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Dodge Avenger sport coupe adds flair plus leg space to spare
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin, Mario Andretti, Al Unser Jr., plus other race drivers who had risked their necks and Dodge Avenger fenders all season in IROC contests, gathered in the winner's circle at Michigan International Speedway last July with Chrysler's president, Robert Lutz, to unveil a new Dodge compact sport coupe.
The sleek Dodge also carried the Avenger label.
Unlike those angular Avenger stock cars -- which were stripped to the bone for tight-fisted racing and rigged with awesome rear-wheel power statements spewing from heady Chrysler engines -- this new consumer version of Avenger featured a cab-forward cockpit packed with passenger comforts and an economical powertrain which pumps its juice to the front wheels.
When those IROC racers finally pulled the wraps off, another fact became perfectly clear: Avenger, the street coupe, offered not a straight line in its new sheetmetal.
Smooth like the wind, it looked aggressive in front with a low nose and sharply canted windshield, strong and muscular on the sides with bold tires, and bulging in a butt which culminated at a high tail with racy spoiler attached.
Lutz, pointing out that this Avenger succeeds the aged Dodge Daytona, also noted that its compact size sandwiches in the 2-door line between subcompact Neon and Stealth.
Unlike typical compact sport coupes, though, new Avenger rides on a chassis that's long enough to leave room in the rear seat for legs of adult riders.
To prove the point, I crawled into the back compartment following the presentation of Avenger and discovered my long legs fit neatly -- even comfortably -- behind the driver's front seatback. Further, I didn't need a hoist to haul myself out of that space, as the front seat slid forward enough to create sufficient space for my exit.
No rival of Avenger provides such rear seat leg space.
Still, who buys a racy sport coupe for its back seat? In this class it's looks that count, and what's beneath that skin which let it strut its stuff on the boulevards.
Avenger has those sexy good looks, and all the right mechanical stuff too, although to test its prowess I had to wait six months until the top model, Avenger ES, appeared in my driveway one morning as prelude to a get-acquainted week.
Preliminary visual inspection produced these observations about Avenger's exterior character: The front view, this car's best angle, reveals styling hints of Viper, with those long extension lines, muscular hood bulges and a gunsight grille; the tail treatment, with wrap-around monochrome bumper design and accents from corner lights, seems muscular and sporty; the windswept styling, flowing upward from front bumper to slanted windshield and over a smooth roofline to the rear spoiler, makes Avenger appear as poised and powerful as a spotted jungle cat.
Inside, the cockpit obviously was designed for an aggressive driver, with ergonomic arrangement of analog instruments and power control switches, a comfortable contoured bucket seat with firm edges to hold you in place, and a fat leather-wrapped steering wheel that's gutsy and meaty, just what you need for dynamic driving.
Important incidentals enhance Avenger's user-friendly interior, such as the floor-mounted console with padded armrest, dual cupholders, twin storage sections, juice box cubbyhole and covered electrical power outlet, which I used to plug up my radar detector.
Then came the first driving test, after adjusting both outside mirrors, setting the seat just so, popping the optional tilt-and-slide sunroof and cranking up Avenger's V6 powerplant.
That engine, built by Chrysler's Japanese partner, Mitsubishi, displaces 2.5 liters with single-cam configuration, 24-valve format and electronic injection. With output measured at 155 horsepower and a redline racked to 6500 rpm, it appears exclusively in Avenger ES coupled to an electronic 4-speed automatic transaxle.
To tell the truth, I wasn't expecting much from this plant, having driven the competitors with macho V8s.
Yet in short spurts from a stoplight or boulevard bursts below 40 mph, it has a quick kick and nice growl.
My Avenger ES behaved best, however, in curvy sets.
With a stiff chassis, 4-wheel double wishbone suspension, variable-speed power rack and pinion steering and 16-inch Goodyear Eagle GT+4 rubber stuck on blacktop, Avenger made me smile in the twisties.
When I powered it at speed-limit pace through my favorite downhill challenge, a mean slope for multiple blocks followed by hard-edged 300-degree random-radius right turn, Avenger didn't complain -- in fact, tires never squealed. I can think of only five cars over the past ten years which could meet or beat that performance.
What's the background of this newest Dodge?
Avenger's chassis began with the lively new Eagle Talon, which like Avenger comes out of a Chrysler-Mitsubishi joint-venture plant in Illinois. Five inches were added to the wheelbase -- producing that nice, smooth romp over rough spots -- and the overall body length grew by 15 inches.
This chassis, plus suspension components and powertrain options Avenger and its Chrysler Sebring counterpart share with new 4-door Dodge Stratus and Chrysler Cirrus.
The exterior styling and cockpit configuration emanate from Chrysler's new design center north of Detroit, and, according to what Lutz said last summer at its unveiling, Avenger was developed exclusively for the American market.
Its appeal sights squarely on young adults, either married or single, who appreciate sensuous, sporty coupe designs but must pay attention to practical considerations like having to occasionally carry rear-seat passengers and also live within confines of affordability.
Avenger ES provides all the fancy features, but the entry-level Avenger, pared of air conditioning, power seat controls, electronic speed control and anti-lock brakes, becomes a bargain lure at $16,000.
For power, base Avenger puts a thrifty new 2.0-liter 4-in-line engine in place with dual cam and 140 hp rating. A firm 5-speed manual shifter comes with this base package, but you can add the 4-speed automatic optionally, along with those ES features stripped from the base model.
Bonuses stem from a spacious trunk, fold-down rear seatbacks to access that rear compartment, a long list of safety systems including dual airbags, plus satisfaction of steering a sporty car that carves a smile on your face.
1995 DODGE AVENGER
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 1995 DODGE AVENGER Specs |
| Description: |
Compact sport coupe |
| Model Options: |
Compact sport coupe |
| Wheelbase: |
103.7 inches |
| Overall Length: |
187.2 inches
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| Engine Size: |
DOHC 2.0-L I-4 16-v
SOHC 2.5-L V6 24-v
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| Transmission: |
I-4: Manual/5, Auto/4
V6: Auto/4 |
| Drive: |
Front |
| Braking: |
Power disc/drum/opt. ABS
ES: Power 4-disc/ABS |
| Airbags: |
2 |
| Gas Mileage: |
I-4: 22/32 mpg
V6: 20/28 mpg |
| Price: |
$ 16,000 to $ 20,000 |
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