Suburban Dad: 2008 Dodge Avenger
As a Suburban Dad, sometimes the reality is we get a second car that’s only kinda sorta a family car. We often get sedans as that second ride, because they’re mainly used as a commuter yet can still fill in during a pinch when the minivan or SUV is in the shop, being borrowed by the in-laws, whatever. It was with that in mind that I test drove the new Dodge Avenger.
My wife was succinct when she sat in the new Avenger: “It’s like sitting in a 1980s car.” And she didn’t mean that as a compliment.
I’ve been a pretty big fan of the look of the most recent Dodge sedans and coupes, especially the Challenger concept and the Charger. I like the way the Avenger looks too — I like it a lot — but the driving experience left me a little cold.
From a family perspective, it had some good qualities: Plenty of space in the backseat for all three kids, a big trunk for my son’s football pads, helmet and a lot more, and comfortable seating front and back. In fact, my 10-year-old raved about the Avenger.
It was the details that he doesn’t notice, however, that soured me on it. The suspension was very clunky; driving into my driveway was a jarring experience. Gas mileage in mixed driving was about 19 mpg, but there wasn’t the high-power payoff that usually comes with giving up decent gas mileage. The four-cylinder Avenger just barely got going, and trying to pass or get on the freeway meant putting the gas pedal down to the floor and keeping it there. For a car that looks like a throwback to muscle cars of the ’70s, its performance was pretty anemic.
The interior that my wife disliked suffered from being too plain, too plasticky and too old-fashioned. For a company that has produced a really nice interior on the new Dodge Grand Caravan, it’s almost shocking how poor the interior of the Avenger feels by contrast. Dodge will definitely get some buyers based on how good the outside of the car looks, but very few will buy it for the ride, the interior or the performance.
If Dodge is looking to recapture some of that ’70s glory, it needs to update the Avenger, and soon, before it becomes a reminder of some bad 1980s cars.
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Isn't this one of the cars that the "OLD" Chrysler has admitted on making a mistake to build/design? I don't see any long future for it...
And what's the other one? Caliber? Liberty? Commander?
What ever happened to cars being designed???? Most companies now make all their cars look alike with only differences in size. This is bad. And domestic companies need to look at Japanese cars when designing their interiors. Put some design emphasis into it, especially not using the same radio head unit for each car(Ford, GM, Chrysler). And finally, leave the retro ALONE!!! The younger generation doesn't car about what cars bought success in the past, we want new cars. The Charger was nice, but everything doesnt need to look like it.
Rental fleets, your new car has arrived!! LOL Nicer looking than the "Stratus" it replaced but I agree, the interior is very cheap looking!!
No crap this car has "rental" written all over it. Buy one of these bland cars and in 5 years it might be worth $100.
Hey, i care about retro, if i had the money, and the guts to put up with bugs that first year cars always have, id buy a 2009 Camaro right off the line, along with gettin a 69, have the best of old and new. not to mention, im 19
Please remenber...
1. This is intended to be a price leader auto in the small sedan market. It is targeted towards the person that needs a new car but can't afford one with all of the refinements that these people sight as important. It serves a niche need for Chrysler.
2. It is good looking. Therefore the tageted buyer will hopefully find it more attractive than the competitions offerings.
3. If you want high quality and extreme performance in a family hauler then you shouldn't be looking at this car. Look at the Magnum or the Charger. My wife's '05 Magnum is two years old and no problems. Extremely awesome performance and quality. As a hardcore Mopar enthusist even I was turned off by the appearance of the interior. But once you sit in it and take it for a drive (mash the go pedal)the interior seems to disappear.
If I'm buying a car, I want it to be something I like to look at, ride in and enjoy driving. This car doesn't apear to be very appealing to me at all.... A dad with a family.... It already looks outdated, played out and too plain. It almost appears as if the designers went to the parts bins and put a vehicle together with all the parts that didn't sell over the past few years. I would probably ask myself what else is available in this price range?
Am I the only one who likes it, and would consider buying it if it WEREN'T a Dodge?
The interior's great--neat, tidy, plain; no fancy-schmancy expensive trash or cheap "wood" gloss.
The exterior is clean-cut and sharp; modest yet stylish. I'm glad it's styled so that it isn't too extravagant, but not ugly.
Dave,
The problem I have with the car is that it isn't a price leader, it directly competes with the Camry, Accord, Fusion, Aura and Mazda6 on price and doesn't really distance itself from any of them.
