Dodge Avenger 2008 Review.
Avenger isn’t the sort of name you’d expect for a bread-and-butter sedan. It refers to some punishment being inflicted, and you’re probably more prone to work it into your daily vernacular if you stay cooped up watching reruns of Xena or playing Worlds of Warcraft.
Avenger isn’t the sort of name you’d expect for a bread-and-butter sedan. It refers to some punishment being inflicted, and you’re probably more prone to work it into your daily vernacular if you stay cooped up watching reruns of Xena or playing Worlds of Warcraft.
In the automotive realm — as opposed to the fantasy realm — Avenger just seems like the perfect name for a rough-around-the-edges, top-performance sports car. And by appearance alone, you’d expect it to be just as testosterone-charged as its larger sibling, the Charger sedan and its pickup stall mate, the Ram, with distinctly American high-shouldered sheetmetal that looks just as good as the Charger, even if it is only seven-eighths scale.
Yep, it’s all hunky dory until you get the urge to go out Avenging and find out the truth. Turn the key and the new 2.4-liter in-line four-cylinder GEMA “world engine” comes to life with a very coarse vocal tone that’s ever-present in all but coasting or cruising. The engine feels torquier and more responsive than the Mitsubishi-derived engine it replaces, but refinement seems a slight step back. Whether you hit the accelerator moderately or with A-vengeance, you’re met with more noise and only modest acceleration.
The way the powertrain is calibrated helps set you up for disappointment unless the test drive is short and sweet; it has an extremely progressive throttle, making it feel peppier off the line than it really is. But really stomp down on the gas, and the lack of oomph is a little disappointing. There’s also a moment of hesitation from the four-speed automatic transmission as it downshifts, so any passing-lane revenge must be thoroughly premeditated.
Handling isn’t quite as good as you might expect from a relatively compact sedan like this either. The steering is a bit overboosted when you get up to speed, and the suspension feels tuned toward potholed Rust Belt roads. It soaked up larger bumps from railroad crossings well, and kept serious pavement upheaval out of the cabin pretty well, yet on the coarsely surfaced but pothole-free roads that are common along the West Coast the interior hummed and buzzed. And finally, the Avenger stops well, but the pedal doesn’t have the firm, confident feel that we’ve now come to expect in all new cars.
Mixed metaphors
The interior is a mixed bag. From afar it’s impressively styled, and nearly matches the exterior’s hype as more angular and distinctively American, but get intimate with it and it feels chintzy, with a few too many hard plastic surfaces, including one that the driver’s knee or shin may be up against all the time. As J.D. Power and other consumer-research firms have found, the perception of quality is just as important as quality itself, if not more so, and by our reckoning this Avenger is a little lacking in perceived interior quality. Looking closely around the interior, it left more than a hint that costs were cut.
Which is a shame, as the overall packaging of the interior is quite impressive. The seating position is nice and upright, seats are decent and supportive, and in back there’s more real-world headroom and knee space than in most other vehicles of its size. The high beltline and rear deck affords a roomy trunk, too.
The only real complaint we had with the interior’s actual accommodations — not just subjective touch and feel issues — was with pedal placement. With size 13 shoes, we nudged the side of the brake whenever pressing on the accelerator, an unusual issue.
Our Avenger SE comes pretty well equipped for a base model, with standard air conditioning, cruise control, keyless entry, and power windows/locks/mirrors. The Chill Zone cooled storage compartment also stands out in its class. Front-seat side airbags and side-curtain bags are standard, but anti-lock brakes are optional (our test car didn’t have them). At the time of writing, Dodge is also offering $500 cash back on the Avenger, in lieu of a financing deal.
You won’t find your wallet Avenged in any way. Fuel economy was a bright spot. We averaged about
FYI, if you’re not limited by price or fuel budget, there are versions of the Avenger more up to the task of its namesake. The sporty R/T comes with a 235-hp V-6 engine, a six-speed automatic with Autostick, a sportier and more dressed-up character, and all-wheel drive — a feature not offered on most competitors — starting at about $25k. But when you get into this price range, the competition really heats up.
Quite simply, the four-cylinder Avenger will be fine for the rigors of the commute or small-family duty, but unless you hold a special place in your heart for the styling cues shared with the larger Charger, you owe it to yourself to check out the competition. And for those who want to stick with a Big Three brand in this class, we’d recommend the four-cylinder Ford Fusion for those who appreciate sharp handling, or the base Chevy Malibu for those who lean toward ride and refinement.
Looking at it the other way, for a bottom-line price of about $19k, you get quite a lot of car, and you get to dodge the worries of buying used. Your neighbors with their Esteems and Charades will never need to know what’s under the hood.
That’s right; no one says you can’t pose with (A)vengeance.
2008 Dodge Avenger SE
Base price: $18,220
Engine: 2.4-liter in-line four, 173 hp/166 lb-ft
Drivetrain: Four-speed automatic transmission, front- or all-wheel drive
Length x width x height: 190.9 x 71.8 x
Wheelbase:
Curb weight:
Fuel economy (EPA city/hwy): 21/30 mpg
Safety equipment: Front-seat side airbags, side-curtain airbags; optional anti-lock brakes
Major standard equipment: Air conditioning; cruise control; rear defroster; cooled storage bin; tilt/telescopic steering wheel; four-speaker, MP3-compatible AM/FM/CD audio; keyless entry with alarm; power windows/locks/mirrors
Warranty: Three years/36,000 miles