2008 Dodge Avenger

Editor: Jim McCraw
All-new mid-size sedan is like a scaled-down Charger.

Walk Around

The Dodge Avenger replaces the Stratus with a package that is 1.2 inches wider and four inches longer. It is the first car in a long time to bring some real style to the middle of the American car market, competing directly against a host of cars that are shaped like half-dissolved lozenges.

The Avenger unashamedly takes all of its design licks directly from Dodge's first four-door coupe, the Charger, and just downsizes everything a little bit here and there to become a stylish midsize family sedan.

The bodies of all the trim levels are the same, front, side and rear, but the R/T version adds a rear decklid spoiler just to let you know it's an R/T, even if you're not close enough to read the decklid badge. The grille, the bumpers, the taillights, and that familiar body kick-up at the trailing edge of the rear doors tell you that this is not like the rest of them in the midsize pack. That's how they made a Dodge out of a Chrysler platform.

Interior

Because of the redesign, the interior package of the Charger is substantially better than that of the outgoing Stratus. The driver sits 2.5 inches higher than before. There's 2.5 inches more headroom, 1.2 inches more shoulder room, and one inch more hip room in the front seat, and the cabin in total measures almost 101 cubic feet by EPA method.

One of its unique items is the Chill Zone, standard in all models, which uses the car's air conditioning system to cool a bin in the passenger side upper instrument panel. The Chill Zone is designed to cool up to four 12-ounce beverage cans, or whatever else the owner can squeeze into the long, narrow space, down to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. An optional center console cup holder has a two-way switch that will either heat a beverage container up to 140 degrees or cool it down to 40 degrees, a very American feature.

The interior environs of the new Dodge Avenger were quite pleasant in all three of the models we drove, the SE, SXT and R/T. The front bucket seats are widely adjustable, comfortable, and generally supportive, although the thigh support is lacking for tall drivers. A standard feature on all models is a tilting, telescoping steering wheel, not usually found in this price class, but welcome and useful.

The instruments are laid out in an orderly, good-looking array, white on black with chrome trim rings, and the brushed-metal center stack presented no challenges to understanding and use. There is even some news in the upholstery, because Dodge has used Yes Essentials fabric treatment that is anti-stain, anti-static, anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, another first. Also, you can get heated seats in either leather or cloth.

Another interesting interior option is the MyGIG, a 20-gigabyte hard drive that holds all the navigation data and can be used to store up to 1600 songs taken off inserted CDs, plus photos to display on the navigation screen. The nav system features 2D or 3D display, and can display real-time traffic information when paired with Sirius satellite radio.

The rear seat area is adequate, but not more. At 6-feet, 4-inches, we would have to sit behind ourselves uncomfortably splay-legged, but perhaps more normal-sized adults would find the rear seat area more accommodating. We didn't. One thing that may make the rear seat area more inviting is the optional DVD entertainment system with a small swing-up screen mounted at the rear end of the center console.

There's plenty of cargo room inside the car with 60/40 split folding rear seats and an optional folding front seat that enables carrying eight-foot-long cargoes. The trunk, at 13.3 cubic feet, is easy to load and unload because the center of the bumper is dropped to create a lower liftover height.