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Car and Driver

1995 Dodge Avenger ES Test: Parts-Bin Enthusiasm

From the December 1994 issue of Car and Driver. Dodge dealers will soon be posi­tioning the new Avenger into that prized slot on the showroom floor previously occupied by the last moderately priced four-seater sports coupe they had to sell, the Daytona. That car (along with its twin, the Chrysler Laser), you may recall, was Chrysler's nine-year version of a "pony car" to compete with the Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro/Pontiac Firebird. The Avenger's appearance is brand-new, but it won't provoke gaping tares or dropping jaws. From the front—the view the kids with their noses pressed up again to the glass will most likely see—there is indeed a family resemblance to the Daytona of yore. But to Chrysler, where the word "Daytona" brings up unpleasant memories of torque steer, a time of financial crisis, and K-cars in drag, a remote resemblance to the Daytona is plenty. As for the pony-car market that the Daytona played in, Chrysler has said goodbye and good riddance. Joe Caddell, Chrysler's general manager for small-car platforms, says one of the lessons the company learned from its stint in the pony-car wars is that "in order to play in that market, you have to offer the real thing." View Photos Bill Delaney | Car and Driver The "real thing" is a romping, stomp­ing V-8 connected to the rear wheels. The Daytona and Laser offered a romping, stomping turbocharged four-cylinder that sent power to the front wheels. The fact that some Daytonas could outrun their rear-wheel-drive rival was of no conse­quence. Between 1984 and 1993, Chrysler sold a total of about 580,000 Daytonas and Chrysler Lasers. In that same period, Chevy alone moved more than 1,220,000 Camaros. It's not like Chrysler could have met the challenge anyway: it simply hasn't had an inexpensive platform and powerful V-8 to merge into a proper pony car since the demise of the Challenger and Bar­racuda some 20 years ago. HIGHS: Cavernous interior, confident handling, reasonable price. Besides, in the inexpensive sporty-car market, Chrysler's research indicates that the action is elsewhere. Caddell likes colorful metaphors: "If you want to shoot a duck," he says, "you don't aim right at it. You aim at where it's going. For too long, we, and the rest of the domestic car­makers, aimed at the duck." The Avenger and this car's technical twin, the Chrysler Sebring, both represent where Chrysler thinks the market is headed. Not surprisingly, this two-door coupe doesn't slot neatly into any previously defined market category. The two-door Avenger is 187.2 inches long and 68.5 inches wide, dimensions that put it between the Acura Integra three-door and the Ford Thunderbird coupes. Inside are seats for five passengers. Those in the back share an astounding 41 cubic feet of passenger space—that's just 5 cubic feet less than the much larger Thunderbird has in back and a significant 13 cubic feet more than the Integra. View Photos Bill Delaney | Car and Driver While a convertible Avenger remains a possibility, for now Dodge's coupe will come in just two models. The base High­line is equipped with Chrysler's 140-horsepower DOHC 2.0-liter four-cylinder, mated to a five-speed manual or a four-­speed automatic. The sportier Avenger ES comes with a stiffer suspension (including alloy wheels, larger tires, and a rear anti-roll bar), a rear spoiler, and mod uphol­stery fabric (leather is an option). Under the hood of the ES is a new Mitsubishi-­built 155-horsepower SOHC 2.5-liter V-6, mated to a four-speed automatic transmission. The base car is expected to ring in around $15,500, and the ES around $18,500. The cheapest Acura Integra sells for $15,850, with the powerful GS-R checking in at $20,740. A Nissan 240SX runs $17,389 and up. The Avenger keeps costs down because it shares a number of major components with the Mitsubishi Galant-based Eagle Talon and Mitsubishi Eclipse coupes. Sharp eyes will note that the Avenger, Talon, and Eclipse share the same dash­board, instruments, and controls. The windshield and the doors are interchange­able. And the suspensions are similar: unequal-length control arms in front, and a control arm and lower link setup in the rear. Which would help explain how Mitsubishi can assemble the Avenger on the same line as the Mitsubishi Eclipse and Eagle Talon at its Diamond-Star plant in Normal, Illinois. Compared with the cozy cockpit of the Eclipse and Talon, the Avenger seems voluminous inside. The rear accommoda­tions of the Talon—a penalty box for adults—have grown to comfortable pro­portions in the Avenger. Access to the back is easy, and footroom is ample. Most adult scalps will leave nary a Vitalis stain on the headliner. A three-hour trip in our ES test car drew no complaints from rear passengers. View Photos Bill Delaney | Car and Driver The front seats are higher in the Avenger, and there's more headroom than in the Talon. But with the higher seat position, the steering wheel can now obscure the tops of the speedo and tach for vertically unchallenged drivers. Other­wise, the friendly ergonomics of the Diamond-Star coupes come through unscathed in the new Dodge. LOWS: Unremarkable power, unrelenting understeer, needs a personality. A folding rear seat like the one in the Avenger can compromise body stiffness, but the Avenger's body does not feel very flexible. The higher-rate shocks and springs in the ES keep body motions in tight control. As in the Talon, the steering is