Rants and Raves
JON YANCA
Contrary to what some people around here believe, I think the Avenger's mini-Charger styling is well done, but that cannot be said about the remainder of the car. The interior quality (with 'quality' used loosely) is nowhere near the equal of the Avenger's competition, and the Toyota FJ Cruiser-like blind spots to the rear were annoying.
The engine has decent power and sounds good, but it's crippled by the six-speed automatic. When braking, the tranny snaps down, causing a shudder as if it were a hybrid shutting down the gas engine at a stoplight. The shift logic doesn't make sense: it allows you to do a fifth gear start, where it will maintain 2100 rpm before realizing ten seconds later that it needs to be in a lower gear. Want to make pass on the highway? Put your right foot down and sound of the engine will make you think its accelerating, but all the transmission does is maintain 6000 rpm—you'll just have to give it a half a day to mull it over.
With a sticker price of 27 grand, give me a Subaru Impreza WRX or a Mazdaspeed 3 and I'll gladly pocket the $3000 difference. To sum it all up, there are many wiser choices in the mid-size sedan segment.
DAVE VANDERWERP
Here's another disappointment from Chrysler. After the company nailed the 300 and the Magnum, we thought it might really be onto something. At least the Avenger is better-looking than its twin, the Sebring, although that's not saying much. And even with the top powertrain choice, the Avenger R/T loses on power, performance, and fuel economy compared with the Honda Accord or Toyota Camry, which is a huge uphill battle for a vehicle that also has too much body roll and an interior that isn't as rich as those in the class leaders. With its big advertising push, Dodge seems to think people will be drawn to a car because of such so-so features as a heated-and-cooled cup holder. For driving lovers everywhere, I certainly hope that scheme doesn't work.
Download this car's window sticker for pricing information.
