The Dodge Avenger is a fair and undeniable sedan at a smart price. In some respects, it’s less complicated than some competitors, but it’s powerful, convenient, and quite inexpensive to use. It’s also quiet and fun to drive.
A comprehensive update for the 2011 style year made the Avenger much more competitive in key areas. The Avenger R/T joined the lineup for 2012. The Avenger remains unchanged until 2013.
Dodge considers the Avenger America to be the most affordable midsize sedan in America, and based on existing retail prices, we can’t disagree. Still, the Avenger is just a promotional price. The base four-cylinder engine and upgraded V6 deliver just the right amount of power and competitive mileage. We can simply call it a medium-sized package with a compact value.
The 2008 Avenger looked like a scaled-down edition of the best-selling full-size Dodge Charger. Since then, the Charger has taken on a new look, while the Avenger has remained largely unchanged. It’s still clean, nicely wrinkled, and not bad. However, without the more dramatic proportions of the larger car, it doesn’t stand out. Its basic visual effect is retrograde.
The interior contributes to a relaxing and fun driving experience. The quality of the interior fabrics is best-in-class, but the Avenger is comfortable and the controls are intuitive and easy to use.
The Avenger SE sells for tons of dollars less than the upcoming competing midsize sedan and is well-equipped. Its 173-horsepower 2. 4-liter four-cylinder engine is forged and smooth, with more than enough acceleration performance. With the 4-speed automatic transmission, the Avenger SE has an EPA rating of 21/30 mpg city/highway. Avenger SXT models come with more gadgets and a 6-speed automatic transmission with the four-cylinder, extending the EPA highway score to 31 mpg, for mileage scores of 20/31 mpg.
An optional 3. 6-liter V6 with 283 horsepower and a 6-speed automatic transmission. The value is thousands less than other midsize V6s, but it’s the toughest V6 in its class. The Avenger V6 also outperforms the four mid-sizes. turbochargers, while drastically reducing the value of one. EPA ratings are 19/29 mpg.
The Avenger R/T comes with V6, gaming suspension, stripes, and a bold interior treatment. With Boston Acoustics navigation and audio upgrade, an Avenger R/T costs more than $27,000.
The chassis of the Avenger is shared with the Chrysler 200, which was designed to be both a convertible and a sedan, so the chassis is stiff and strong. You will feel the tightness both in the cabin and on the go. Dodge has been successful in suspension, and the ride quality and cornering reaction are excellent, benefits of this uncompromising chassis. The great balance between comfort and handling particularly contributes to the appeal of the Avenger.
This mid-size car won the Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The Avenger comes with six airbags, electronic stability control, and antilock brakes.
The front-wheel-drive Dodge Avenger sedan is available in three trim levels, with four- and six-cylinder engines and two other automatic transmissions.
Avenger SE ($18,995) is powered by a 2. 4-liter I4 engine with 173 horsepower, paired with a 4-speed automatic transmission. The Avenger SE is popular with remote manual windows, mirrors and locks with climate control and remote control, as well as a four-speaker audio formula. with CD, cruiseArray rear window defroster and 17-inch metal wheels with plastic covers. SE features come with SiriusXM Satellite Radio ($195) with a one-year subscription, Dodge Uconnect Voice Formula ($495) with Bluetooth connectivity, and engine block. heater ($95).
A 3. 6-liter V6 engine with 283 horsepower ($2,700) is available, accompanied by a 6-speed automatic transmission, aluminum wheels, and a rear spoiler.
Avenger SXT ($21,695) comes with the four-cylinder and 6-speed automatic and upgrades to an eight-way power driver seat, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, six-speaker audio with SiriusXM, automatic temperature control, body-color heated exterior mirrors and 17-inch aluminum wheels. V6 is optional ($1,795). SXT options include media center with 6.5-inch touch screen, 40GB hard-disc drive, navigation and Sirius services ($995); power sunroof ($995); Cold Weather Group with heated front seats and remote start ($295); chromed wheels ($395). A new Blacktop Package ($595) combines a body-color grille with a black headlamp bezels, a trunk spoiler, and 18-inch black-painted aluminum wheels.
The Avenger R/T ($25,495) is the gaming model, with V6, firmer suspension, leather-trimmed gaming seats, and exclusive graphics and exteriors. It also comes with fog lights, the Cold Weather package, Media Center, Boston Acoustics Audio, and other perks. Options are limited to sunroof and navigation ($695).
Safety features on all models come with multi-level front airbags, front passenger side airbags, full in-cab head curtains, electronic stability (ESC), 4-wheel anti-lock brakes (ABS), active front head restraints, and tire tension warning. It has been ranked as a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for the past four consecutive years.
The Dodge Avenger is a charming car with smooth, white lines and crisp creases. However, it doesn’t stand out and gets lost among all the mid-size sedans.
Avenger’s shape suggests the 2006-10 Charger, especially at the hips and roofline, but doesn’t inspire like the Charger does. Its clean look is emphasized by the lack of cladding or ding strips on the sides and body-colored door handles and mirrors (except on the base SE). The bumpers, front and rear, are smooth. The black egg-crate grille adds visual interest.