quick and nearly viceless, although the ES's stiff anti-roll bars can make it lunge in and out of large pavement depressions. Push harder in corners and you'll find understeer, up to a limit of 0.80 g, from the Goodyear Eagle GT+4 tires. The ES's standard four-wheel disc brakes with anti­-lock control (base models come with rear drums, anti-lock optional) managed stops from 70 mph in 190 feet, a middling per­formance. On initial application, the binders have the aggressive bite and good feel of the Talon and Eclipse's brakes. Despite the ES's sporting promise, the V-6 driveline lends a mellow air to the Avenger. The run to 60 mph takes 9.1 sec­onds from a standstill, and wheelspin is just not in the cards. Although the new driveline is wholly competent, with smooth shift and appropriate gear ratios, its temerity on downshifting and a paucity of low-end power make it seem more appropriate to the Galant sedan, in which it will be installed next spring. View Photos Bill Delaney | Car and Driver Unlike the Dodge's attractive shape, the driving experience left us mostly at a loss for words. "Yes, I drove it, and I can't seem to remember much about it," said one editor after a test drive. "It was very nice ... " said another, his voice trailing off, as if there was not much more to say. The Avenger ES has the elements of a pleasing touring coupe—quick steering, a competent suspension, an even-tempered, refined drivetrain, and slick looks. One fast drive, though, will convince you that this is a car that caters more to the performance needs of drivers with modest expectation than to hot-shoes. It rides quietly, for example. And surprisingly, most editors preferred driving the base model with the DOHC four and manual transmission, a combination that imparted more character to the car. This is deja vu. When the new, less potent 240SX was introduced last spring, Nissan explained that performance was no longer that car's No. 1 priority. The Nis­san guys sounded like Chrysler's Caddell. A large number of buyers out there, they insisted, want a compact, sophisticated two-door, but without the "kids' stuff'"—the cramped interior, the rough and noisy ride, the tire-burner image, and the high insurance premiums. View Photos Bill Delaney | Car and Driver If there is indeed such a market, the Avenger has it squarely in its cross-hairs. Just don't look for a lot of enthusiasts in the crowd. VERDICT: A practical sports coupe for those more interested in coupe than sports. Counterpoints Sporty looks and mild performance are a growth market, I suppose, and Dodge is set to capitalize on it. But as with the well-intentioned but dull 240SX, I can't get boiling-hot with lust over the Avenger. Both are better choices than less-efficient Monte Carlos and Thunderbirds, but neither has the handling precision or outright thrust to make a dent in my memory. The Avenger at least has a smooth, no-fuss powertrain, ready-made for driver inertia. How odd that this car is essentially a Talon with a smoother engine and a bigger back seat, and it doesn't even raise a pulse. —Martin Padgett Jr. The new Dodge Avenger and Chrysler Sebring are supposed to replace the Daytona and LeBaron coupes. In spirit, they replace the 1978-83 Dodge Chal­lenger/Plymouth Sapporo coupes, because both pairs were designed by Mitsubishi using existing parts under a sporty-looking new skin. The Avenger offers good value and decent refinement for 1995, as did the Challenger in its day. Unfortunately, the similarity continues in the personality depart­ment, where both generations come up short. The 2.0-liter five-speed Avenger is more fun to drive than the V-6 auto­matic, but neither variant is a must­-have. —Frank Markus Every time C/D's editors discussed this car, the conversation concluded with the same two apologies: "Well, it's roomy. And it's inexpensive." The same could be said for my office. So I climbed out of the Avenger and into my sister's $18K Acura Integra. No rattles or subassemblies in motion. Then I climbed into a $19K Nissan 240SX. A supportive, flawlessly con­toured front seat that does not direct my right-front knee into the center console. The highest praise I can heap on the Avenger is that it shares nothing with the Daytona it supplants. —John Phillips Specifications Specifications 1995 Dodge Avenger ES Vehicle Type: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 2-door coupe PRICE (EST) Base/As Tested: $$18,500/$20,800 //Base price of vehicle as described in specs hed// Options: Option 1, $XXXX; Option 2, $XXXX ENGINE SOHC 24-valve V-6, iron block and aluminum heads, port fuel injection Displacement: 152 in3, 2497 cm3 Power: 155 hp @ 6000 rpm Torque: 161 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm TRANSMISSION 4-speed automatic CHASSIS Suspension, F/R: control arms/multilink Brakes, F/R: 10.1-in vented disc/10.1-in disc Tires: Goodyear Eagle GT+4 205/55HR-16 DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 103.7 in Length: 187.2 in Width: 68.5 in Height: 53.0 in Passenger Volume, F/R: 52/41 ft3 Trunk Volume: 13 ft3 Curb Weight: 3152 lb C/D TEST RESULTS 60 mph: 9.1 sec 1/4-Mile: 17.0 sec @ 83 mph 100 mph: 26.9 sec Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 9.3 sec Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 5.1 sec Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 6.3 sec Top Speed (drag ltd): 120 mph Braking, 70–0 mph: 190 ft Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.80 g C/D FUEL ECONOMY Observed: 23 mpg EPA FUEL ECONOMY City/Highway: 20/28 mpg C/D TESTING EXPLAINED