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I must admit, these have been trying times for Chrysler and all of their subsidaries. Despite the fact that their LX cars have been a runaway success, the Caliber has been doing quite well, and truck sales have maintained themselves slightly, the company continues to do only "so-so" in most respects. With the end of the marriage with Mitsubishi, the bitter deals made with Hyundai/Kia, and the possible break-up of DaimlerBenz and Chrysler on the horizon, they certainly have picked a good time to replace their two best-selling cars; The Chrysler Sebring and the Dodge Stratus, now Avenger.
I've been known to bash the Sebring, and I shall make no apologies about that, but with the Avenger I'm finding the car hard to love, and yet just as hard to hate.
First of all, the exterior styling is purely Dodge by definition, and certainly has a look of its own against the Camry and Accord, but it is by no means pretty either. I like the idea of a "son of Charger" sedan, and they have managed to push forward that idea rather well, but after seeing it in person, I'm not so sure of the execution. The lines seem a bit awkward, particularly the "muscle" hump on the back side, and the rather pissed-off grille up front. That said, there is some level of definition to the look overall, and it by-far outdoes its sister car, the Sebring in the looks department.
Inside, you find the typical Dodge look with the typical Dodge quality, aka not too good. If GM and Ford have been improving, Dodge has certainly fallen behind those two, and it is an increasing margin. That isn't to say that the look isn't functional or good-looking, but poor quality materials make me cringe, both on the dash and on the seats.
The good news is that Dodge didn't change all of the powerplants, as they are all pretty familiar across the Chrysler, Mitsubishi, and Hyundai/Kia boards. The 2.4L I4 does its job admirally well, the 2.7L V6 splits the difference, and the 3.5L V6 pulls hard to make itself known. Although it is questionable what "quality" these engines have by comparison to the Ford/Mazda I4s and GM V6s, and even moreso with the various models offered by Honda and Toyota, one does have to ask, "Wheres the beef?" The good news is, Dodge will sell you an AWD Avenger later this year, and that may be a convincing feature with some people.
...But with everything viewed as a negative, I just have such a hard time not liking it to some extent. It looks new, origional by comparison to others, a bit dangerous, and I guess the word "tough" comes to mind. It is sort of the same appeal that the Caliber has, in which every one of your senses tells you that it is not a good car, and yet you want to go out and pick one up.
The good news is that the Avenger is cheap. Starting just shy of $19,000 for the basic model, the R/T goes for right around $24,000 with the 3.5L V6, smack-dab in the middle of the mid-size sedan grouping.
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So I guess the question becomes what exactly do you think about the Avenger? Will it do well for Dodge? Would you buy one? Is it an appealing alternative to the competition?
I've been known to bash the Sebring, and I shall make no apologies about that, but with the Avenger I'm finding the car hard to love, and yet just as hard to hate.
First of all, the exterior styling is purely Dodge by definition, and certainly has a look of its own against the Camry and Accord, but it is by no means pretty either. I like the idea of a "son of Charger" sedan, and they have managed to push forward that idea rather well, but after seeing it in person, I'm not so sure of the execution. The lines seem a bit awkward, particularly the "muscle" hump on the back side, and the rather pissed-off grille up front. That said, there is some level of definition to the look overall, and it by-far outdoes its sister car, the Sebring in the looks department.
Inside, you find the typical Dodge look with the typical Dodge quality, aka not too good. If GM and Ford have been improving, Dodge has certainly fallen behind those two, and it is an increasing margin. That isn't to say that the look isn't functional or good-looking, but poor quality materials make me cringe, both on the dash and on the seats.
The good news is that Dodge didn't change all of the powerplants, as they are all pretty familiar across the Chrysler, Mitsubishi, and Hyundai/Kia boards. The 2.4L I4 does its job admirally well, the 2.7L V6 splits the difference, and the 3.5L V6 pulls hard to make itself known. Although it is questionable what "quality" these engines have by comparison to the Ford/Mazda I4s and GM V6s, and even moreso with the various models offered by Honda and Toyota, one does have to ask, "Wheres the beef?" The good news is, Dodge will sell you an AWD Avenger later this year, and that may be a convincing feature with some people.
...But with everything viewed as a negative, I just have such a hard time not liking it to some extent. It looks new, origional by comparison to others, a bit dangerous, and I guess the word "tough" comes to mind. It is sort of the same appeal that the Caliber has, in which every one of your senses tells you that it is not a good car, and yet you want to go out and pick one up.
The good news is that the Avenger is cheap. Starting just shy of $19,000 for the basic model, the R/T goes for right around $24,000 with the 3.5L V6, smack-dab in the middle of the mid-size sedan grouping.
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So I guess the question becomes what exactly do you think about the Avenger? Will it do well for Dodge? Would you buy one? Is it an appealing alternative to the competition?
Find the right Galant, though, and you're looking at a strong Altima competitor - if you can get past the, um, odd interior.
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