TrueDelta Reviews the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2013 Dodge Durango
2013 Dodge Durango Seat Room and Comfort: Pros
Year
Comment
2014
The Durango's relatively narrow width, a plus for handling, has the opposite impact on interior room. These are very much two sides of the same coin. Because the Durango's cabin isn't terribly wide it feels more agile than wider SUVs. But three passengers in the second row don't have as much space to spread out--those in a Nissan Pathfinder enjoy a couple more inches of shoulder room--and only two people can sit in the third row. (The Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, and GM's large crossovers all have three belts back there.) Leg room in the Durango is much more competitive, but still a few inches short of class leading.
This said, comfort isn't only a matter of interior dimensions. Both of the Durango's rear rows are well-upholstered and positioned higher off the floor than the three-row crossover norm. This benefits both thigh support and outward visibility. The Hyundai Santa Fe isn't far off in this regard, but the Nissan Pathfinder's seats are much closer to the floor, and less hospitable to adults as a result. Among the three, I'd prefer to be a rear seat passenger in the Dodge. Among large conventional SUVs, the Ford Expedition has a more comfortable third row, but the Chevrolet Tahoe (which retains a live rear axle despite a comprehensive redesign for the 2015 model year) doesn't come close. And the foot-shorter 4Runner? Its XXS third-row seat is best saved for emergencies.
On the other side of the ledger, the Durango does have a higher floor than the typical car-based crossover. Getting in and out isn't as easy. This vies with curb weight as the top disadvantage of the Durango's conventional SUV configuration.
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What Our Members Are Saying about the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2013 Dodge Durango
2013 Dodge Durango Seat Room and Comfort: Cons
Year
Body/Powertrain
Comment
2012
4dr SUV 290-horsepower 3.6L V6 5-speed shiftable automatic AWD
There was very little bolstering on the sides of the seat bottoms. I was not able to find a comfortable seating position in the Durango
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TrueDelta Reviews the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu
2017 Chevrolet Malibu Seat Room and Comfort: Pros
Year
Comment
2016
Chevrolet's designers styled the new Malibu's instrument panel to appear low and out of the way, such that the front seat feels especially roomy and the view forward seems more open than in most competitors, including the Kia (the instrument panel in which seems significantly higher and more imposing). In the tested car, which had every option except the panoramic sunroof, headroom was so abundant I could have worn a fedora.
The Kia Optima might have as much front headroom when similarly without a sunroof. The official specs, which often don't reflect real world differences, suggest it should have even more than the Malibu. But you cannot get a highly equipped Optima without the sunroof, as it's part of a large package on the SX and standard on the SX Limited.
Though the Malibu's windshield is relatively large, you won't find outward visibility among the reasons to buy one. The Chevrolet's front pillars remain on the thick side, its instrument panel is considerably deeper than the Kia's, and the view to the sides and rear also could be more open. In the Optima, the view to the sides is more open but that to the rear is not.
I did find the Cherolet's front seats more form-fitting and comfortable than the Optima's. The Kia's quilted seats aren't as cushy as they appear.
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What Our Members Are Saying about the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu
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