2011 Dodge Magnum – Durango spy shot

Autoblog found this Twitter photo, apparently taken from inside a Chrysler facility, of the upcoming Dodge Durango replacement, possibly to be named Dodge Magnum. The seven-passenger utility vehicle is known to be moving from its modified Dodge Dakota origins to the engineered-for-the-purpose Grand Cherokee chassis, lengthened, restyled, and stripped of some off-road features.

The photo appears to be genuine and shot with a camera phone. It aligns fairly closely with Stephen Weigel’s rendering based on Chrysler patent applications, which has been posted at Allpar for some months.

Dodge is planning to use “lifestyle” names for the new Magnum models — Boulevard, Citadel, Crew, Express, Heat, and R/T (the latter having the Hemi); reports claim that the Magnum-Durango will be several inches longer in wheelbase and length than the Grand Cherokee. It will, contrary to our expectations from seeing a past mule, have the same downward-sloping roofline and the same basic shape, ameliorated by different sheet metal curves and a different front and rear appearance.