Dodge Will Make Your Base Model Look Like The Sporty Model For $1,590
The 2014 Dodge Durango R/T is one of my favorite SUVs. Just enough noise to scare the neighbor's chihuahua, practical enough to spare you from public shaming when you roll up to a gas station or your grandmother's house. Now you can get the $29,000 base model to look like the $39,000 sporty one as a $1,600 option.
Or you could always just bring it home and Plasti-Dip it.
Apparently this is a thing Dodge has offered on several of their models. I don't think this is nearly as lame as the Range Rover Stealth Package... which charges customers a fortune to paint some vents. The Dodge Blacktop edition is more like turning your basic 5-Series BMW and putting an M5 bumper on it. Not wrong per se, but might win you a few sideways looks.
Straight from Dodge:
Dodge is adding the Blacktop Package to the Durango SXT, Limited and R/T models, adding even more aggression to the already sporty appearance. The Blacktop Appearance Package gives customers the opportunity to customize their Durango straight from the factory at a tremendous value.
On SXT models, the Blacktop Package adds Gloss Black 20-inch aluminum wheels, dual rear exhaust with bright tips, Gloss Black crosshair grille with matching grille surround, Gloss Black side mirrors, Gloss Black badging, black headlamp bezels, and body-color fascias and moldings. Blacktop is available for a U.S. Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of only $1,590 MSRP.
On Limited models, the Blacktop Package includes all of the above content, plus HID headlamps and LED daytime running lights (DRLs), to complement its premium leather interior, for a starting U.S. MSRP of $1,990.
On the R/T, the Blacktop Package adds Gloss Black 20-inch aluminum wheels, Gloss Black crosshair grille with matching grille surround and Gloss Black badging for a U.S. MSRP of $295.
So basically, you can make a lower-spec Durango look like the R/T for about 1/10th the price of actually upgrading. Those black lights and grille do look pretty sharp... maybe it's not such a bad add-on after all.
Image: Dodge