2020 Dodge Durango Trim Levels with Comparisons & Configurations.

In a world where fuel efficiency has become more important than power, the Durango is a bit of an anomaly. There is no hybrid nor four-cylinder engine to be found underneath its hood. Instead, this SUV gives you plenty of horsepower and class-leading towing capacity.

There is room for up to seven inside of the 2020 Durango, although two rows of seating are standard in the base trim. This vehicle started its third generation back in 2011 and is starting to feel a bit overdue for an overhaul. However, it has had enough updates over the years to stay competitive.

When considering the 2020 Durango, there are eight different trim levels to take a look at. The entry-level SXT has quite a bit to offer families. Moving up the trim lines, you will find more and more power, towing capacity, and standard tech features. In this guide, the differences between the trims are laid out with the goal of helping you determine which one is right for you.

 

Compare the 2020 Dodge Durango SXT vs SXT Plus Trims. What is the difference?

The SXT, like most models, come standard with rear-wheel-drive but can be upgraded to all-wheel-drive. It is powered by a 3.6L V6 engine that will make 295-horsepower as well as 260 lb-ft of torque. The engine is paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The maximum towing capacity of this trim is 6,200 pounds.

On the outside of this trim, you will find halogen headlights and LED brake lights. The side mirrors are heated and you get a rear bumper step. As for style, it has a body-colored grille with chrome accents. Roof rails are another handy standard feature.

Interestingly, this is the SXT is the only model that comes standard with two rows of seating and room for up to five. A third-row seating group package is optional, which gives you a 60/40 split-folding seat and bumps capacity up to seven. Seats are cloth and manually adjustable, but you do get leather on the steering wheel. The front passenger seat has the ability to fold flat to help easily load longer objects.

You get a 12-volt auxiliary power outlet in both the front and back of the SXT. A 7" touchscreen is standard and runs Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. You get a handy media hub that features two USB ports as well as one of the auxiliary ports. Also making life easier are the standard steering-wheel-mounted controls for cruise and audio.

If you are looking for the newest in driver assistance aids, the SXT is not going to be right for you. It does give you hill start assist and trailer sway dampening, which can be handy for campers. Also standard is a rearview camera as well as tire pressure monitoring system.

Moving up to the SXT Plus means getting the third row standard in your 2020 Durango. While seven seats are the norm, you also have the option of going with second-row captain's chairs here, which would take that number down to six. The driver's seat gains eight-way power adjustment and heat and leather become options for the front row. A sunroof is also available for this trim. One year of Sirius XM radio comes standard with this trim.

Both the SXT and SXT Plus have 18" wheels, but the SXT Plus gives you the option of upgrading to 20" ones if desired. Black roof rails also become an available option. The SXT Plus does not add any more standard safety features, but it does give you the option of adding blind spot and cross-path detection.

Compare the 2020 Dodge Durango SXT Plus vs GT Trims.  What is the difference?

Mechanically speaking, the GT is the same as the trims that came before. It also is rear-wheel-drive standard but can be all-wheel-drive. The GT does gain steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters. Seven passenger seating is the standard, but the second-row captain's chairs are still an option.

Inside the cabin, the GT trim level unlocks some new optional equipment. You can add a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot. Also available is the larger 8.4" touchscreen for the infotainment system, GPS navigation, and HD radio.

On the outside, the GT sits on stylish 20" satin carbon wheels. It adds LED daytime running lamps as well as premium LED fog lamps. You get eye-catching dual-exhaust tips with a bright finish and a performance grille with black texture.

The GT gains no additional safety features. In fact, the only real reason to go with it over the GT would be to get a different exterior appearance and unlock a few more interior options.

Compare the 2020 Dodge Durango GT vs GT Plus Trims. What is the difference?

The next stop on this list is the Durango GT Plus. It gives you an 8-way power-adjustable driver's seat and adds six-way adjustment to the front passenger seat. Both seats also have four-way lumbar adjustment. This trim adds heat to both the first and second row of seats, as well as the steering wheel. Rather than the cloth that has been standard to this point, this trim gives you a leather-suede seating surface. It is worth noting that the power sunroof is not available on this trim.

You can upgrade the stereo system if you decide to go with the GT Plus. Rather than the six-speaker system that has been standard up until this point, you can have a nine-speaker Alpine system that features a subwoofer. Dual screens for the rear seats that are Blu-Ray compatible also become an option at this trim level.

This is the first trim level to give you the convenient power liftgate. It also adds exterior mirrors with supplemental signals built-in. A performance hood is optional, as well as dual stripes in a variety of colors. These colors include Sterling Silver, Flame Red, and Bright Blue.

More advanced safety features become optional if you go with the GT Plus trim level. You can choose to add full-speed forward collision warning as well as lane departure warning. The GT Plus represents a fairly significant upgrade from the GT but at a cost of nearly four thousand dollars more.

Compare the 2020 Dodge Durango GT Plus vs Citadel Trims.  What is the difference?

