Dodge Avenger

[Arkaign]

Has anyone seen the new ones? I sat in one at my wife's family reunion a couple of weeks ago and was generally horrified. The old Avenger was sleek, curvy, and had a low profile. The new one is just another ugly blocky sedan (like the new Accord/Camry). Don't we have enough Dodge cars that look the same? The Caliber and Charger are also kinda brick-like, I just can't believe we now have 3 sizes of the identical brick-like style.

And look at the rear pillars! How big is THAT blind spot?

*puke*

OLD

NEW *BARF*

 

[nakedfrog]

Isn't that just a Charger?

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog
Isn't that just a Charger?

No, they're smaller than Chargers, but with the EXACT same brick styling. I have nothing against the Charger really, as it pretty much lives up to the reputation of the Charger (big, blocky, big motor), but to take the Avenger (previously sleek, aerodynamic, coupe) and make it a big rectangle is just sad.

 

[Arkaign]

http://www.edmunds.com/dodge/avenger/2008/review.html

"Pros
Smooth and quiet highway ride, solid performance on R/T model, above-average fuel economy, wide selection of in-cabin electronics.
Cons
Weak and noisy four-cylinder engine, limited transmission choices, underpowered brakes, low-grade interior plastics, small trunk.
What's New for 2008
The 2008 Dodge Avenger is an all-new, front-wheel-drive midsize sedan. Available with four-cylinder or V6 power, it's a replacement for the Stratus. All-wheel drive is a late-year option on the R/T model."

However, we think the Nissan Altima, Mazda 6 and Saturn Aura are better choices for consumers seeking a midsize sedan with some edginess to its styling and dynamics.

 

[ElFenix]

with ford and gm pulling out of the rental fleets and knowing that it (merc) was about to sell chrysler for pennies on the dollar, merc decided it might as well make a super cheap fwd setup to sell to enterprise and budget. but just to make sure that the few people who weren't turned off by the cartoon styling and shoddy interior weren't scarred off by the name 'stratus,' they decided to ruin a relatively unknown name instead.

your avenger pic is the 1st gen, btw.

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
with ford and gm pulling out of the rental fleets and knowing that it (merc) was about to sell chrysler for pennies on the dollar, merc decided it might as well make a super cheap fwd setup to sell to enterprise and budget. but just to make sure that the few people who weren't turned off by the cartoon styling and shoddy interior weren't scarred off by the name 'stratus,' they decided to ruin a relatively unknown name instead.

your avenger pic is the 1st gen, btw.

Lol, your deadpan honesty on this is delicious.

Yeah, I know my Avenger pic is 1st-gen, that was the point of posting it. If the original didn't have so many reliability problems, it would have been a really nice car, styling-wise, and an excellent counterpoint to stuff like Mitsubishi Eclipse and so on.

 

[CrackRabbit]

You do realize that the old Avenger was nothing more than a re-skinned Mitsubishi Eclipse...
There wasn't anything special about them.

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: CrackRabbit
You do realize that the old Avenger was nothing more than a re-skinned Mitsubishi Eclipse...
There wasn't anything special about them.

I never said there was, really. They were cheapish cars now, and they were then too. Just that the new Avenger is a big, ugly, blocky 4-door mess, and totally devoid of the aerodynamic, decent-looking coupe original. It's almost akin to the Cougar turning from a full-size V6/V8 coupe into a Probeish little 4-banger / V6.

 

[Arkaign]

Btw, the old Avenger was based on the Galant, IIRC.

 

[996GT2]

Wow, that new Avenger is hideous.

It really seems to me that Chrysler/Dodge can no longer design cars that look even halfway decent...the new "hey look, it's got the aerodynamics of a brick" styling doesn't appeal to me at all. I understand that this styling technique may work on some cars (like the Charger/300) to bring out the nostalgic air of years past, but that's no reason to apply the same styling cues to their entire lineup IMO.

The one exception to this is the Viper, which looks streamlined and muscular...perfectly fitting for its intended role.

 

[fbrdphreak]

The new Avenger and it's Chrysler sibling (can't think of the name) are horrid, uninspired, unimpressive vehicles. Oh well, maybe they'll get it one of these days

 

[sniperruff]

Originally posted by: Arkaign

Originally posted by: CrackRabbit
You do realize that the old Avenger was nothing more than a re-skinned Mitsubishi Eclipse...
There wasn't anything special about them.

I never said there was, really. They were cheapish cars now, and they were then too. Just that the new Avenger is a big, ugly, blocky 4-door mess, and totally devoid of the aerodynamic, decent-looking coupe original. It's almost akin to the Cougar turning from a full-size V6/V8 coupe into a Probeish little 4-banger / V6.

but at least the new cougar looked good. this is.... bleh.

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: Arkaign

Originally posted by: CrackRabbit
You do realize that the old Avenger was nothing more than a re-skinned Mitsubishi Eclipse...
There wasn't anything special about them.

I never said there was, really. They were cheapish cars now, and they were then too. Just that the new Avenger is a big, ugly, blocky 4-door mess, and totally devoid of the aerodynamic, decent-looking coupe original. It's almost akin to the Cougar turning from a full-size V6/V8 coupe into a Probeish little 4-banger / V6.

:laugh:

The new Avenger is heads above the old Avenger when comparing performance and space. The old Avenger was a DOG to the core. I mean, the V6 did pull in just a hair over 9 seconds in the 0-60 and 17 second quarter mile, but being enck and neck with my Prius is not exactly impressive.

 

[ognabor]

The Charger looks good. The Avenger does not. Part of it has to do with the proportions. Part of it has to do with redundancy. The squared-off theme isn't all bad, it's just improperly applied.

And honestly, any Charger that's not sporting at least a basic R/T package... is a waste of time.

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

Originally posted by: Arkaign

Originally posted by: CrackRabbit
You do realize that the old Avenger was nothing more than a re-skinned Mitsubishi Eclipse...
There wasn't anything special about them.

I never said there was, really. They were cheapish cars now, and they were then too. Just that the new Avenger is a big, ugly, blocky 4-door mess, and totally devoid of the aerodynamic, decent-looking coupe original. It's almost akin to the Cougar turning from a full-size V6/V8 coupe into a Probeish little 4-banger / V6.

:laugh:

The new Avenger is heads above the old Avenger when comparing performance and space. The old Avenger was a DOG to the core. I mean, the V6 did pull in just a hair over 9 seconds in the 0-60 and 17 second quarter mile, but being enck and neck with my Prius is not exactly impressive.

(1)- Performance has increased massively in average cars since the first Avenger premiered. In 1995, a 140HP 4Cyl was an average motor. Look at the Accord, Camry, Corolla, Probe, Escort, Cavalier, etc, etc, etc. Anything with a 140hp 4cyl is going to be a DOG by today's standards, unless it just doesn't weigh anything. The 163HP V6 option wasn't really much of an improvement, but compares easily to the 164HP V6 that was in the competing Probe GT. So, for it's time, it was average amongst the competition, not a DOG at all.

(1a)- Performance has increased so much in average cars since the first Avenger premiered, that the new one is also just average in performance. The new stronger motors are a poor match to the 3400lb-3500lb vehicles, and are no competition to other vehicles in this segment.

(b)- Who was talking about space? Do you mean the general dimensions of the car? I just think it's bizarre that they turned a decent-looking coupe into a hideous sedan.

(c)- Ford Fusion / G6 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Avenger.

I'd be surprised if they made these for more than a year or two.

 

[Aikouka]

Originally posted by: Arkaign
Btw, the old Avenger was based on the Galant, IIRC.

It used the 420A engine which was used in the naturally aspirated 2nd-gen DSMs. I believe the 2.5L 6 cylinder that was used in the Avenger was also used in the Gallant though.

 

[SpeedEng66]

Originally posted by: fbrdphreak
The new Avenger and it's Chrysler sibling (can't think of the name) are horrid, uninspired, unimpressive vehicles. Oh well, maybe they'll get it one of these days

sebring

 

[SpeedEng66]

Originally posted by: Aikouka

Originally posted by: Arkaign
Btw, the old Avenger was based on the Galant, IIRC.

It used the 420A engine which was used in the naturally aspirated 2nd-gen DSMs. I believe the 2.5L 6 cylinder that was used in the Avenger was also used in the Gallant though.

kinda true kinda not mitsu used the 4g72 in the eclipse since chrysler owned 40% of mitsu they stole the shortblock design but the heads were different..

the 2.5 was a 6g73 (underbored 6g72 3.0)

here's my old car
http://www.exileracing.com/keveng.htm

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: SpeedEng66

Originally posted by: Aikouka

Originally posted by: Arkaign
Btw, the old Avenger was based on the Galant, IIRC.

It used the 420A engine which was used in the naturally aspirated 2nd-gen DSMs. I believe the 2.5L 6 cylinder that was used in the Avenger was also used in the Gallant though.

kinda true kinda not mitsu used the 4g72 in the eclipse since chrysler owned 40% of mitsu they stole the shortblock design but the heads were different..

the 2.5 was a 6g73 (underbored 6g72 3.0)

here's my old car
http://www.exileracing.com/keveng.htm

Ah cool, how did it run? Thoughts on the new/old Avengers?

 

[thomsbrain]

Wait, you mean Chrysler sells these to buyers OTHER than rental-car companies?

 

[Jeff7181]

I looked at them when I was shopping for cars. They drive as bad as they look.

 

[rbV5]

The Dodge Anemic, Dodge Meh, or Dodge Mediocre may have been better naming choices.

For the love of God they better not screw up the new Challenger......

 

[ComputerWizKid]

The new police cars in my area are the new Dodge Chargers and the K9 units are Dodge Magnums

 

[Hyperlite]

Originally posted by: rbV5
The Dodge Anemic, Dodge Meh, or Dodge Mediocre may have been better naming choices.

For the love of God they better not screw up the new Challenger......

http://www.partstrain.com/imag...llenger-Concept-12.jpg

i dunno about you, but that looks just fine to me.

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: Hyperlite

Originally posted by: rbV5
The Dodge Anemic, Dodge Meh, or Dodge Mediocre may have been better naming choices.

For the love of God they better not screw up the new Challenger......

http://www.partstrain.com/imag...llenger-Concept-12.jpg

i dunno about you, but that looks just fine to me.

Looks close to the new Camaro, which is a good thing

Dodge has competent engineers/designers (re: Dodge Ram, Viper, Charger), but for the life of me I can't figure out why they're so insistent on ruining good possibilities with horrible execution (eg; new Avenger).

The new Avenger would have been perfect if they'd stuck to the cool aerodynamics of the original, but with updated safety, fresher lines, and of course the more powerful motor options. Why they dropped this brick I'll never know.