I will be glad when they start giving us some new information.


Mid-Year New Car & Truck Buyers Guide: New Dodge Avenger a mini-Charger

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

By Don Hammonds, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Seasoned car shoppers know that summer is a good time to buy a family sedan.

But the problem is that the field of family sedans is so crowded these days that it's easy to overlook the good ones that get lost in the crowd.

Dodge's Avenger is a brand new product, and you may not have seen any commercials or ads for it yet. As a result, you may not think to shop it. But you should.

It's a fun car with a lot of strong points, and it benefits from its association with the fabled and fast Dodge Charger. In fact, the Avenger, which starts at $18,895, will strike most people as being a smaller version of the Charger, a popular sedan with a semi-fastback, hopped up fenders and high performance-style grille.

The Avenger comes in SE, EXT and R/T versions, with the SE being equipped with a 173 horsepower, 2.4 liter four rated at 21 mpg city and 30 highway; the SXT coming with a 2.4 liter, 189 horsepower four (fuel mileage figures unavailable), and the R/T, which comes with a 3.5 liter, 235 horsepower V-6 (fuel mileage figures unavailable).

And Pittsburghers, rejoice -- you can get all-wheel-drive, one of the few American sedans about which that can be said.

The Avenger is nicely equipped, with standard full power equipment and a CD system, either a four- or six-speed automatic transmission, and on some versions, tilt/telescope steering wheel, front seat side air bags and side curtain type head protection bags.

Another new Dodge you don't want to miss this summer is the hunky looking Dodge Nitro. It's a well-equipped small SUV with a personality and character that is all its own -- macho all the way.

If you think it looks retro, you can be excused. I think it resembles the old Dodge Power Wagon of years ago -- combined with some styling tricks from the old Dodge trucks of the 1930s and 1940s.

Based on a popular concept car introduced at the Chicago International Auto Show, the Nitro is decidedly not a retro product, however.

It has state-of-the-art technology and more to offer than many smaller SUVs.

Nitro comes in three models: Nitro, Nitro SLT and Nitro R/T. The Nitro and SLT are powered by a 3.7 liter, 210 horsepower V-6, and the R/T has a new 4.0 liter, 255 horsepower V-6. Fuel economy figures were unavailable. There is one manual transmission offered and two automatic transmission models.

One of my favorite features is the Load N Go cargo floor on the SLT and R/T models. Standard features include electronic stability control, anti-lock brakes, electronic roll mitigation and side-curtain air bags.


What's Coming in 2008


The big news is the arrival of the all-new Dodge Grand Caravan -- and it's a honey. It's much nicer inside and out, with better materials. It's also much better equipped, with features the competition hasn't even thought about yet. You'll want to check this one out if you're planning a minivan purchase anytime soon.

And we all know what is coming next from Dodge -- the Challenger! Yes, in fall, 2008, the production version of Dodge's reborn pony car will hit the pavement for the first time, and you can expect lots of hoopla over this one.