The crosshair grille is a Dodge trademark, and the Avenger uses a black crosshair with a slight chrome outline. There are double lines on the hood, deep enough that you can see they are V-shaped, but they don’t. The length of the hood is greatly accentuated and the headlights are very elegant.
The Avenger R/T has the ultimate styling that will likely stand out from the rest. It’s easy to spot thanks to its unique 10-spoke alloy wheels, black headlight background and ultra-fast slanted stripes on the front fenders. The distinctions lie more commonly in visual graphics than in an inherently bold shape or appearance. The body-color design of the black reticle on the R/T’s grille contributes to this.
The new Blacktop package applies the look of the R/T to the SXT, without the adhesive strips and replacing the unique black-painted alloy wheels. Most cars in midsize elegance look like sleek luxury sedans, with varying degrees of success. . The Avenger says retro, period.
The dominant impression inside the Dodge Avenger is due to its simple design and simple and comfortable space. It’s not particularly exciting, but it’s also not boring, frustrating or impractical, as many cars are whose interiors and controls try to exaggerate or exaggerate. be cool. The Avenger is simple: everything is in its place and not too much. This makes the trip more relaxing.
The board is giant and dragged, perhaps described as monolithic. The doors are well-designed, with comfortable armrests, a smart handle, door pockets, and small levers that make them easy to open. The most productive component of the interior might be the expensive feel of perforated leather on the steering wheel, popular on all models except the base SE. The worst may simply be reasonable chrome and simulated aluminum trim. An internal redesign for 2011 has particularly advanced in compatibility and finish, but the Avenger’s interior fabrics remain the most productive in their class.
In the front seats, Avenger feels a little more enclosed than the roomiest cars in its class, partly for the massive impact of the dash, but it doesn’t feel confining. The fabric on the base seats is good and rugged, though a bit boring in light colors and better in black. The front seats are comfortable for cruising and long hauls, but not as supportive as they might be in corners. Those in the sporty R/T have leather bolsters, red stitching and unique, Z-striped fabric inserts. The bolstering improves a bit, but the sport seats are still a bit too much like heavy, cushy Barcaloungers for truly aggressive driving.
The toolset is a well-lit group of three gauges, the largest is in the middle and an internal one. All models have a tachometer and a fuel/temperature pack on the left, with a virtual display at the rear that allows the driver to scroll through the options. Still, our biggest gripe with the Avenger’s interior applies to the gauges, as the one on the right is very hard to see.
In the R/T, the rev counter occupies an intermediate place. The speedometer is on the right, locked through the edge depending on where you set it, and there’s no virtual display. In addition to being stuck, the writing on the speedometer is small and hard to read, so it’s hard to notice how fast you’re driving without looking at the speedometer for a second. This is not good. On other models, the meter stays in the middle and the challenge of reading the correct gauge (the tachometer) becomes a little less crucial.
The Avenger has cruise dials and audio on the spokes of the idlers. Lights, windshield wipers, etc. The rods on the column are easy to locate and use, but the rods themselves look a bit flimsier or wobblier than some competitors. 3 large, solid weather buttons neatly placed on the back of the center console. They’re as smart as any car.
Avengers equipped with the Media Center (which includes models with navigation and/or the Boston Acoustics audio upgrade) have a 6.5-touch screen in the middle of the center stack, flanked by four menu buttons and a rotary knob for volume. It makes for one of the easiest systems to use in any car. However, the screen graphics are thick and hard to read.
There’s plenty of room for front passengers to shop for their belongings, with two cup holders in the center console, a power outlet and an audio jack. The console has a sliding armrest and giant garage box, and the glove box holds much more than the owner’s manual. The containers molded into the rear of the front door panels are a bit cramped and noisy, but they work.
Some of the Avenger’s rear seat dimensions are smaller than the competition, but we didn’t run out of space. With the driver’s seat set up for a five-foot-eight-inch driver, there was enough legroom for a five-foot-eight-inch driver. inches to fully enlarge the legs under the front seat and at least five inches of headroom.
The outside rear seats are contoured and comfortable, with adequate amenities. Rear passengers get the same, bright, aim-able LED map lights as those in front, two cupholders in the folding center armrest and molded bottle holders in the door bins. There’s a map pocket on the back of the driver’s seat, but not on the front passenger’s.
The trunk of the Avenger is deep, from the top to the bottom, the life of the floor going to the seat back is shorter than that of some competitions. The opening is large and the lid opens upwards, controlled by fuel springs. Overall, the Avenger offers 13. 5 cubic feet of trunk space, less than competitors like the Ford Fusion (16. 0), Hyundai Sonata (16. 4), Chevy Malibu (16. 3), Honda Accord (15. 8), Toyota Camry (15. 4) and Nissan Altima (15. 4).
The trunk is lined with surprisingly rich carpet, almost as good as what’s inside the cabin. Our test cars had no cargo net. There’s a small pass-through for long objects such as a couple of two-by-fours or fishing poles. The rear seat also splits and folds, expanding available cargo space. Still, the bulkhead behind the Avenger’s rear seat limits the size of the objects the can fit from trunk to cabin, compared to some cars. And worse: There is no release on the trunk lid, so you’ll have to open it with key-fob button, or the release inside the car. Trunk lid releases located on the back of the car are a handy thing to have.
