2014 Durango goes the distance.

• Author: Couture, Peter
• Position: Cars

Byline: Peter Couture and Lyra Solochek

You've no doubt seen Will Ferrell's "Anchorman'' character Ron Burgundy in commercials for the 2014 Dodge Durango, humorously praising, among other things, the glove box -- "It goes on for inches!'' -- of the large SUV. Dodge has now given the Durango a midcycle refresh, and there's much more to like about it than the glove box.

Appearance: When the Durango was redesigned for the 2011 model year, it gained a muscle car's bearing. For 2014, that look gets bolder with new fascias and a tweak to Dodge's cross-hair grille. The headlights acquire LED bling, and tail lamps now span the rear of the vehicle and are the same sharp Racetrack ribbon you see on the Challenger and Charger. The Durango sits high, like a truck, and shorter drivers might find getting in and out a challenge. Our tester, the R/T, came with 20-inch alloy wheels, body-color accents and chrome-tipped exhausts.

Performance: The sporty R/T trim comes with a 5.7-liter V-8 Hemi, an engine that produces one of our favorite exhaust notes. (It's very macho; Burgundy would approve.) The engine has 360 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque, but somehow seems civilized in comparison to some of the other Hemis we've driven -- maybe because of the Durango's 5,100-pound curb weight?

Still, acceleration is steady and quick. The estimated mpg isn't ideal, but if you're buying a large SUV with a V-8, you know that before making a down payment. Dodge's 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 is also available.

New to the model for 2014 is Chrysler's 8-speed automatic transmission, which is one of our favorites. The rear-wheel-drive Durango (AWD is an option) has a surprisingly comfortable ride, even with the...