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2008 Dodge Avenger R/T FWD Road Test

Slotting in quite nicely above the Caliber and below the Charger or Magnum,the 2008 Dodge Avenger fills a hole in Dodge's line-up of cars. It's no secret that the Avenger is a sister car to the recently introduced and redesigned 2007 Chrysler Sebring and shares that car's powertrain options, with a 172-horsepower 2.4-liter inline-four, a 189-horsepower 2.7-liter V6 and the 235-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 on offer. My Modern Blue Pearl example was a fully decked out R/T model with that aforementioned 3.5 liter V6.

Having lost 15 horsepower last year (on paper at least) when the SAE revised the way automobile engines are rated means it was slightly underwhelming to begin with, especially when many in the class are pushing 260-plus horsepower. But thanks to a really short first gear in the R/T's smooth-shifting 6-speed autobox,

All wheel drive is available on the R/T for those looking to send power to the rear. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

the car moves off the line with authority. However, from a dead stop the Avenger was plagued with more than just a hint torque steer. The benchmark 60 mph is reached in just 7 seconds flat from the same dead stop and its top speed is electronically limited to 112 mph.

A good portion of my time with the Avenger was spent on a three-hour road trip over the weekend. On the open highway stretches, passing usually needed a few seconds, mostly to kick down a gear or two (like most slushboxes), but the

Chrome covers many surfaces from the shifter gate to the speaker rings. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

engine would then propel the Avenger forward smoothly and quickly as the 3.5 revs pretty freely up to the higher reaches of the tach. While doing so it played an inoffensive yet unexciting note and isn't really tuned to sound as throaty as it should in a car that wants to play the part of a performance sedan, and one with a supposedly bad-boy image.

The European-tuned ride is excellent and better than a lot of its competitors, and the R/T wasn't one to shy away from curvy back roads either. Even with low profile 18-inch tires the sport-oriented tuning of the suspension is perfectly livable and in no way harsh.If the speeds get higher,

Once your drinks have been chilled in the active heat/cool cupholders, keep them chilly in the ChillZone. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

such as those I saw on the highway, the Avenger remains perfectly stable without any white knuckles. Braking is excellent as the R/T is fitted with disc brakes all around and ABS to help with panic stops. The Avenger SXT L Pkg. comes with front discs and rear drums plus ABS (M Pkg. adds rear discs), and the base SE model has ABS as an extra-cost option. That's a pretty weak statement from Dodge, considering Jeep offers ABS, traction control and stability control as standard equipment on their base Jeep Patriot, a vehicle that costs $3K less.

Around town the Avenger feels much snappier than many sedans, and even some with more horsepower—once again aided in large part by that low first gear. The transmission is tuned for quiet unobtrusive

Nice job! The interior's two tone light and dark color scheme really lifts the cabin ambiance. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

shifts to get you up to speed. The seats are fantastic—firm yet comfortable— and I was very satisfied for the length of my trip as there is excellent room upfront. In the back, anyone really tall could run into headroom issues but almost everyone should find they have adequate legroom—my stilts survived the test of squeezing into the rear quarters.

All of the controls felt decent and were easy to use and one of the really cool features on my test car is the LED interior lighting that casts an upscale white light throughout the interior. The two-tone light gray/dark gray interior with leather, which on the R/T model comes standard, also looks very good as well, but the quality could certainly be improved in a few areas. A cool feature (literally) that the Avenger offers that the Sebring doesn't is a small fridge-like cooled compartment above the glovebox that

Is it possible for a car to give an evil eye? Perhaps, if it's the Avenger. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

can hold four cans of pop or bottles of water. As in the Sebring, a cooled/heated cupholder is optional.

Visibility is about the same as in the Sebring—good, but with rather large blindspots thanks to those Charger-like rear pillars. The CD player sounds decent enough but wasn't the clearest and the bass would rattle things a bit too much if you turned it up past two—not exactly rockin'. A unique option, for this class at least, is a rear-seat DVD entertainment system that folds out from the center console. While this isn't a fault of the Avenger in particular, I am a bit worried that the turn-your-kids-into-zombies video players are making their way into just about everything now. Does anyone actually talk to their kids anymore?

When all is said and done, the Dodge Avenger is a sporty looking car that is unmistakably Dodge from the moment you first set eyes upon it. With its slightly angled grille, a snarling front end and those son-of-a-Charger rear flanks, the Avenger is an aggressively

It's the Charger's little brother... though it's not rear wheel drive. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

good-looking midsize sedan. When parked beside the Charger I prefer the looks of the Avenger, especially in my tester's R/T trim. But whereas the Charger and itswonderful 340 horsepower Hemi lives up to the expected performance of the famed R/T nameplate, the Avenger R/T misses the mark a bit on that front.

My Avenger R/T came in at just under $27,000, which is a lot of money to be sure, but also a lot of car. As the Avenger starts at a compact car price of $18,895, there is the potential to pick and choose your options carefully and end up with excellent value for your money. For example, an SXT with its 17-inch alloy wheels and 2.7 liter V6 (though saddled with the disappointing 4-speed automatic) is the value leader that begins at a mere $19,795. So while the Avenger is a lot of car for the money, sometimes that isn't enough in this very competitive market segment. Whether or not it succeeds remains to be seen, and will likely depend on how many people feel like they need a car that will represent the anger and rage they feel when they're behind the wheel.


Specifications (Dodge Avenger R/T):

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