My wife has a 99 Durango that we brought brand new. Was in a pretty bad wreck 1 month to the day after we bought it. My wife, myself, and our 5 month old son all walked away unscathed other than some soreness and bruises. It has been an outstanding vehicle and we have had zero problems with it, even after the bad wreck. Back seat fits me fine and I'm 6'1". Heck, I dont even mind riding in the 3rd row seat. We are looking to trade ours in towards the end of this year because my wife does a lot of running for her work, and its starting to show its age, combined with the fact that she works at a concrete plant, so its not under the best of conditions. Then factor in that our two boys are MUCH bigger now, when you put all 4 of us and the 2 dogs and just a little bit of luggage in, we are packed. We just need something bigger.
The 2000 and newer Durango's will have the 4.7 in them instead of the 5.2/318. I had the 4.7 in my Dakota that I traded in and it is heads above the 318. Great motor. I cant really think of anything bad to say about the Durango. FWIW, hers is a 4x4 with a few mods to the motor for extra ponies, and we get about 15 or so mpg around town, about 16-16.5 on the highway.

How is this a disadvantage, and what is it supposed to ride like? It rides exactly like what it is. It doesnt ride like a cadillac, because its not a cadillac.

I've got a 2000 Durango SLT+ with the 360ci engine and every option except 4WD and the towing package.

The only thing I've had go wrong with it was a bad oxygen sensor, and they replaced it free under warranty. The seats are comfortable, it fits a metric assload of cargo with the second and third rows of seats folded down and it's got great power (5.9 liter mmm yeah). The air conditioner is right chilly, including the rear unit and the sound system is great.

I would buy another one.

Suppose to be nice SUV's. Have a look at the Toyota RAV4 and the slightly larger Honda CRV.

We rented one for the BRC last year and it was great. We were flying down those gravel roads like it was asphalt, it was a V-8 4x4, I'm getting one as soon as my lease is up on my 2002 Explorer.

A buddy of mine has a Honda Pilot, and I must say it is a heck of an impressive vehicle.  Granted, it's closer to a mini-van than to a 4x4 pickup, but it's a fantastic people-mover and great for road trips.  He drives the crap outta his, with 18,000 miles on it in less than a year, and he's had no problems with it so far.

It is very difficult to go wrong with a Honda or Toyota.

-Troy

If you like the Durango, take a look at the Dakota four door and imagine either a tanneau cover or hard shell camper on the back.  Same vehicle with more cargo space.