Introduced as a 2-door coupe in North America, the Dodge Avenger was built from 1995 to 2000 in a similar size and price class as the Dodge Daytona, which was discontinued in 1993. The Avenger, along with the similar Chrysler Sebring coupe, was built by Diamond Star Motors (DSM), a joint venture between Chrysler Corporation and Mitsubishi Motors, on a version of the Mitsubishi Galant platform (which also spawned the similar Mitsubishi Eclipse). Mitsubishi purchased Chrysler's share of the joint venture in 1995. Avengers and Sebring coupes built from 1995 to 1996 both have DSM markings in their engine compartments.
The Avenger had a 103 in (2.62 m) wheelbase and used either a 2.0 L straight-4 (the Chrysler 420A) or a Mitsubishi-designed 2.5 L V6. The 4-cylinder was coupled to either a five-speed manual transmission, shared with the Mitsubishi Eclipse and Eagle Talon, or a 4-speed automatic. The V6 was only available with the A604 transmission.
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. In other words, the Avenger is once again a midpriced, midsize car that aims for a balance of attributes, only now it comes in a more family-friendly four-door package.
The Dodge Avenger shares much of its engineering with other Chrysler products, most notably its platform-mate, the Sebring sedan. The differences between the two come down to styling, as the Avenger's more aggressive shape is aimed at a younger audience. Dodge Avenger buyers have a choice of three engines. The first is a 2.4-liter four-cylinder rated at 173 horsepower. This engine is impressively fuel-efficient, but we've found it unacceptably ponderous and noisy for daily driving. A better bet is the 189-hp 2.7-liter V6, which is more refined and provides adequate performance. At the top of the Avenger food chain is a 3.5-liter V6 good for 235 hp. The first two engines send their power to the front wheels through a four-speed automatic transmission, while the big V6 gets a more efficient six-speed auto with a manual shift mode. For info on the current model Avenger visit the official Dodge.com
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.
Names notwithstanding, we find the new Dodge Avenger to be an improvement over the sedan it replaced, but that's not saying much. The redesign did bring a respectable 3.5-liter V6 and six-speed automatic transmission, however. Thanks to its longer wheelbase, the Avenger also features a roomier interior, and Dodge introduced several electronic gadgets to spice things up, not the least of which is a hard-drive-based navigation and audio system.
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