Yes, I do. I’m on the road right now, and this is the upgrade the rental company gave me, a brand-new Dodge Avenger R/T.
It has a double overhead-cam 2.4 liter four-cylinder and an excellent 4-speed automatic. There’s plenty of power, surprisingly, and the transmission is very well matched to the powerplant. What makes this a great road car? The power-adjustable driver’s seat, for one thing. The accurate cruise control, for another, especially the way it resumes your set speed after braking for small towns and prairie dogs: ZOOM! Most of all, though, the handling…
With 17-inch wheels, big tires, four-wheel disc brakes, and rear-wheel drive (thank you, Jesus), the car inspires confidence by the bucketful. It stays planted on the road like it was staked down, and just suggesting where you’d like to go makes it leap into action. It’s simply a joy for cross-country driving. Cruising at a steady 75 mph yielded a solid 32 mpg, by the way. Not half bad. The interior controls are logically laid out and easier to use than those in our ’07 Pontiac Vibe, too. The windows go all the way down in back, hooray.
This is the easiest car to drive I’ve ever had. The smooth, well-damped suspension and superb brakes are a revelation. (“This thing is a Dodge?“) And the biggest surprise of all is that the four-cylinder base engine is more than enough. It charges up mountains without bogging down, and passing is a breeze. I may even be in love with the automatic transmission—heresy!—so you can tell this is a nice set o’ wheels.
To tell the truth, I don’t want to give it back. The reason for my trip is less than happy, but the going is a consolation with the Dodge.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
yeah,prof John, gimme THIS dog [dodge] anyday:
http://thereifixedit.com/2010/07/09/white-trash-repairs-a-barrel-of-apples/
http://2tu.us/2g6m
cheers
What the hell izzat?