Avenger: Safety, Performance, Value

If you’re shopping for a safe, powerful mid-size family sedan packed with value, take a careful look at the Avenger. As the Dodge folks like to say, this car comes standard with everything but compromise.

America’s most affordable mid-size car, the Avenger is priced thousands below other leaders in its class. Buyers can choose from three models – SE, SXT, and R/T – each one loaded with standard features and fun-to-drive factor.

Let’s start with the SE and its long and impressive list of standard equipment, from air-conditioning to premium cloth interior and keyless remote entry. Other standard features include four-speaker CD audio and speed control with integrated steering wheel controls. The luxury-oriented SXT adds to the list with 17-inch aluminum wheels, eight-way adjustable driver seat, and much more. The Avenger R/T is the performance leader of the group, naturally, with its sport-tuned suspension, 18-inch wheels, center-mounted tachometer, and aggressive interior and exterior trim.

Avenger buyers can select from two class-leading engines. Standard in the SE and SXT is an advanced DOHC 16-valve 2.4-liter four with 173 hp. Available on the SE and SXT and standard in the R/T is the engine that’s the star of the industry – named one of Ward’s 10 Best Engines for 2012 – the 3.6-liter Pentastar® V6 with 283 hp that has Best-in-Class V6 highway fuel economy at an EPA estimated 29 mpg. Few sedans in any class can offer this stunning combination of performance and value.

One more important consideration: The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has named the Dodge Avenger a Top Safety Pick again in 2013. This was the fourth consecutive year the sedan earned the Top Safety Pick honor in grueling, scientific impact tests. And that’s on top of a long list of standard safety features, including multi-stage front passenger and front seat side air bags, electronic stability control with traction control, four-wheel anti-lock brakes, supplemental side curtain air bags and LATCH child seat anchor system.

Article and image courtesy of Dodge Redline.