With development money freed up that wasn’t available during previous corporate ownerships, engineers went to work on the whole brand. Virtually every Dodge model received serious upgrades for 2011, and the poor, sorry Avenger got its share too. Optionally, Dodge’s brand-new 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 replaces the old 3.5-liter, and produces a class-leading 283-hp and 260 lb-ft of torque, up 48 hp and 28 lb-ft for ’11. It retains the six-speed automatic as the sole transmission, and provides the Avenger a much-needed trump card.
With an increase in both front- and rear track, wider tires, and lower springs (12 mm front, 6 mm rear), the car handles itself with aplomb. The standard 17-inch wheels aren’t bad, but 18-inchers are available on mid- and high-end models.
It will also get unique 18-inch wheels, special paint colors, a body-colored grille and special interior treatment.Gone are the hard plastics and large gaps that long characterized Dodge interiors. – build truly competitive products.
Standard equipment is reasonably generous in the $19,245 Express value-leader, with air conditioning, keyless entry, cruise control, and a tilt/telescoping steering wheel, a four-speaker radio and a 60/40 split-folding rear seat. The $21,245 Mainstreet should be the sweet spot for Avenger sales by adding the six-speed automatic, an eight-way power seat, leather-wrapped steering wheel, climate control, heated mirrors, a six-speaker stereo, and 17-inch aluminum wheels.
The $23,545 four-cylinder Lux should be easy to pigeon-hole, with heated leather seats, Uconnect hands-free, plusher materials, chromed 18-inch wheels and more, while the V6 is available for a price.
Glancing in your rear vision mirror, you see a rapidly approaching car. What you would have just seen is the all new Dodge Avenger RT.
To drive the Dodge Avenger is smooth and well balanced. Six airbags, ABS brakes, traction control and three-point seatbelts for all five occupants are standard on all Dodge Avenger models.
Well, the Dodge Avenger is front-wheel drive in all model variants. The engines that drive the Dodge Avenger come as: a 2.4 litre, 4-cyl engine that packs 130 kW; a 2.7 litre V6, packing 141 kW; and a 3.5 litre V6 which holds a hefty 175 kW. Transmissions come in either a 4-speed automatic for the base models or 6-speed automatic for the most powerful engine. The Dodge Avenger will also come powered by a 2.0 litre turbodiesel CRD engine. Inside, the Dodge Avenger has a .neatly styled interior that incorporates a pleasantly curved instrument panel for the driver. There's also a slim glovebox in the front, and a small central cubby between the front seats. The Dodge Avenger SXT gains Boston acoustic speakers, and a satellite/navigation system. Other Dodge Avenger options include Chrysler's new MyGIG audio/navigation system with its own 20-gigabyte hard drive that stores up to 1,600 songs. The rear seat has a 60/40 split-folding feature to increase cargo space, and even the front passenger seat can be folded forward to extend cargo capacity. The Dodge Avenger looks great and, particularly in the larger engine variants, it has decent power and excellent handling.
The 2011 Avenger rides well, but that's overshadowed by lingering quality issues and a cabin that's not as comfortable as its competitors.
Options — including 18-inch aluminum wheels, a 3.6-liter V-6, heated front seats and a touch-screen audio system — pushed the as-tested price to $24,880. To see how the Avenger compares with some key competitors,
With the optional V-6 engine, the Avenger was one of the quietest non-luxury cars I've driven lately. Dodge made a number of changes for 2011 aimed at quieting the car like installing an acoustic glass windshield, laminated side windows and new sound-absorbing material. If quiet is what you want in a family sedan, check out this car.
The Avenger's suspension was also overhauled for 2011, and the results are good. An all-new 3.6-liter V-6 is optional (a 2.4-liter four-cylinder is standard), and it makes the Avenger an acceptably quick car.
The transmission pauses slightly between gear changes when upshifting, and a few of us noticed balky shifts in low gears, along with unrefined kickdown at highway speeds. Gas mileage estimates for the four-cylinder Avenger with the four- or six-speed automatic are 21/30 mpg and 20/31 mpg city/highway, respectively, which is a few mpg shy of what competitors like the Ford Fusion, Honda Accord and Kia Optima achieve. Meanwhile, fuel economy for the V-6 Avenger is midpack: it gets 19/29 mpg.
The Avenger's tighter confines manifest themselves in a few ways. The Avenger's front bucket seats are unusually small and unsupportive, and that compromises comfort.
0 comments:
Post a Comment