I recently considered moving from the DEX to the SX2. But after some help from Adam and the lads, and a bit of fiddling with the setup, I now have a DEX that is just about getting there (for me). I had the full fat version but have now gone to the R, and I think it suits me better than the full fat DEX. Wether that is a 'new car' thing I don't know, but to be honest, my setup now is getting closer and closer to the original DEX and is a lot less aggressive on the throttle than it originally was. So I have decided to stick with the Durango.
I have driven a CAT and obviously there is a bit more give in the drive train upon acceleration with the ball diffs and the belts, but I have countered this by going up to a 7.5 from a 6.5, and its much easier to drive and more consistent...and believ me, I crash a lot....way too much, but all the help has done the world of good.
It is well worth considering, and they're as strong as... a very strong thing!!
I've yet to see a DEX break when having a collision with another car. Its always been the other thats come off worse.