Overview & Reviews

Thus far, Dodge has used the name "Avenger" on two wholly different cars from different time periods. The first Avenger was a midsize, two-door coupe born in the mid-1990s. Noted mostly for its stealthy good looks, the original Dodge Avenger also featured a reasonably roomy cabin and an appealing blend of handling and comfort. It enjoyed some success both with critics and consumers, though at decade's end it faded away with little notice. After a long hiatus, the Avenger name resurfaced in 2008 when Dodge deemed it fitting for the successor to the Stratus sedan.

Unfortunately, the second-generation Avenger has not enjoyed the positive reaction of its two-door predecessor. Despite a midlife overhaul that corrected many of its initial glaring faults, the Avenger has always been one of the least competitive midsize sedans. Consumers will find that most competitors, both import and domestic, offer more space, superior interior designs and a higher level of overall refinement.

Current Dodge Avenger
The Dodge Avenger shares much of its engineering with the previous-generation Chrysler 200 sedan. The differences between the two come down to styling, as the Avenger's more aggressive shape is aimed at a younger audience. There is a choice of two engines: a 2.4-liter, 173-horsepower four-cylinder or a 3.5-liter V6 good for 283 hp. The four-cylinder sends its power to the front wheels through either a four- or six-speed automatic transmission, depending on trim level. The V6 gets a six-speed auto with a manual-shift mode.

The Avenger's trim lines are SE, SXT and R/T. The SE is reasonably well equipped, while moving up to the SXT will get you features like an upgraded transmission, automatic climate control, a power driver seat and a six- (rather than four-) speaker sound system with satellite radio. The sporty R/T comes with the V6 engine as standard, plus 18-inch alloy wheels, a sport-tuned suspension, remote start, heated front sport seats, leather and cloth upholstery, Bluetooth and an upgraded audio system.

The Avenger's interior boasts soft-touch materials and tight construction, but the look is a tad generic, the available in-car electronics are behind the times and there isn't as much space for passengers. As for the Avenger's engines, the base four-cylinder is barely adequate (especially with the four-speed automatic) and sounds unrefined. The V6 engine is very strong, however, and also returns commendable fuel economy. Handling is also pretty good, although again, not quite up to the class leaders.

In total, the Dodge Avenger is a solid sedan if you're prioritizing a V6 power plant and value. But in general, we think you'd be better served by most other competing models.

Used Dodge Avenger Models
The second-generation Dodge Avenger debuted for 2008 and is represented by the current model. However, the Avenger was so poorly received that it underwent a major overhaul for 2011, which included updated styling, a revamped interior with higher-quality materials, added safety features and a more powerful 3.6-liter V6. It has been essentially unchanged since then, other than a renaming of trim levels for 2012 (originally Express, Mainstreet, Heat, R/T and an additional fully loaded Lux trim).

From 2008 through '10, there were three engine options: the current four-cylinder, a 2.7-liter, 189-hp V6 and a 3.5-liter, 235-hp V6. There were also three trim levels -- SE, SXT and R/T. The base four-cylinder-only SE came with air-conditioning, a CD stereo, full power accessories and cruise control. All-wheel drive was optional in that first year on models equipped with the 3.5-liter V6. For 2009, all trim levels received more sound insulation, the 2.7-liter V6 became a fleet-only engine option later in the year and the R/T trim was newly available with the four-cylinder engine. For 2010, the SE trim level was deleted and the Express trim added.

These early model year Avenger sedans suffered from a variety of ailments. Neither the four-cylinder nor the V6 engines were particularly good in regards to performance, refinement or efficiency. The interior was also far below that of the competition, with designs and materials that were best described as rental-car quality. If that wasn't enough to drive buyers away, the Avenger was also stuck with lifeless steering, excessive body roll and underachieving brakes. We highly recommend that you look at different used family sedans.

The first Dodge Avenger was sold from 1995-2000. Employing a platform derived from the Mitsubishi Galant and similar to the one used in the contemporaneous Mitsubishi Eclipse, the Avenger had the Chrysler Sebring coupe as its twin and debuted with two powertrains. The first was a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 140 hp mated to a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic -- all borrowed from the Dodge Neon. The step-up engine was a 2.5-liter, Mitsubishi-built V6 with 155 hp, mated to a four-speed automatic. The Avenger's trim lines were base and ES.

Initially, the base model opened with the four-cylinder engine, 14-inch wheels, a radio and dual airbags. The V6-powered ES model came with an upgraded suspension, antilock all-disc brakes, 16-inch alloy wheels, rear spoiler, air-conditioning, a cassette deck and cruise control. Base models could add most of the ES's items, while ES models could add leather seats and a sunroof.

The Avenger's biggest changes came in 1997, when meaner styling adorned the body and new 17-inch wheels were made available to ES models. More significantly, both the base and ES now had the four-cylinder standard, with the V6 optional. For the Avenger's final year in 2000, Dodge made the V6 standard on both, and also loaded up the ES with a power driver seat, leather and keyless entry.

The Dodge Avenger was a fairly appealing coupe in its day as long as the V6 was specified. The front seats were comfortable, and unlike in most cars sporting two doors, the Avenger's rear seat actually offered some semblance of comfort for adults. The Avenger also held the advantage of actually looking like a coupe instead of a bland sedan with two fewer doors. However, the Avenger's record for reliability is notably poor. As such, we wouldn't recommend it as a used-car purchase.

