Applause
for bringing some styling distinction to a somewhat conservative universe
of midsize, four-door sedans.
And more applause for making unusual features available, such as a standard
beverage cooler and an optional
hard drive that will record the music you play in the car.
But the two
test cars, a mid-level SXT and high-end, high-performance R/T, were dramatic
reminders of why it's good
to give new models some debugging time before signing on the dotted line.
Seats, suspension
and drivetrain in the testers all left foul tastes after a couple of weeks
plying the suburban asphalt.
And the SXT had one of those maddening squeaks from the dashboard that no
doubt would hide whenever a mechanic
was around.
The good
news is that Chrysler says most have been fixed, and if you bought an early-production
model, yours should
get fixed free.
Good stuff first:
• Interior
trim looked and felt rich, much improved vs. others off this platform.
Worth a standing ovation: Optional LED interior lights.
Their focused beams allow passengers to read without spillover light bothering
the driver.
• Performance
feel — separate from what the drag-strip numbers might say — was satisfying.
The 2.7-liter V-6, a modest-size engine, pulled and zipped like it was born
for nothing else, although the oh-boy personality
didn't produce equivalent steepness in the car's acceleration curve. The
R/T's 3.5-liter V-6 spurred more pronounced go to
accompany its voice. Both engines sounded a bit coarse, unfortunately. Why
is it so hard to ape the oft-excellent aural tuning
of Japanese and German engines?
• Accessories were sumptuous for a mainstream machine.
The optional
DVD player to keep the rear seaters entertained unfolds easily from the back
of the center console and cleverly
tucks away when not in use. Some viewers might object to looking down to
watch Monster Truck Jam #7, but not having the
screen dropping from the ceiling means it doesn't block the driver's rear
view, a safety consideration.
Heated and
cooled console cupholders keep your beverages as you wish. And standard Chill
Zone four-pack cooler above
the glove compartment will keep your Cokes (Beer?) out of the temperate zone.
Only works when the air conditioning is
operating, though, and isn't meant to refrigerate, only to prolong coolness.
The all-wheel-drive
system is cleverly done. Usually in fwd mode to save fuel, it is tuned to
anticipate — rather than react to
— the need for rear-wheel power mainly by keeping track of how fast and far
the driver is pushing the throttle. It also responds
to front-wheel slip, of course. And when the car is going faster than 25
mph, it sends power to the rears when cornering,
to balance the otherwise nose-heavy feel of front-wheel drive. Above 53 mph
it favors front-wheel drive because that uses
less energy than driving all four wheels.
All four
doors have map and miscellany bins, and the rears have bottle holders, as
well. But the bins are too small to hold maps
or much else, so the effort's barely worthwhile.
• Room was sufficient for adults in back, not always the case even when a car is called midsize.
If you could
overlook the problems in the test cars — nearly impossible to do — the Avenger
would have left a somewhat
positive impression. But here's what got in the way, and what Chrysler says
about each item.
• Suspension:
Lots of clunk-thunk and rumble delivered directly from the road outside to
your ears inside as well as rippling
through your hands on the steering wheel.
Says Chrysler:
Shock absorber bushings were changed beginning with Sept. 27 production. Shock
and strut tuning is to be
changed beginning with Oct. 15 production. Dealers will perform the upgrades
free for any customer whose vehicle has the
suspension issues.
• Transmission:
The four-speed automatic (officially, 41TES) teamed with the 2.7-liter V-6
engine shuddered, shook and
stuttered trying to change gears, up or down, under light and moderate throttle.
Floor the gas and it behaved fine.
Chrysler:
The problem was fixed beginning with July production. A July 17 service bulletin
told dealers how to change friction
material in the transmission and how to recalibrate the transmission. Bayus
says dealers should update vehicles free for
customers who complain.
Chrysler's lifetime powertrain warranty, introduced on vehicles bought on or after July 26, is some solace.
The six-speed
automatic (62TE) married to the 3.5 engine shifted much better, but delivered
a shake now and then and
sometimes shifted when you weren't expecting.
• Seats in the R/T bulged where they should have sunk, and no relief was available from the limited-range lumbar lever.
Chrysler: Density of the seat foam was reduced beginning with July 27 production to soften the seat.
Chrysler says it didn't find the dash rattle. Of course.
If the problems
have been solved by the updates, and the rattle was unique to the test car,
the Avenger is enticing for
its distinctive looks, appealing array of features and strong response to
the throttle.
Still, all those problems suggest somebody's eye wasn't on the ball, and more problems could be lurking.
The sensible
thing probably is to scratch Avenger off your list, at least until next year
when other flaws have had time
to show up.
2008 Dodge Avenger
•What is
it? Midsize, four-door sedan, available with front-wheel drive (fwd) or all-wheel
drive (awd).
Meant to carry the Dodge Charger look down a size.
Manufactured at parent company Chrysler's Sterling Heights, Mich., factory.
•How soon? On sale since January.
•What's the
drivetrain? Standard on SE and SXT: 2.4-liter four-cylinder rated 173 horsepower
at 6,000 rpm,
166 pounds-feet of torque at 4,400 rpm; four-speed automatic transmission.
Optional on SXT: 2.7-liter V-6, 189 hp at 6,400 rpm, 191 lbs.-ft. at 4,000 rpm, four-speed automatic transmission.
Standard
on R/T: 3.5-liter V-6, 235 hp at 6,400 rpm, 232 lbs.-ft. at 4,000 rpm, six-speed
automatic with Auto Stick
manual mode.
Traction control is standard on R/T awd, optional on R/T, SXT; not available on SE.
• What's
the safety hardware? Front- and side-impact air bags for front occupants,
head-curtain bags front and rear;
anti-lock brakes (optional on SE).
Stability control is standard on R/T awd, optional on R/T fwd and SXT, not available on SE.
• What's
the rest? Features, options vary by model. These are standard on all: Air
conditioning; power steering, brakes,
locks, windows, mirrors; AM/FM/CD/MP3-compatible stereo with auxiliary input
jack; cruise control; tilt-adjustable and
telescoping steering column; rear-window and outside mirror defrosters;
Chill Zone beverage cooler; remote-control locks;
unique lifetime powertrain warranty.
•How big? A skosh (technical term) smaller inside and out than Honda Accord.
Weight ranges from 3,355 pounds for base SE fwd to 3,738 for R/T awd.
• How thirsty?
Four-cylinder is rated 21 miles per gallon in town, 30 mpg on the highway,
24 in combined driving.
2.7-liter
V-6, a so-called flex-fuel engine, is rated 19/27/22 on gasoline, 13/20/16
on E85 ethanol fuel,
which contains less energy than gasoline.
3.5-liter V-6 is rated 16/26/19 with fwd, 15/24/18 with awd.
Trip computer in SXT test car with 2.7-liter V-6 using gasoline showed 21.1 mpg in combined driving.
Tank holds 16.9 gallons (fwd) or 17.3 gallons (awd).
Regular (87-octane)
gasoline is specified for four-cylinder and 2.7-liter V-6; midgrade (89-octane)
for 3.5-liter V-6.
Chrysler says 3.5-liter engine runs fine on 87 octane but loses 5 to 8 lbs.-ft.
of torque; hp is not affected.
•Overall: Roomy, high-style, feature-laden sedan. Too bad about those ruinous first-year problems.