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The Chrysler brand now has a real sport utility vehicle. For 2007, the Aspen joins the Chrysler lineup as the first truck-based SUV from what has been mostly a car and minivan brand.

Chrysler does sell the Pacifica, a six-passenger crossover utililty vehicle based on the Town & Country minivan platform, but has never had a traditional SUV. The Aspen isn’t really an all-new vehicle, however.

It’s a version of the midsize Dodge Durango, which itself has been updated somewhat for 2007 after getting a complete makeover just two years ago. The Chrysler version is a fancier rendition of the Durango, but the basic configuration is the same.

The Aspen is a seven- or eight-passenger sport utility that ranks in size between such industry stalwarts as the midsize Ford Explorer and full-size Expedition, leading to some confusion on the part of Chrysler’s marketing department as to exactly where the Aspen fits in the overall SUV scheme.

Base prices range from $31,490 to $36,905 for two-wheel-drive models, and from $34,265-$39,225 for four-wheel-drive versions. All of these prices include $745 freight. During a media introduction of the vehicle recently in Palm Springs, Chrysler marketing executives kept referring to the Aspen as a full-size sport utility, but were making direct comparisons between the Aspen and midsize models such as the Explorer, Mercury Mountaineer (an upscale Explorer), Chevrolet TrailBlazer and Honda Pilot. But there also were comparisons to the Chevrolet Tahoe, the best-selling full-size SUV.

The confusion is understandable, since the Aspen is larger than the TrailBlazer but slightly smaller than the Tahoe. The Aspen name has been resurrected from Chrysler’s past; it was the name of a midsize Dodge sedan and wagon line in the mid-70s. The sizing of the Aspen/Durango is similar to how Dodge has sized its pickup trucks. The Dakota plays in the compact/midsize segment, but is larger than its competitors; and likewise for the Ram in the full-size segment.

What’s clear is that the Aspen is a nicely appointed, quite roomy family-size sport utility with lots of upscale amenities – along with a choice of V-8 engines.

“The Aspen has best-in-class horsepower and towing capacity,” Scott Slagle, senior manager of Chrysler brand marketing, said during the Palm Springs introduction. When asked why Chrysler would introduce a large, truck-based SUV now that sales of traditional SUVs have slumped somewhat with increased gasoline prices, Slagle said the vehicle “fills a void in the Chrysler brand portfolio.”

“We found that 25 percent of our owners were trading in their cars for full-size SUVs, and we had nothing to offer them,” he said.

“There were four million SUVs sold in the United States last year, and two million of them were full-size. Yes, the full-size SUVs are under pressure, but this is still one of the largest vehicle segments.”

He said the biggest competitors to the Aspen probably are the Mountaineer and Pilot, and that the Aspen has the advantage over those two in cargo capacity, among other things.

To create the Aspen, designers took the Durango and gave it some key exterior changes to make it look like a Chrysler, said Dennis Myles, the company’s senior manager for truck design.

Some of the styling cues were taken from the Chrysler 300 sedan and the Crossfire roadster. The Crossfire, built in Europe, is based on a similar Mercedes-Benz model. “We gave the Aspen the Chrysler signature grille and the Crossfire detail on the sculpted hood,” he said.

“Chrysler wings flow seamlessly into the grille header and contain the gold seal of the brand, providing a proud and instantly recognizable design cue,” Myles said. The Aspen’s front and rear fenders, rear doors and rear-quarter panels feature “clean, precise angles, creating a seamless profile,” the company said in a news release accompanying the California introduction.

“Chromed accents on body-side moldings, door handles, side mirrors, beltline molding and roof rack, as well as available 20-inch chromed wheels, add premium panache,” Chrysler said.

The Aspen also was given a “high level of refinement” to help differentiate it from the Durango, Myles said. The Durango is aimed at a less-affluent audience.

Under the hood of the base Aspen model is a 235-horsepower, 4.7-liter Magnum V-8 engine with 300 foot-pounds of torque. It’s rated at 14 miles per gallon city/19 highway with two-wheel drive and 14 city/18 highway with four-wheel drive.

Optional is a 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 engine, rated at 335 horsepower and 370 foot-pounds of torque.

This engine includes Chrysler’s cylinder-displacement system that automatically cuts out four of its cylinders during level cruising to increase fuel economy. EPA ratings are 15 miles per gallon city/20 highway with two-wheel drive, and 14 city/19 highway with four-wheel drive.

Both engines are connected to a five-speed automatic transmission.

Among the Aspen’s standard or optional features are interior LED lighting, express-up front windows, a full-screen navigation/audio system, heated first- and second-row seats, and a rear-seat DVD entertainment system.

Also offered are a power rear liftgate, remote start, and Sirius satellite radio.

Standard safety features include electronic stability control with rollover mitigation, side-curtain air bags for all three rows of seating, and a tire-pressure monitoring system. The ParkSense rear back-up warning system is optional.

Among safety and security features are electronic stability control with rollover mitigation, a tire-pressure monitoring system, and side-curtain air bags for all three rows. The vehicle can be arranged in several passenger and/or cargo configurations, depending on how many seats are needed for passengers.

It comes with either a 40/20/40 split bench seat in the second row, or a pair of bucket seats. Those seats can recline up to 11 degrees and include a center console with dual cupholders, a covered storage area and adjustable outlets for air conditioning or heat, the company said.

The third seat can be folded into the floor, giving the Aspen 68.4 cubic inches of cargo space behind the second row.

The power-operated tailgate comes in handy if you’re approaching the vehicle with your hands full. It opens or closes with the push of a button on the handheld remote, or it can be controlled from the driver’s seat or with switches just inside the hatch.

For easy loading of passengers or cargo through the side doors, they can open as wide as 84 degrees to get them mostly out of the way.

The kids will enjoy the backseat entertainment system, which has a flip-down, roof-mounted screen and theater-style surround-sound audio with eight speakers.

While the Aspen doesn’t ride as smoothly as some of the newer crossover utility vehicles – it is a truck underneath – this is a comfortable vehicle with a remarkably quiet interior.

Standard is rear-wheel drive, but two all-wheel-drive systems are optional.

One, which comes with the 4.7-liter engine, has a single-speed transfer case. It offers only a high-range mode.

With the Hemi engine, though, you can get a real off-road-capable four-wheel-drive system with a two-speed transfer case, which allows the vehicle to be shifted into low range gearing for serious trail-driving.

The Aspen can tow trailers weighing up to 8,950 pounds, and the vehicle has a gross weight rating of 6,700 pounds.

The automatic transmission has a tow/haul mode that helps reduce unnecessary shifting while towing or climbing/descending hills.

Chrysler Group, a subsidiary of Germany’s DaimlerChrysler, builds the new Aspen at its Newark, Del., plant.

The Aspen is available in dealerships now.