Visionale - Car & Bike Articles & Guide

The front styling of the Dodge Avenger is a judicious exercise in Dodge sporty looks that aren’t overdone.

The test Avenger with V6 had exemplary road poise for a car in its price range, and I was surprised at how well-managed the body motions and suspension workings were. It all made the test Avenger, which topped at less than $23,000 with options, seem more expensive than it was. Basically, the car with touring suspension that’s standard in the SXT trim level felt well-balanced in the back and forth motions on twisty mountain roads. And the Avenger behaved stably and predictably, with no weird reactions in abrupt emergency maneuvers.

Road bumps came through only mildly for the most part. Passengers were jostled just a bit when the car went over large potholes. But none of it was upsetting or harsh.

Note that the Dodge Avenger is built on the front-wheel-drive platform that’s also used in the Chrysler Sebring sedan that debuted as a new-generation model for the 2007 model year.

The Avenger is wider and taller than the Stratus, and the extra 4 inches in height helped Dodge engineers position seats up higher from the pavement for better views and more comfortable positioning for passengers.

I prefer the V6s—Dodge offers two of them—to the Avenger’s base four cylinder. Besides the reasonable price and better torque, these V6s have pleasing engine sounds.

Even the base, 2.7-liter V6 in the test Avenger had good get up and go, thanks to a peak of 191 lb-ft of torque at 4000 rpm. The only transmission with this engine is a 4-speed automatic, though.

Buyers get a more modern, fine-working, 6-speed automatic when they move up to the Avenger’s larger, 235-horsepower 3.5-liter high-output V6 in the R/T model. It starts around $23,000, which is another decent price.

The Avenger was easy to drive—nimble and right-sized. Just be careful backing the Avenger out of parking spaces and driveways. The car’s shape created a wide pillar between the rear window and rear-doors, and then there’s a black, plastic piece in the rear door window for styling, so this area is even more view-blocking than in many convertibles.

Trunk space is 13.35 cubic feet vs. the 15 cubic feet in the Camry. Most of the Avenger’s cargo room is under the rear window and parcel shelf. Supportive front bucket seats in the test car were finished with perforated leather that was so soft to the touch, it was obviously leather. At introduction of the Avenger, it was a $925 option.

Avenger ceiling material was textured and looked good in the test car, there were some plastic pieces on the dashboard and door trim inside that weren’t aligned properly. Additionally, the Avenger’s blinkers had the loud, old-style, clickity sound that most new vehicles have abandoned.

And I spent considerable time before finding that the dome light in the ceiling was operated by a control integrated into the Avenger’s blinker stalk.

The Avenger is one of the few mainstream midsized sedans to offer all-wheel drive.