I sold cars at a Dodge/Hyundai store for 3 years (2000-2003) and we never ordered very many Stratus's (is that right?). The main reason we never ordered them is because they did not sell. No one ever even hardly came in to look at them. It was the worst card Dodge sold by far. At least the Neon was somewhat fun to drive and was cheap. The Sonata's we had, we could barely keep on the lot. They sold extremely well. The dealership probably sold 30 Sonatas to 1 Stratus. From the looks and reviews of the new Stratus I do not see this changing. Dodge designed the Stratus (and Sebring) as a rental car and nothing more. It's a shame too, because the first generation Stratus (95-2000) was actually a competitive car.
Obsolete 4 speed automatic.
Well St. looks good.
The last "Chrysler designed" sedan was the JA Stratus. The next one was off the Mitsubishi Gallant platform, and no where near as good. This one also was Mitusbishi engineered.
And nobody's buying the Galant either
At least it LOOKS better than the Sebring.
But if Dodge dusted off the old "cab forward" JA tooling and put them back into production, along with improved quality and maybe a better brake package (I had the last year with rear drums) THEY might sell better than this new one.
It is a rental car. Me and a bunch of friends rented two to go on a trip cause none of us wanted to use our own cars.
We got the higher ended version with the 2.7 liter V6 and it felt weaker then my sister 4 banger Camry. The ride was as described very very bad while it does not really provide a sporty handling.
In all we liked the car cause they gave enough room for bunch of guys to fit but we didn't like it's fuel consumption and everyone pointed out they didn't like the interior.
Actually I like the car, probably could be more refined inside, but outside is really cool.
By the way most people think that the latest Camry is the ugliest model ever, compared to the one in the late 90s or 2002.
It needs a good price and refinements like the Fusion/Milan, then it will be competitive.
"By the way most people think that the latest Camry is the ugliest model ever, compared to the one in the late 90s or 2002."
You've proof of that? 1 thing is certain, however, that Camry sales have been increasing steadily (look @ Toyota's sales chart), so if most people do think that Camry is the ugliest...the sales trend should be decreasing, don't you think?
"It needs a good price and refinements like the Fusion/Milan"
You must be kidding me! Fusion & Milan for refinements? Yes, the F/M are better, but they are still far off from the refinements of class leader like the Accord or Camry, and the newly introduced 07 Altima.
Let's face it. This car was a mistake - as The Old Chrysler has said it itself!
"Isn't this one of the cars that the "OLD" Chrysler has admitted on making a mistake to build/design? I don't see any long future for it..."
You're thinking about the new Chrysler Sebring
I agree with SmithSanchez that the new Camry is not attractive but again, styling is subjective. It has also seen some interior quality flaws noted by the automotive press (caranddriver, motortrend, etc.) when they reviewed it, but this isn't about the Camry, it's about the Avenger.
I've only sat in the Avenger, so I can't describe the driving characteristics. I like the simplicity of the interior, but agree that they cheaped out on the materials. The dash is mostly hard thin-sounding plastic, and I'm not a fan of the bumps in the backseat that they use in place of adjustable headrests. I don't think the standard stereos that Chrysler is using look as nice as the ones used by others. I particularly like the one being used by GM these days (and I'm not sure why they're not putting them in Pontiacs...).
I have an SE Silver Steel metallic and I've had the car awhile and it's great. Everyone has their
own taste.I get alot of compliments on this car and it was the only car that I found sharp looking besides the Monte Carlo. This was the only American car I felt good driving. I was looking for style. It's a great car. My car doesn't ride rough. But there are diferent suspension packages for this car which the author of this article doesn't mention. The 4 cyl. is fine. It's peppy. If it was a dog I'd say so. I bought mine for $17,500 brand new and I don't regret it.
Don't forget....Avenger has 3 different models and suspensions etc. Each one has their own different ride. Don't make judgment on the whole Avenger line unless you try every model package out. Do your freakin research first before making
remarks.
If some of you people are renting 2008 Avengers keep in mind some rentals are not well maintained and are pushed by people that say"It's my car so I'll do what I want with it" attitude. There are some people who have bought used rentals and found they were abused.
We have a 2008 Avenger R/T & it's ride is so smooth that the other night I felt like I was going about 30 mph & I realized I was going 80! Thank goodness I noticed before I passed the cop up ahead! I agree with Sue that you have to consider the different levels & styles within each model line. We love our Avenger.
For the people who rented an Avenger most of them are pushed and not maintained very well at some rental"s. I've had mine for 3 months and I don't regret it. Who ever wrote this article should try all the models. Try the R/T for crying out loud.
For the people who rented an Avenger most of them are pushed and not maintained very well at some rental"s. I've had mine for 3 months and I don't regret it. Who ever wrote this article should try all the models. Try the R/T for crying out loud.
sorry you could not afford a rt. model you would not be writing this!!
sorry you could not afford a rt. model you would not be writing this!!