Dodge Avenger SXT 2007 Review

Also consider: Toyota Camry, Nissan Maxima ST-L, Mitsubishi 380, Subaru Liberty 2.5i

Overall rating: 3.0/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 3.0/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 3.0/5.0
Safety: 3.0/5.0
Behind the wheel: 3.0/5.0
X-factor: 3.5/5.0

Clever styling that links the Avenger with Dodge's bigger muscle car models means the first question many observer will ask is: "What is it?" In the right colour, the Avenger can easily be mistaken for a more expensive rival to a VW Passat or entry-level BMW.

This highlights the clever the packaging of the Dodge mid-sizer when superficial appearances inside and out suggest a much higher sticker.

If you are looking for a $34,990 purchase to create a $50,000 impression, there is not much else to match the Dodge Avenger. The rest of the car, while not outstanding by local standards, is good enough to support a purchase made on looks and presentation alone.

At the base SX level, the Avenger runs a hard working 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine but the SXT on test boasts the new generation 2.4-litre petrol four shared between DaimlerChrysler, Mitsubishi and Hyundai. Because it has to shift 1560kg, the Avenger provides an insight into why a Mitsubishi 380 evaluation involving the same engine provided little gain in fuel economy and reduced performance.

The Avenger application is further compromised by a basic four-speed auto that relies on torque converter slip to fill the gaps between missing ratios. It has a Mercedes-Benz style sideways manual shift function.

Left to its own devices, the auto causes the otherwise efficient and unobtrusive engine (125kW/220Nm) to drone like a light commercial as soon as you require any action. The shortage of ratios also prevents it from delivering stop-start urban fuel figures consistent with those achieved while cruising at a constant speed.

After a 550km test, the Avenger proved to be an easy car to live with despite its many shortcomings. There is no driver's left footrest, the plastics feel cheap and hard and the dash reminds you of those fake TVs you see in furniture shops: it looks good but the feel is all cardboard. The steering wheel audio buttons are hidden behind the steering wheel (like the 380), the lower glovebox will crack your knees on opening, the front seats are just adequate for big Aussies and the finish inside the bootlid is crude.

Not since the 1960s would Australians have seen a twisted-up coil spring acting on the door stays. Panel fit too belongs to another era.

On a more positive front, the suspension is smooth enough around town but can get a little thumpy and agitated over uneven surfaces. Grip and stability are good even if the turn-in and roll control are not as firm as regular Aussie market offerings.

Indeed, a Dodge Avenger engineered to the same standard as the local Mitsubishi 380 would be quite a car when there are still so many good things going for it. It has a generous boot with fold down back seats to form a long luggage platform that can be extended to include the plastic load tray on the back of the front passenger seat when folded. The steering wheel has tilt and reach adjustment. The instrument display which includes km/h and mph speedo calibrations and the 'in dash' compass, are to the usual high Chrysler standard but the trip computer settings are too far away in the centre console.

There is single zone climate control and an upper glovebox that doubles as a "Chill Zone" for drinks and snacks. The centre cupholder has its own ceramic heating and cooling elements.

The rear seat with its centre armrest and cupholders is comfortable with reasonable legroom providing the front occupants are not too tall. Cabin lighting is good with push-button reading lights while the window and mirror controls are where they should be on the driver's door although the handbrake did not make the switch from left-hand drive.

The Boston Acoustics sound system is better than expected at the price and the standard two-tone leather adds life to the cabin when it not the usual grim charcoal or black.

The Avenger is obviously built to a very different set of priorities from a European or Japanese medium sedan. It moves off the line quite briskly for a small four-cylinder, quick enough to stake a claim on most gaps in the cut-throat traffic of Australian cities.

For an application which involves only one or two people most of the time, it is a relatively spacious and pleasant car in which to spend extended time during say, a long twice-daily haul from the suburbs and back. Features like an eight-way power driver's seat with heating in both front seats, tyre pressure monitoring display, heated exterior mirrors with fold-away function, fog lamps, front and rear mats, rear solar control glass, air-filtration system and the various drink heating and cooling systems can make more difference in the early morning procession to work than the last degree of suspension control.

In gentle cruising, it's possible to achieve 9-10.0lt/100km but this will quickly climb to well over 12.0lt/100km during stop-start running. Compared to a local Falcon with the ZF six-speed auto option or Aurion V6 there won't be a big saving in fuel over a typical mix of freeway and inner city running -- thus the switch to an Avenger cannot be justified on fuel savings alone. Although slightly smaller in all dimensions except height than a Falcon or Commodore, its turning circle is no tighter.

If four passengers need to be carried regularly, it is safe to assume that the coming 2.7-litre V6 petrol engine with its six-speed auto will deliver better fuel economy and performance.

Even though the test car's 2.4-litre engine looked lost in the engine bay, the battery is hidden between the front bumper and inner wheel house ahead of the front left wheel so it is not an easy roadside maintenance item. Remote terminals are fitted for a jump start.

We believe the Avenger's myriad coolant hoses will also cause future owners some grief as the car ages.

Yet as a comprehensively-equipped, reasonably frugal, smart-looking package with lots of chrome, standard 18-inch alloy wheels and rear spoiler, the Avenger is an endearing vehicle.

Unlike a similarly-priced Camry or 380, it doesn't look like a renter or company car and will cover most light duty urban family car functions without working up a sweat. At a duty-free $34,990, that's probably more than enough for many buyers.