Dodge Avenger Range : AVENGING ANGLES

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The Avenger offers budget motorists a lot of car and a badge with a bit more clout than most South-East Asian rivals. Steve Walker takes a look

If you prioritise value in your medium range Mondeo-sized family saloon, then Dodge's Avenger might be up your street. It might not be the last word in finesse but it's spacious, decent to drive and it offers a welcome alternative to the usual suspects in this popular market sector.

All too often, you sacrifice any semblance of style if you opt for an inexpensive car. Dodge is building a presence in the UK on the basis that this needn't be the case. The Avenger offers those on a tighter budget striking styling and an evocative badge. Corners might be cut elsewhere but for many, this will represent an attractive deal. Think Dodge and you'll probably be reminded of US muscle cars and `70s TV cop shows, V8 engines woofling away at idle, ready to launch into an extended chase scene where the bad guys always get their collars felt. Or maybe you think of GT car racing with Dodge Vipers meeting, and in some cases beating, the best Europe could throw at them. The muscle car DNA is still alive and well in the Dodge range but today, the models that sell in the biggest numbers are considerably more affordable as ownership propositions. Three engines are offered for sale in the UK, and don't worry, none of them are gas-guzzling V8s. In fact all of the engines are shared with the Caliber range which in turn borrowed them from other outposts of the automotive world. The 2.0-litre diesel engine is a Volkswagen-sourced unit and the entry-level 2.0-litre petrol engine was developed in conjunction with Hyundai and Mitsubishi. The 2.0-litre petrol offers a decent 154bhp and 140lb/ft of torque but buyers wanting a little more muscle can upgrade to the 167bhp 2.4-litre petrol which packs 162lb/ft and comes with a CVT automatic gearbox. Performance figures are punchy, the 2.0-litre Avenger hitting 60mph in 10.2 seconds before running on to a top speed of 125mph. The 2.0-litre diesel is the most appealing engine for the Avenger, the 138bhp engine driving the front wheels through a six-speed manual gearshift. Here, the 0-60mph sprint takes 12s but there's more mid range grunt with 229lb/ft available.

"Walk around the Avenger and it looks anything but a medium range family saloonâ€¦."

Refinement isn't spectacular by modern diesel engine standards but you don't have to work the engine very hard to maintain progress. The petrol units are more hushed and all the Avengers handle reasonably tidily despite being a little behind the class leaders on this score. It's tough to fault the ride comfort on the straight and flat so buyers who prefer to cruise around rather than go hell for leather are more likely to appreciate the way the car behaves on the road. Walk around the Avenger and it looks anything but a medium range family saloon. Those trademark swimmer's shoulders give it an athletic, toned appearance and the bold crosshairs front grille and the aggressive jut of the front bumper definitely give it some real rear view mirror presence. Its designer claimed the front end was inspired by a pair of Oakley sunglasses he once owned. The rear haunches and the rib of black plastic on the leading edge of the rear pillars are certainly distinctive. The interior ergonomics of the Avenger are good and there's plenty of passenger space. The quality of the interior materials isn't great but the car feels honest and seems well screwed together. The 438-litre boot can be expanded by dropping the rear seats down. Even the front passenger seat folds flat, useful if you're carrying longer items. Your excuse for not finishing that decking has just disappeared. The entry-level SE model is fitted with twin front, side and curtain airbags and also gets some of the neat, rather left-field ideas that Dodge likes to throw at its vehicles. The Chill Zone sounds like a place Wayne Rooney gets sent at the end of an England match but is instead a second air conditioned glovebox that can hold up to four cans of pop. The SXT gets bigger wheels amongst other gear. There are some interesting options available, including the clever entertainment system which, when coupled with the satellite navigation's LCD screen, offers touchscreen access to 20Gb worth of songs or pictures via hard drive. Captive occupants can thus be subjected to a holiday snap slide show. The Dodge Avenger comes in well below the entry-level prices of comparable mainstream medium range saloons. In fact, only Kia's Magentis really approaches the Avenger's kit list at the kind of prices Dodge is asking and the Kia will depreciate rather eye-wateringly. Dodge reckons that when equipment levels are taken into consideration, the Avenger is around 14 per cent cheaper, model for model, than most of its budget rivals and scanning the brochures, it's hard to disagree. Both the 2.0-litre Avengers offer reasonable running costs. The 2.0-litre diesel, for example, will return a combined fuel economy figure of 45.6mpg and emits a modest 170g/km of carbon dioxide. Insurance is also reasonable for the Avenger as there are no big engine options offered. In the US there's a 235bhp 3.5-litre R/T model which might do good business here if Dodge could make the sums work for less than £19,000. The Dodge Avenger is an interesting car. It certainly has a little more personality about it than most of the budget family saloons and hatches on the market. It's this charisma and aggressive styling that will do most to persuade buyers but the car is also reasonably big and decently equipped. There are definitely more capable options out there in the medium range segment but not many at this price. The Avenger has an endearingly big-hearted character and your neighbour probably isn't going to have one or indeed know what it is. Up against the likes of the Ford Mondeo, the Vauxhall Vectra and the Peugeot 407, the Avenger brings a bit of attitude to the sector. If you don't want a garden variety repmobile but need something of that size and sensibility, this could be it.

Facts At A Glance
CAR: Dodge Avenger range
PRICES: £16,495-£18,395 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 8-9
CO2 EMISSIONS: 170-185g/km
PERFORMANCE: [2.0D] 0-60mph 10.5s Max Speed 124mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.0D] (urban) 34.4mpg / (extra urban) 55.4mpg / (combined) 45.6mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: [SXT] ESP, traction control, ABS with brake assist, twin front, side and curtain airbags, tyre pressure monitoring system
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/height 4,849 / 1,824 / 1,496mm