When you move up to the Citadel, you get the option of going with a larger engine. While the V6 remains standard, a 5.7L V8 HEMI that produces 360-horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque can be had as well. The Citadel also gets 20" wheels, but its are platinum chrome aluminum instead of satin carbon.

The maximum seating capacity on this trim is six. Adding some luxury to the Durango Citadel are leather-wrapped door panels. You also gain standard a power tilt and telescope steering column, which was optional on the GT. This trim level's interior stands out from the rest thanks to its Anodized Gun Metal accents, although you can go with more traditional black touches if you'd like.

With this trim, the Wi-Fi hotspot becomes standard. The nine-speaker stereo system also becomes standard, but you have the option of going even further with a 19-speaker premium Harman Kardon system with subwoofer. This trim level also gives you the 8.4" screen and built-in navigation as standard features. Going with this trim or above also gives you five years of premium SiriusXM travel and traffic services.

Integrated roof rail crossbars are added on the Citadel. You also get convenient automatic high-beam control. Your low-beam lights use high-intensity discharge bulbs and you get upgraded to projector fog lamps. The power sunroof is standard on this trim. Overall, it is easy to see that the Citadel is the beginning of the more luxury-oriented models of the Durango.

Compare the 2020 Dodge Durango Citadel vs R/T Trims. What is the difference?

Here you have the more performance-oriented version of the 2020 Durango. It gets the 5.7L V8 HEMI as its standard engine. The R/T also adds performance steering, a high-speed engine controller, and bumps the battery amps from 650 to 700. Your suspension is upgraded to a sport one. The towing capacity gets a boost too, with the capacity going up to 7,200 pounds.

The R/T trim goes back to giving you seating for seven people standard. This is the first trim level to offer ventilation for the front seats. Other interior options on this trim level include suede on the headliners and Tungsten interior accent stitching. You can also add illumination to the rear cupholders and a leather-wrap to your instrument panel. For this trim, the sunroof goes back to being optional.

For the R/T, the Durango goes back to 20" satin carbon wheels. This is the only trim level that will give you a full-size rather than a compact spare tire. The R/T loses the projector fog lamps and goes back to the LED ones. This trim allows you to add the same dual stripes that were available on the GT trim. The performance hood, which was only optional on the GT and unavailable on other trims, becomes standard for the R/T.

Compare the 2020 Dodge Durango R/T vs Citadel Anodized Platinum Trims.  What is the difference?

The Citadel Anodized Platinum might sound a bit like a subtrim of the Citadel. However, it costs around six thousand dollars more than the R/T and definitely deserves to be in its own category. Like the R/T, the 5.7L HEMI is standard here. It loses the sport suspension, however. This trim seats up to six people and does not offer the second-row bench seat.

For this trim, optional features on the R/T become standard. This includes the ventilation to the front seats and the suede headliners. It also gets the premium leather-wrapped instrument panel and stands out from the pack with its platinum interior accents.

On the outside, the roof rails become black once again. This trim also gives you integrated roof rail crossbars. The fog lights change up again, reverting back to the projector ones found on the Citadel. On the outside, the Citadel Anodized Platinum stands out with platinum fog lamp bezels, mirror caps, badging, and front fascia. The front grille is platinum with black texture. The sunroof once again becomes standard.

Overall, the Citadel Anodized Platinum trim just brings more character to the outside of the Durango. It is debatable whether or not that, plus a few more standard interior features, is enough to justify the considerable price jump.

Compare the 2020 Dodge Durango Citadel Anodized Platinum vs SRT Trims. What is the difference?

The SRT sits on the top of the Durango trim family and gets an even bigger engine. This model is powered by a 6.4L V8 HEMI that produces 475-horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque. For this trim, the Durango also gains high-performance brakes and a high-performance suspension. To keep the sound of this powerful engine outside, this trim gives you active noise cancellation. When properly equipped, this trim can tow up to 8,700 pounds.

Your power sunroof goes back to being an optional feature here. The outside of this Durango gets special SRT badging. For this trim, you get 20" low-gloss black wheels. Rather than giving you a spare tire, Dodge gives you run flat tires all around. This trim gets rid of the roof rail crossbars.

One nice upgrade you'll see here is the addition of an auto-leveling headlight system. LED fog lights become standard once more. This trim gets the performance hood, a performance grille with black texture, and you can once again add the dual stripes to the paint job.

Inside, you get bright pedals and the option of going with Demonic Red seats and red seat belts. The leather on the steering wheel gets an upgrade and leather is added to the shift knob. You finally see additional safety features here, although they are optional. Both brake assist and an even more advanced high-performance brake system are available.

 

Which Trim to Choose?

The options seem never-ending when it comes to the 2020 Dodge Durango. The entry-level SXT has a decent amount of features. That said, if you are forgoing fuel efficiency for power, you may as well move up to a HEMI. The R/T is fun to drive with its sport and performance-based mechanical features. It also allows you to add interior luxuries if you want.

For most consumers interested in the Durango, the R/T with all-wheel-drive will be a more than competent family vehicle.