User Reviews:

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  Very Reliable and Gorgeous - 1999 Dodge Avenger
  By BekaDYT - May 1 - 3:31 pm

  My dad purchased the car for me in 2006 (in Ohio) when I was 18 its paprika red and had almost 75,000 miles at the time. I brought my son home from the hospital in this car and it has kept us safe for 2 long, and sometimes quite harsh, winters. I recently moved to Texas and it had absolutely no problems driving the 1,300 miles here. The only thing you have to watch for is hitting the front on the sidewalk or wherever you park it sits very low to the ground. I have had no major mechanical problems in the 3 1/2 yrs Ive owned it just replaced front tires. It now has 110,000 miles and still going great its almost paid off and I look forward to keeping it around for the next couple years!

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  Great Handling, Be careful in the winter - 1999 Dodge Avenger
  By kooky1776 - April 30 - 9:39 pm

  Best looking, and best handling car I ever owned. Pleasure to drive. The only thing I wished I had was a larger engine, both for safety and for performance reasons.

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  A Very Cool Nanas Avenger - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By sportynana - April 19 - 9:27 pm

  At age 63, I LOVE this car as it feels real sporty to drive - even at my age! Ive only owned it for 5 months - it has only 16,000 miles on it and so far, no troubles. It gets very good mileage - even around town. Its very easy to park the car (I had a van b/4 and had a very difficult time parking and backing up). Its just plain fun to drive and the gorgeous blue color and spoiler on the trunk is terrific!

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  Just a Blast - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By dragin19 - March 14 - 8:44 pm

  My wife and i purchased this car new, in April of 07. Our first trip was half way across the country in may of 07. it was fantastic. we experienced minor issues with stalling and such but a reprogramming of the transmission controller fixed that. We purchased the 2.7l v6 and wow, it accelerates like no buddies business, with 18" rims and the touring suspension it rides great. The stereo is great just wish now that we had opted for the MyGig system (60gig hd). The fuel economy is great to for the car, nearly 33mph on long highway trips, and so so city, about 19+.

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  2010 Avenger R/T w/V6 - 2010 Dodge Avenger
  By reburton - March 13 - 1:40 pm

  This car is nice for everyday distance driving 120 miles a day. 3.5L V6 24V MPI Color Scheme: Brilliant Black Crystal Pearl Coat External, Dark Slate Grey lower 1/2 with off white upper 1/2 interior. White LED interior lighting. Drivability: with slow starts in city driving, you feel all 6 gears before you hit 40 MPH. With quick starts like the on ramp to interstates, you only feel 3 gears and then the 6th for overdrive. This car WILL throw you back into the seat during rapid acceleration, but not with the same force as a V8. Mileage for the 120 mile trip is around 28 MPG according to the traveler trip computer.

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  Great Midsized Car - 2009 Dodge Avenger
  By Robbie - February 20 - 10:34 pm

  Ive had mine R/T almost a year now. Its as fun to drive now as it was the day I bought it. The R/T suspension is tight with minimal body roll in the corners. The leather trimmed seats are firm but not overly so. Ive had zero defects in the first year of ownership. The fit an finish of the dash is excellent however the hard plastic material leaves something to be desired. However Ive yet had to sleep on it so who cares. Ill get a dash mat to cover it. My R/T came with the 4 cyl engine. Its not the most powerful, but it climbs the mountains in NM OK. The 4 speed transmission is the weakest drive train part. But its what I was looking for. Great gas mileage for my 65 mile commute

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  Great car, mostly. - 2009 Dodge Avenger
  By shicks - December 30 - 6:33 pm

  My vehicle has some defects, both in design and manufacturing. I place a baseball cap over the shifter to prevent sunlight reflections, bad design. The upper front door seals leak air at highway speeds, attempted to have this corrected at the dealership, they said there is nothing to do about it. I find that if I press the seal with my finger about 4 inches below the top of the window the sound of the leak goes away. I recommend not leaving cans of soda in the ChillZone compartment, I have had a few failures of the cans which are likely due to overheating of the cans (the compartment lid is dark). The avg. fuel economy indicator shows 1 mpg greater than actual, calculated on long trips.

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  its all good !!! - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By MR.mman - December 24 - 7:56 pm

  The experience with this vehicle that I have had is that it doesnt have that much power and it needs to come with 17 inch wheels.

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  Owners love this car. - 2009 Dodge Avenger
  By Nail - November 23 - 6:05 pm

  Have made several trips in this car and love it. Excellent looks quiet ride, great pick up, steering excellent, good solid car feel. If you read "professional" reviews you would believe they were in a different car.

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  Problems not solved - 2009 Dodge Avenger
  By Marie - November 12 - 7:24 pm

  May 19,2009 I traded in a 2002 Dodge Intrepid for the 2009 Dodge Avenger. Nothing wrong with the Intrepid, now I wish I"d of kept it. The second month I had it I noticed some white areas appearing on the driver inside panel door. Called Cryslers 800 number & they said I should go to the dealer, which I have made 6 trips to them now. They say I need to wash it off each time it appears. It is Nov.12,2009 I am very disappointed & am not a happy customer. A brand new car should not be doing this. As a woman, appearance means a lot to me. They said I notice it because it is black vinyl, all cars have it. What a lame excuse. We will be replacing a Van soon, it will not be with a Chrysler product.