Carscoops: Detroit Auto Show: 2008 Dodge Avenger

About four months after seeing first through leaked factory images and then as a pre-production model at the Paris Show, the Avenger finally made its official premier at the Detroit Show. Its aggressive, muscular design has grown even more on us since we first laid our eyes on it in Paris, something we can’t say about its sister model, the Chrysler Sebring.

Offered with three engine options (2.4 4-cylinder, 2.7 & 3.5 V6) the front wheel-drive Avenger will also be available with an AWD system. In the US sales will start in the first quarter of 2007 while in global volume markets (in both left-hand and right-hand drive) by mid-2007. According to Dodge, prices will start from $18,895 meaning that the all-new Avenger is priced $1,605 below the comparable outgoing Stratus.-Continued: Click “Read More…” below to see the official press release and a high-res gallery

PRESS RELEASE

Bold, aggressive Dodge styling: The 2008 Dodge Avenger builds on the bold, aggressive styling, performance and excitement of the Dodge Charger. From the front, there’s no mistaking Dodge’s heritage in Avenger’s aggressive exterior lines. The brand’s signature crosshair grille and large, modern quad headlamps housed in black add to Avenger’s menacing glare. The Dodge Avenger’s chrome grille with black texture accentuates the vehicle’s serious, almost sinister appearance. A stamped formation carries the vertical lines of the crosshair grille over the hood.

Avenger’s side profile shares more family traits with the Dodge Charger. Muscular rear shoulders, large wheels and tires and a sleek rear spoiler embody the Dodge brand attributes of bold, powerful and capable. From the rear, large, expressive taillamp modules placed at the corners frame the deck lid, which includes a sleekly integrated, finely tuned body-color spoiler. The all-new 2008 Dodge Avenger rides on a 108.9-inch wheelbase and 61.8-inch track, which adds to its athletic stance, improves ride quality and stability and maximizes crush space in the engine compartment. Overall, Avenger is 1.2 inches wider and 4 inches taller than the vehicle it replaces.

Impressive interior makes bold statement: Carefully matched grains and low gloss levels contribute to Avenger’s rich-looking interior surfaces. The instrument panel top pad and center stack feature a Franklin grain with low-gloss finish to match the defroster grille, driver cubby and Dodge logo on passenger side surrounds. From the cluster bezel to climate control knobs, circles are a primary graphic element repeated throughout the Dodge Avenger’s interior.

Unique to Dodge Avenger in the mid-size segment is Chill Zone, a chilled beverage storage bin that is standard on all Avenger models. Avenger’s interior provides comfortable seating for the driver and as many as four passengers. Drivers sit 2.5 inches higher than they did in Dodge’s previous mid-size sedan, giving them a command-of-the-road seating position. The interior cabin also is extremely spacious with 100.9 cu. ft. of room, which is an additional 7 cubic feet of interior passenger volume compared with the vehicle it replaces. There are 2.5 inches more headroom, 1.2 inches more shoulder room and an inch more hip room in the front seat. Luggage volume in the trunk is a competitive 13.35 cubic feet.

All-wheel drive, sport suspension and performance steering accentuate Avenger R/T’s on-road attitude: The Avenger R/T also is the Dodge brand’s first mid-size sedan to offer all-wheel-drive capability (late availability). Avenger’s all-wheel-drive system, available on models sold in the United States, works on demand, driving only the front wheels until power to the rear wheels is needed. All-wheel drive, combined with a sport-tuned suspension, performance steering and ESP with Traction Control, all combine to give Avenger R/T its on-road performance attitude.

Powertrain options deliver excellent power, fuel efficiency and flex-fuel availability: Three engine options power 2008 Dodge Avengers sold in the United States: the new standard 2.4-liter four-cylinder World Engine, an available flex-fuel 2.7-liter V-6 engine and an available 3.5-liter V-6 engine coupled with a new six-speed automatic transaxle with Auto Stick.

The 2008 Dodge Avenger SE and SXT feature a standard four-cylinder engine that rivals the best in the mid-size car segment when it comes to fuel economy. Avenger's 2.4-liter World Engine with dual variable valve timing delivers fuel efficiency in the city of 21 mpg (24 mpg using 2007 EPA standards), an excellent 30 mpg on the highway (32 mpg based on 2007 EPA standards), as well as smooth, quiet operation. Mated to a four-speed automatic transaxle, this new engine provides a 15 percent increase in horsepower (173 horsepower vs. 150 horsepower) and an 8 percent improvement in fuel economy compared with the 2.4-liter engine it replaces.

The Dodge Avenger SXT features an available Flexible Fuel Vehicle (FFV) 2.7-liter V-6 engine that provides value- and performance-conscious consumers the power of a V-6 engine with a price that compares with the competitions’ four-cylinder engines. Avenger’s 2.7-liter V-6 engine produces 189 horsepower and 191 lb.-ft. of torque, providing more low-end torque (at an rpm 850 lower) compared with the 2.7-liter engine it replaces. This 2.7-liter V-6 engine achieves 19 mpg in the city (22 mpg based on 2007 EPA standards) and 27 mpg on the highway (30 mpg based on 2007 EPA standards). It also can operate effectively on any blend of gasoline and fuel-grade ethanol up to E-85.

Dodge Avenger R/T and R/T AWD sedans sold in the United States feature a standard 3.5-liter V-6 engine that produces 235 horsepower and 232 lb.-ft. of torque coupled with a new six-speed automatic transaxle that comes standard with Auto Stick.

The 2008 Dodge Avenger R/T’s six-speed automatic transaxle provides quicker standing-start acceleration than a four- or five-speed transaxle because of its numerically higher first gear ratio. A more robust differential with increased torque capacity enhances launch performance by requiring less torque management, electronically limiting the torque that is available during the initial stages of standing-start acceleration.

Innovative technologies make life easier and safer: In addition to Dodge Avenger’s bold, aggressive design and functional interior, this all-new mid-size sedan also features a slew of new technologies unique in the segment. These features include:

• Chill Zone - a storage compartment in the top of the instrument panel that holds up to four standing 12 oz. beverage cans. Depending on ambient temperature and air conditioning settings, the bin can keep beverages cool
• A heated/cooled front cupholder that keeps cold beverages cool and hot beverages warm.
• YES Essentials Fabric — an easy-care, soil-repellent and anti-microbial textile
• Heated cloth seats
• An available DVD rear-seat entertainment system that includes AM/FM stereo radio with MP3 capable CD/DVD player, six-disc CD/DVD changer and SIRIUS Satellite Digital Audio Radio
• Light-emitting Diode (LED) interior lighting with high-focus white lights that provide directional lighting in both the front and rear seats

Safety features and structure combine to protect vehicle occupants: Avenger’s extremely strong safety cage is complemented with a combination of standard safety items demanded by buyers in the mid-size segment, including: