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By
ALISTAIR KENNEDY
2 July 2007
The second vehicle in the Dodge company’s Australian
revival has just been released. Joining the 4WD-lookalike Caliber, which
was launched earlier this year, is a true 4WD called Nitro. It has the
same bold and blocky styling as its Jeep relatives. Indeed it is built
at the Jeep factory in Toledo, Ohio. The rugged looks are somewhat
deceiving because Nitro falls into the urban SUV category rather than
that of the genuine 4WD off-roader.
Nitro’s styling, like other vehicles from the Chrysler Group
stable, is likely to fall into the love-it-or-hate-it category.
Its front is dominated by a huge four-piece "crosshair"
grille incorporating square headlights. The wheels have been
pushed into the corners and give the car the appearance of being
larger than it is. The 20-inch alloy wheels which are standard on
the higher-specced SXT model further enhance this look. The entry
level SX model has to make do with 16-inch alloys.
Nitro comes with the choice of 3.7-litre V6 petrol or 2.8-litre
four-cylinder turbo-diesel engines. Maximum power from the petrol
engine is 151 kilowatts at 5200 rpm with torque peaking at 314
Newton metres at 4000 rpm. Power is less (130 kW at 3800 rpm) in
the diesel although the all-important torque output is
significantly higher with an impressive 460 Nm at 2000 revs.
The petrol Nitro comes with a four-speed automatic transmission
while the diesel gets a five-speed. Although a manual gearbox is
available overseas it has not been brought to Australia due to
cost constraints.
Nitro is a five-seater and its square styling provides plenty
of practical interior space. There’s good headroom in all seats
and reasonable rear legroom. All passenger seats are genuine
fold-flat units and when folded make Nitro an impressive load
carrier. The rear seats are split 60/40 and can be partially
reclined.
The SXT also comes with a clever sliding cargo floor which can
slide up to 450 mm outwards to assist in loading large and heavy
(up to 181 kg) items to be loaded. The cargo floor in the SX can
be reversed with one side containing a number of compartments.
We were able to drive both petrol and diesel models during our
test of the Nitro in central Victoria. The majority of the route
covered consisted of bitumen roads with some fairly benign gravel
roads thrown in.
Performance from the V6 petrol engine was competent rather than
exciting but did cruise comfortably and would be pleasant enough
on a long journey. The diesel was better, and although the big
torque took some time to kick in, when it did the big Dodge could
certainly power along.
In line with Australian driver tastes we’ve received a firmer
suspension than the American model and the car felt safe and
predictable in corners. Stability and traction control are
standard in both models, as are dual front and side-curtain
airbags.
Nitro’s bold styling is matched by an equally bold marketing
strategy - free comprehensive insurance for the first two years.
Aimed at younger buyers, including under 25s and inexperienced
drivers who are normally hit with substantial insurance premiums.
Being a new brand to Australia, at least as far as the majority
of buyers are concerned, price is crucial in attracting customers
to Dodge. And in this regard Nitro is very competitive with a
price tag starting from $36,990, excluding on-road costs. Take off
the $6000-plus that a young driver could potentially save on
insurance premiums over two years and the Nitro can become
especially good value.
Also there to entice the younger driver, and perhaps to
re-invest some of the money they’ve saved on insurance, is a
$3500 optional entertainment/information system called MyGIG.
Operated either via a touch screen or voice activation the system
provides satellite navigation, entertainment and Bluetooth
hands-free mobile phone access. The system’s 20 gigabyte hard
drive will store music, photos and videos, all of which can be
loaded via a front-mounted USB port. It can even rip music from a
CD onto the hard drive.
Incidentally, the free two-year insurance feature also applies
to the Dodge Caliber. No specific time limit has been set but we
would suggest that potential buyers get to their dealer reasonably
quickly.
The complete Dodge Nitro range, with prices (excluding on-road
costs) is:
SX 3.7-litre V6 petrol: $36,990
SXT 3.7-litre V6 petrol: $39,990
SX 2.8-litre diesel: $40,490
SXT 2.8-litre diesel: $43,490
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Marque Publishing Company
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