Dodge Nitro : NITRO-ACTIVE?

Family 4x4s don't have to be dull. June Neary tries out an American spin on this genre with Dodge's Nitro

I'm pretty sure on this one. If you're looking for a relatively affordable compact 4x4 in the £18,000 - £25,000 bracket, then you won't be considering a Dodge. But that's partly because you've probably never heard of one. Just as well then that this brand's 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 that's as it should be. If you're not up for that, then you're not up for this car.

Dodge is sold at Chrysler dealerships, where you'll be able to try a car you probably won't 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. There's 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 it's functional and only the very base SE model looks rather dull. Move on up to the SXT 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, it's lacking a telescopic column for reach adjustment. Taller or long-legged drivers may find a lack of seat travel an issue and headroom isn't 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.

Just one engine is on offer, a very modern 2.8-litre diesel that will be of far more interest to UK buyers than the big petrol units that we more readily associate with Dodge. You don't, 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, there's 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 can't 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 price-wise with something like a Nissan Murano. But of course I'd forgotten Dodge's 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 £19,000. Suddenly you're faced with a vehicle that younger buyers will be looking to trade up to from their Ford Focus. It's 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 Dodge's street cred. Just look at the thing. It's absolutely dripping in attitude, with vents, big flared wheel arches, 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 it's 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. There's also possibly the biggest moulded plastic bumper section I think I've ever seen, the replacement cost of which doesn't bear thinking about.

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