The price built into the Dodge Avenger jumps out at you when driving it, as the car is more fun to drive than some of the more expensive midsize sedans. The base four-cylinder engine and upgraded V6 are powerful, with intelligent fuel economy ratings. The handling is smooth and responsive in the city. The ride is smooth, even on poor pavement, and the Avenger is quiet.
The popular 173-horsepower 2. 4-liter four-cylinder Avenger is EPA-rated at 20/31 mpg city/highway with the 6-speed automatic transmission. He’s athletic, like he’s running hard, but he can work forever. Noise and vibration are well away from the cabin, and the harder you drive it, the smoother the four-cylinder becomes. Push the Avenger briskly, fast enough to stay on its feet. There are turbocharged four-cylinders in midsize cars that are faster. , but they’re turbos. They charge more to manufacture them and this is reflected in the value of the car.
The available 3. 6-liter overhead camshaft V6 is used in a variety of Chrysler vehicles. The company claims it’s the cheapest and most rugged V6 in the middle class, and we couldn’t find anything to refute that claim. the V6 still offers a respectable EPA rating of 19/29 mpg city/highway.
The 6-speed automatic transmission, standard on all but the base Avenger SE, is fine for everyday driving. In Drive, around town, the upshifts are quick enough, and smooth. This transmission isn’t too slow to drop down a gear, either, and most of the time the Avenger chooses the gear you expect it to. On the highway with your foot on the floor, the upshifts feel a bit slower, but they come at the four-cylinder’s 6500 rpm redline.
Operating in manual mode, we liked the 6-speed automatic transmission much less. We expected the buttons on the back of the idler spokes to allow for manual shifting, but they turned out to be audio setups. The only way to replace gears manually is to use the plus-minus slot on the shifter. In doing so, the 6-speed gearbox was everywhere, and rarely retained the gear we had decided on. Run towards the red line and it will move upwards. Let the engine run too slow for your chosen gear and the transmission will decelerate automatically. Ironically, Dodge was one of the first national brands to rediscover manual-automatic transmission in 1995 (the concept is older than other people realize), and at the time, it was much more faithful to the driver’s controls. Today, the computational brain also takes care of the driver’s desires and intentions. In short, it’s maximally productive to just put it in Drive and leave it there or use the manual feature to help it out. outside.
All of this begs the question of whether the economy SE’s 4-speed four-cylinder automatic transmission is a disadvantage after all, especially for those committed to four-cylinder fuel economy. At the very least, the four-speed transmission will shift less frequently. And while it loses mpg highway according to EPA highway ratings (at 30), the four-speed Avenger gains mpg in the city (at 21).
We really like the driving balance of the Avenger, as it has a huge effect in making it a fun-to-drive car. Dodge readjusted or redesigned virtually every single suspension component for 2011, and they were given the right thing. Very little frame roll or undulation, greater insulation against road surprises, greater steering accuracy and increased grip, thanks to wider tires.
We drove the four-cylinder Avenger at a steady speed through a long segment of uphill curves, and were inspired by how pleasantly it responded to guidance cues, even when we were driving it. In gentle corners, it dived precisely, and in sharp corners, it remained stable. The blows don’t bother the Avenger. She repels them very well. There is a point where the suspension can be firmer, but that point is beyond the point where most people drive. If you need to drive like that, the Avenger R/T is for you, but it doesn’t. it has to be. The suspension works well, and the Avenger SE V6 may just be the Avenger for budget hot rodders.
The R/T has a particularly firmer suspension than the other Avengers, but there’s no serious degradation in ride quality. Its suspension tuning gives it a heavier, more muscular feel than you’d expect in a typical midsize car. There’s that 283-horsepower V6, with 260 pound-feet of torque, that delivers great acceleration and a great roar when it’s on the ground: strong, wrought but not nasty.
The R/T is generally quiet otherwise, notable mostly for some tire slap, and it still delivers that 29 mpg Highway rating. Too bad there’s no manual transmission. That might make the Avenger R/T a truly affordable muscle car for the 2010s.
Brakes may be the weakest point of the Avenger’s dynamic package. The pedal feel is clever and you probably won’t notice anything strange in the city. But when we got off our winding mountain and used them to the fullest, the brakes didn’t seem strong enough to motivate us to push them. They don’t fade, but the feeling doesn’t inspire confidence.
Recent innovations make the Dodge Avenger a contender, offering better value for money than most of its competitors. Its interior is still the richest or most complex in this category, but it’s spacious, quiet, undeniable, and efficient, just like the car in general. /The handling balance is excellent. With a choice of engines, a diversity of models, and intelligent mileage ratings, the Avenger combines price and features at costs that’s hard to beat.
Sam Moses reported from Portland, Oregon; with J. P. Vettraino reporting from Detroit.
Dodge Avenger SE ($18,995); SXT ($21,695); R/T ($25,495).
Sterling Heights, Michigan.
GPS navigation ($695) with Bluetooth connectivity and one-year subscription to SiriusXM Travel Link.