Avenger Achieves Epic Fail In MT Comparo
Yesterday when discussing Chrysler's difficulties in accessing credit to offer sweetheart financing, the conversation couldn't stray from a simple reality. Chrysler's cars don't sell themselves, making the company dependent on getting good financing despite the credit crunch. And what better example is there of Chrysler's product pathos than the unlovable Avenger? Motor Trend recently tested ten midsized sedans it deems "Familial and Frugal," and despite going head-to-head with Mitsubishi's Galant and the Kia Optima, the Avenger came in dead last. Offering the worst acceleration, handling and braking of any car in its class, the Avenger inspired some savage simile from the usually docile MT staff. The Avenger's "crude" engine and "archaic" four-speed tranny "pushes it off the line with about as much vigor as a maimed turtle," say the buff book scribes. And though the styling isn't horrible,technical director Frank Markus says "the Dodge's quasi-aggressive styling and nomenclature and its racy white-faced gauges kind of write a sportiness check that the drivetrain and chassis can't cash." Sure it was the cheapest car in the test, but sometimes that's not even enough. Senior Editor Ed Loh sums it all up, saying "overall this is the essence of basic transportation; not remotely fun to drive and not all that practical or feature rich. There is absolutely no reason to buy this car." Well said sir, and may we just say that for once we are in complete agreement.
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thoots: Where I live (Tampa Florida) I see waaaay too many Sebrings. Sometimes they're convertibles... Usually it's some old guy driving it. In fact, at a gas station one time, a guy who must have been over 75 pulled up next to me and started filling up his Sebring convertible. I asked him, "What made you choose that car?" He said to me, "I support my country and wanted to buy an American car." I definitely can appreciate that, but pick a better American car next time!
I'm surprised this story took this long to cover - it's a month old now. That the Avenger came in last isn't that big a shock. The two bigger stories are the Malibu finishing third from the bottom,(the Galant between the Chevy and the Dodge) and the VW Passat winning. All the cars were 4-cyl and auto trans. The VW was the most expensive, got the worst mileage (on premium gas), and VW reliability isn't the greatest. All those factors would seem to count against it, but it won because it was the most "fun to drive"! WTF!? Someone interested in a mid size sedan with 4 cylinder automatic drivetrain isn't going to go racing in it on the weekend! Such are the priorities of the buff mags. BTW, the Hyundai Sonata came in second.
A European colleague of mine had a 4-cyl Avenger for a rental car. She liked it about as much as Motor Trend did. The floor carpeting wasn't even cut all the way up to the plastic trim pieces in the footwells. The car bore a cute little sticker that said, "Built With Pride by the UAW" Yeah. Built with pride.