You just can’t please everyone. When Chrysler announced the company would concentrate on the Chrysler 200 sedan and drop the Dodge Avenger twin, Dodge enthusiasts weren’t happy. While the Avenger may not live on as a Camry-fighting mainstream midsize sedan, it turns out Motor Trend readers had plenty of interesting suggestions that could guide the future of the nameplate, perhaps still alongside the Chrysler 200.
Currently, the Dodge Avenger can be had in four-cylinder form with a four- and six-speed automatic transmission. Upgrade to the Pentastar V-6 engine and the only available transmission is a six-speed automatic. Unlike the Chrysler 200 sedan and convertible lineup, the Dodge Avenger’s sole body style is a four-door sedan.
So let’s have a look at some reader suggestions on the future of the Dodge Avenger. Or take a look at the original Thread of the Day here.
RW124 hopes Chrysler will reconsider keeping the Dodge Avenger in the lineup, but further differentiating the car as the far sportier offering compared to the Chrysler 200: “Chrysler needs to focus on replicating the Camry-ES350 model to the Avenger-200. I don’t think the Avenger can expect 200k sales but at least 100k-150k should be reasonable. If it is built well, offers the right features, and is a genuine family sedan (with Dodge’s sporty aspirations) then further down the road it can compete in sales with the heavy weights.”
From
kego53: “Stop trying to make it look like a diminutive Charger. So far the effort has been a great big FAIL. The design cues from the Dart would be a good place to begin. In my opinion the Chrysler 200 should go RWD on the Challenger platform and the Avenger should change its name and stay FWD to compete with Accord, Toyota and the Ford/Mazda clone Fusion.
Sideways the Seven had a more radical idea for what today serves as a refinished Chrysler 200: “Replace it with a hot hatch. And not some Alfa badge-engineered clone, start fresh like FoMoCo did with the Focus. It can share platforms with the revamped [Chrysler 200], just not it’s sedan bodystyle that way you retain each brand’s exclusivity. Drop in one of the turboed “Tigershark” engines and a decent M/T and support it with plenty of MOPAR aftermarket bits (brake upgrades, suspension upgrades, ECU reflashes, CAI, CBE, etc) and make them accessible at different stages and price points to make them accessible to all buyers and to keep the 3rd party tuners from completely taking over and giving owners that warranty-backed piece of mind, and call it a day.”
Souldriver was thinking more along the lines of Subaru: “I think something perhaps all wheel drive would be a great idea. Something with a turbo 4 would be a great competitor to the Malibu, and adding all wheel drive would help it stand apart and make it easier to have a super sporty SRT version.”
Reader Suggestions on the Dodge Avenger Replacement
