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Dodge

Sunday, 18th of May 2008

The 2.0-litre CRD engine in this family saloon is Volkswagen and thus performs adequately and reliably. This Avenger is what is often called a “muscle car” and 0-60 miles per hour is reached in approximately 10 seconds. The six-speed manual gearbox provides a comfortable cruising speed.

The ride is a bit too bouncy and the Avenger leans heavily through corners. If the car is treated very gently then it will return a decent ride but try to push it too hard and you will encounter a pronounced body roll. It doesn’t take much pushing to force the Avenger understeer. On the plus side, the braking is reassuringly solid.

This is the area where the Avenger most lets itself down. The standard of the metalwork, interior plastics and components is possibly slightly lagging behind class leading vehicles in the same sector. Road noise is kept to a bare minimum as long as the car is not pushed too hard.

Six airbags, ABS brakes, traction control and three-point seatbelts are all standard and provide an impressive sense of safety and security. The car alarm and immobiliser also come as standard. This is an area in which Dodge have excelled.

The Avenger is a family saloon and features a handy sized boot but bigger would have been better. There is plenty of head and legroom and passengers will be able to travel in a fair degree of comfort.

The Dodge Avenger has been priced competitively, the 2.0 CRD will cost £15,995 to purchase but is available at fantastic contract hire and leasing prices from £169 per month. Unfortunately, Dodge is still a new brand in the UK market and its residual values are not too good at this early stage.