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2008 Dodge Avenger Road Test

Different strokes for different folks. This saying has been around for ages,and as it's true with most of life’s realities it’s equally pertinent to the auto industry. Take for instance Chrysler's new Sebring sedan. I don't mind the daring, Crossfire-inspired, art-deco look of the car. Others would beg to differ, and probably very vocally as well. Luckily, Chrysler Group is aware of this, as it has already shown by offering multiple variations of its large, LX-chassis cars. The substitute for the midsize Sebring is th e Dodge Avenger, a new slightly more conservatively penned, not to mention sportier sedan from the world's eighth largest automotive brand. I reference this last point because of the nameplate's growth. Not three years ago, Dodge was more of an SUV and truck company. The only cars specific to the brand were at two extremes and something banal and another somewhat interesting in between, the bottom-feeder Neon, the (yawn) Stratus, the Intrepid and the utterly insane Viper. Though the Ram-brand continued its SUV expansion in 2007 with the Nitro, between the death of

A brand new day, a brand new midsize car. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

the old Stratus Coupe and birth of the new Avenger, Dodge padded its portfolio with the Caliber hatchback, and the two aforementioned rear-drive LX muscle machines, the Magnum wagon and Charger. Now it's time for something entirely new.

But the name, Avenger... sound familiar? It's been some time since it was lastused, a car with two fewer doors and underpinnings courtesy of the land of the rising sun. It was a part of the quirky midsize situation that saw Chrysler offering both the Sebring Coupe and Cirrus sedan from 1995 to 2000, despite the fact that the coupe and the sedan were technically unrelated. Dodge eventually switched to Stratus Coupe with the second coming of the vehicle. Now with the Avenger, Dodge seems to be getting

Avenger provides a blend of European and American styling that's more aggressive, but not so much that it'd scare your children. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

much more serious about the rapidly growing midsize segment. It seems an appropriate name, delivering the aggressive and particularly masculine sound that typifies Dodge’s products.

Chrysler Group has slowly erased its badge engineering past,giving Dodge products like the Avenger a separate look and identity. What the Charger is to the 300, the Avenger is to the Sebring; meat and potatoes with a dash of Tabasco. It's sinewy, yet the streamlined nose gives it a slightly European flair. That’s contrasted by clearly marked fender flares, while the window line and the rear haunches of a Charger, on the other hand, give the Avenger a purposeful appearance. It won't turn heads in the way a Charger Daytona will, but the

From the styling alone, you can tell that Dodge tried hard to give the Avenger its own personality. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

crosshair grille and broad front fascia let the world know that this indeed is a Dodge. As with almost all cars, the looker is the top model, and indeed the R/T is the most handsome of the bunch with its jutting chin spoiler, 18-inch wheels, and sinister, blacked-out headlamp bezels. Overall, it's a good thing that the brand was able to get a mixture of American and European design wrapped into one since Dodge is hoping to shift quite a few of these D-segment sedans on the other side of the Atlantic as a part of its European offensive. In shape, the three-box design may hold with tradition, but the look is different. It's muscle car lite.

The Avenger’s interior represents a big step forward for Dodge. It might beplainer and simpler than the Sebring, but as a standard issue family sedan it doesn't have any preconceived

Thumbs up to the interior; it's simple, tasteful and well executed with lots of different colours and textures. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

"premium" notions to live up to. The Avenger feels less overdone. For instance, the center stack uses the same components - the knobs and buttons, etc. - but the straightforwardness of the console doesn't make them look like round pegs in square holes. Still, there are things learned from the Sebring, such as the use of better materials, two-tone plastics and chrome door handle pulls, and the matte alloy trim brightens up the atmosphere significantly. With the exception of the chrome trim around the shifter base that reflected sun right into my eyes, I really don't have any complaints. SXT models receive YES Essentials stain-proof, odour-proof, anti-static trim that has the look and feel of a running shoe (very cool). The biggest trim improvement is in the R/T, which has standard heated, leather-trimmed seats. Unlike the Sebring Limited's frictionless buckets, the Avenger's well-bolstered seats have

ChillZone from the Caliber makes its way into the Avenger's dash. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

good grain, contrasting stitching and perforated inserts.

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