2009 Dodge Avenger
by Jim Prueter -06/2009

Avenger is better but far from class leader

(Since this vehicle is virtually unchanged from our review of the 2008 model it has been updated to include the changes for the 2009 model)

With almost 2 million cars sold each year, the midsize sedan segment is the largest, most competitive and is dominated by the-best selling Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Nissan Altima and Ford Focus.

The Avenger, a name once used for the two-door coupe companion of the Dodge Stratus, is essentially built on the same chassis and hardware as the Chrysler Sebring, sharing all three engine choices, transmissions as well as suspension system components and front wheel drive configuration. It’s the same basic setup for Chrysler siblings Dodge Caliber, Jeep Compass and Jeep Patriot.

But Avenger and Sebring, while virtually the same size, have very different exterior styling. Where the Sebring leans towards graceful, Avenger is styled as “aggressive,” “menacing,” even “sinister.” The taillights are said to wear “war paint,” and a particularly cool pair of Oakley sunglasses owned by lead Avenger designer Ryan Nagode inspired the front-end styling.

The headlights are slightly tucked up under the hood to give a heavy brow appearance. Wheel opening arches are overly pronounced and the rear deck is short, high and sporting a rear spoiler atop the trunk deck on R/T models.

The entire look cannot be mistaken for a scaled down version of the larger Dodge Charger. Somehow it works much better on the Charger than the Avenger.

Two trim levels are offered for 2009: SXT and R/T. Dodge says the SXT will account for half of all Avenger sales, and is only available with a 2.4-liter 173 horsepower four-cylinder engine mated to four-speed automatic transmission.

At the top is the R/T, which for 2009 comes standard with the 2.4-liter four-cylinder, or the optional 235-horsepower 3.5-liter V-6 ($2005) and six-speed automatic transmission ($200). Optional are 18-inch chrome wheels and two-tone leather seating.

Other changes for the 2009 Avenger is the deletion of the SE trim level and the optional all-wheel drive on the R/T.

Both trim levels are the same in appearance, with the R/T adding the rear deck lid spoiler and dual chrome exhaust tips.

Inside, the Avenger is a significant improvement from the Stratus it replaced. There’s more overall room and seats are generally comfortable. While marketed as a five-passenger sedan, there’s only room for two in back. The rear seat is split 60/40 and folds to enlarge the smallish 13.3 cubic foot trunk, one of the smallest in the mid-size class.

The dash sports acres of hard plastic but is nicely designed with all controls and buttons intuitive and easy to use. We like the white on black instruments and the brushed aluminum trim on the center stack.

Regardless of model, standard equipment includes the “Chill Zone” glove box, a feature we first saw on the Caliber a year ago, which is a box on top of the glove box that can hold four cans of soda or bottled water and uses the air conditioning system to keep drinks cool. Optional is a cup holder on the front console that can heat a drink to 140 degrees or cool a beverage to 35 to 40 degrees.

All models feature Chrysler’s YES Essential seat fabric, a cloth material that is anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, anti-static and is said to not stain even if you spill red wine. Which caused me to wonder why you’d open wine in a vehicle in the first place.

Other standard features in all models include air conditioning, AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system, remote locking, power windows, power-heated outside mirrors, cruise control, and tilt and telescoping steering wheel.

Safety gear includes front and side airbags. Unfortunately, the base 2008 SE does not offer stability control or brake assist. However, antilock brakes are an option. Avenger earned the highest government five-star rating in front and driver’s side crash tests. Rear seat crash test results were rated as four-star. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded the Avenger its highest rating of “Good” in frontal offset crash tests and in side impacts.

We drove all three 2008 models and found them to be solid, surprisingly quiet and delivering a smooth, compliant ride. We preferred the handling of the R/T over the SXT and thought it handled sharp curves and cornering sufficiently better. We’d recommend skipping the 2.4-liter four-cylinder. There’s just not enough power for passing, and the engine roars under full acceleration when trying to accomplish the feat.

During Avenger’s introduction, Dodge made competitive vehicles available for comparison including the Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord and Nissan Altima. Dodge officials were obviously very confident in the Avenger, but of all the vehicles, Fusion was the only one we liked less, and felt the new Altima was at the top of the class in this segment.

Overall, the new Avenger is clearly superior to the outgoing Stratus with improved styling, driving characteristics and features. It’s the same price as sibling Chrysler Sebring in case you like the car but not the styling. But Avenger doesn’t break any new ground and we would still choose the Camry, Accord or Altima if we were shopping for a mid-sized sedan.