maintained its muscular stance and athletic styling, fitting in with Dodge’s Charger and Challenger models. The new SRT Hellcat model showcased a cold-air scoop, throaty twin-pipe exhaust, LED headlamps, rear spoiler, and a redesigned front end. The Durango offered six different 20-inch wheel varieties and one 18-inch version, with 11 exterior colors and six interior color schemes. The cabin featured a new instrument panel and either an 8.4-inch or 10.1-inch touchscreen running FCA’s Uconnect 5 infotainment system, with increasingly premium materials as you moved up the trim levels.

The 2020 Honda CR-V simplified its lineup by replacing the base 2.4-liter engine with a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine, producing 190 horsepower and 179 pound-feet of torque. This engine, paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), provided a well-matched powertrain. Despite some CVTs’ reputation for sluggish response, Honda’s engineers managed to make the CR-V’s CVT feel quick, especially in Sport mode. The CR-V’s car-like demeanor extended to its road manners, offering nimble handling and a firm yet comfortable ride. Its low curb weight of 3,337 pounds for the FWD LX model contributed to excellent fuel economy, with FWD models rated at 30 mpg combined and AWD models at 29 mpg.

The 2021 Dodge Durango offered four different engines: a 3.6-liter V6, a 5.7-liter HEMI V8, a 392 HEMI V8, and a supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI V8. The V6, standard in the SXT, GT, and Citadel, produced 293-295 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. The R/T came with a 5.7-liter V8 making 360 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque, while the SRT 392 featured a 392 HEMI V8 delivering 475 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque. The top-tier SRT Hellcat boasted a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 with 710 hp and 645 lb-ft of torque. Despite its power, the Hellcat was easy to control, with smooth shifts and acceleration. The Durango’s steering was precise, but its chassis showed its age, with a reactionary suspension that passed bumps to the cabin. The Hellcat’s Brembo brakes provided ample stopping power, even on the track.

The 2020 Honda CR-V excelled in interior space and clever storage solutions. Its cabin was as roomy as the Volkswagen Tiguan’s, with excellent head- and legroom for both front and rear passengers. The CR-V’s seating position and low cowl provided great front visibility. The cargo compartment offered 75.8 cubic feet of space with the rear seats folded, thanks to a smart two-position load floor. The center console featured a deep well with a sliding cover, inspired by the Honda Odyssey minivan, and the door pockets were spacious, making the CR-V easy to live with.

The 2021 Dodge Durango, as a family hauler, offered comfortable seating, ample storage space, and family entertainment options. It could seat up to seven across three rows, with spacious front and second-row seats. The optional third row was more spacious than many competitors, comparable to the Subaru Ascent, Toyota Highlander, and Honda Pilot. The Durango had 21 seat options, providing plenty of choices for buyers. Its cargo space was average for its class, functioning as advertised. Dodge’s improved fit and finish since the early 2010s made the Durango stand out compared to older models like the Journey and Grand Caravan.

The 2020 Honda CR-V showed its age in terms of infotainment. The base LX trim came with a 5-inch screen, offering limited features like Bluetooth connectivity and Pandora compatibility. Higher trims had a 7-inch touchscreen, which felt small compared to competitors’ larger screens. The CR-V’s infotainment system lacked hard buttons, making it challenging to operate. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were available only with the larger screen, providing better navigation than Honda’s system, which was exclusive to the Touring trim. The CR-V EX trim and above had plenty of USB ports, with two in the front and two high-powered ones in the backseat. The Touring trim also featured a wireless phone charger.

The 2021 Dodge Durango featured an 8.4-inch touchscreen on the SXT and GT trims, with higher trims getting a 10.1-inch touchscreen running the new Uconnect 5 system. Uconnect 5 was five times faster than its predecessor, offering greater personalization, connected services, two Bluetooth connections, Amazon Alexa, TomTom navigation, SiriusXM with 360L, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and over-the-air updates. The system was easy to navigate, with clear graphics and responsive touch. The Durango also offered a family entertainment system with a Blu-ray and DVD player and two 9-inch screens. SRT models had unique appearance features, including a “smoke show” start-up animation and serpentine font. The TomTom navigation system was a standout, with easy-to-read graphics and quick response to changes.

The 2020 Honda CR-V came standard with the “Honda Sensing” system, including forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, road-departure mitigation, and adaptive cruise control with lane-keeping assist. Automatic high beams were standard, while EX trims and above added blind-spot monitoring and cross-traffic monitoring. The CR-V earned five stars from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and a Top Safety Pick designation from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), with the caveat that only the Touring trim had LED headlights, which performed better in tests.

The 2021 Dodge Durango fell short in safety compared to its rivals. It came standard with a rearview camera and federally mandated passive safety features like airbags and electronic stability control. Depending on the trim level or package, buyers could add adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, automatic high beams, rear-cross traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors, and forward-collision warning. The Durango received a five-star side crash-test rating and a four-star rollover rating from NHTSA, but its front crash testing ratings were not yet available.