Dodge Nitro   Women's view

Family 4x4s dont have to be dull. June Neary tries out an American spin on this genre with Dodges Nitro

Im pretty sure on this one. If youre looking for a relatively affordable compact 4x4 in the £20,000 bracket, then you wont be considering a Dodge. But thats partly because youve probably never heard of one. Just as well then that this brands first attempt at a car for this market is as in-your-face as it is.

No one will miss you on the school run in a Dodge Nitro and maybe thats as it should be. If youre not up for that, then youre not up for this car.

Dodge is sold at Chrysler Jeep dealerships, where youll be able to try a car you probably wont be buying for its excellent practicality, although getting four of your mates on board in comfort is an asset. What matters for target customers are looks, affordability, a decent stereo system and the fact that not every car park Joe will have one. The Nitro certainly scores on the first three although it may well become a victim of its own success. Theres definitely plenty of scope for pimping your ride too, with plenty of available space for fitting additional subs, amps and LCD screens.

The standard fascia is a little bit American insofar as it does the bare essentials without too much pretence of being built from the sturdiest materials but its functional and only the very base SE model looks rather dull. Move on up to the SXT and R/T models and the dash is finished in a metallic plastic that lifts the cabin. The main instruments are clearly presented and are shaded by a trio of cowls and although the steering wheel adjusts for rake, its lacking a telescopic column for reach adjustment. Taller or long-legged drivers may find a lack of seat travel an issue and headroom isnt as generous as you might at first think.

That high seating position has a lot to answer for. Rear seat occupants will find little to grouse about and there are some quite smart stowage solutions in the luggage bay.

Two engines are on offer. A throaty 3.7-litre petrol V6 and the variant I tried, a very modern 2.8-litre diesel that will be of far more interest to UK buyers.

You dont, after all, buy a car for this for ultimate performance and handling: you buy it for its looks and its attitude. Once inside. I felt rather perched on top of the thing, the hip point of the Nitro being fairly high. Once on the move, I felt the weight of vehicle right from the outset.

Whilst the 1,888kg kerb weight is enough to steamroller a lot of smaller imperfections in the road and the chassis feels pleasantly rigid, theres a slight ponderous feel to the front end. Really try to drive through that feeling and the Nitro tracks surprisingly flat and true, thanks in no small part to its thoroughly tarmac-biased independent suspension, plus squat and dive under hard acceleration and braking is also effectively quelled.

You cant argue with this car on the basis of metal for the money. Before I saw the spec sheet, I expected that the Nitro would go head to head pricewise with something like a Nissan Murano. But of course Id forgotten Dodges commitment to sell its cars at prices that read like a misprint. Whereas you could expect to pay around £30,000 for a Murano, the Nitro starts at less than £20,000.

Suddenly youre faced with a vehicle that younger buyers will be looking to trade up to from their Ford Focus. Its easy to see how the Nitro could shift some big numbers. The other similarly priced vehicles in its class, cars like the Hyundai Santa Fe and the Kia Sorento, have nothing like the Dodges street cred. Just look at the thing.

Its absolutely dripping in attitude, with vents, big flared wheel arches, chromed alloys on the 3.7-litre model, huge door handles that look like the pulls on an industrial freezer, an aggressive high waist with a glasshouse that looks like a gun turret and a front grille that looks as if its about to suck in inquisitive children. The split-effect front headlamps are an interesting design touch, as is the big cross detailed Dodge family front end. Theres also possibly the biggest moulded plastic bumper section I think Ive ever seen, the replacement cost of which doesnt bear thinking about.

Were I in my early twenties once again, this is a car that Id be figuring out how to afford.