Gets a ho-hum write-up in today's Sunday Times, the UK's largest-selling
quality Sunday paper:

http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,12929-2424687,00.html

(Text at bottom for convenience.)

DAS

[...]

           Dodge Nitro
           Redneck looks for a place in the sun

           Take a long look at this, the new Dodge Nitro. Whatever you may
think of its looks - and I find it rather fetching - it is a car that people
will at least notice. Except they won't yet, as the Nitro doesn't go on sale
here until next summer and hasn't yet made its debut even in its native
America.
           How is it, then, that I've just driven one through southern
California from San Diego to Palm Springs and didn't get so much as a second
glance? That's because in America the bestselling "car" is a vast pick-up
truck, so if your set of wheels isn't the size of a mobile home, you're
always going to struggle with road presence. SUVs are to the American
car-buying public what the Toyota Corolla is to the rest of the world: so
common and unremarkable that none of us can remember when we last saw one.

           But in Britain, or so its importers are hoping, things will be
different. Here the Nitro will sell against cars like the Hyundai Santa Fe
and Kia Sorento. In a market where one Ford hatchback or another has been
the staple seller for at least two decades, I suspect the Nitro is going to
be as conspicuous here as it is ignored at home.

           Just don't go thinking that those looks and the promising name
mean there's huge power at your disposal. The car I drove was fitted with a
3.7 litre V6 engine, and while that might sound impressive on paper, in
reality it doesn't live up to expectations. Dodge Nitro? Flaccid more like.
It comes with an old and horrid four-speed automatic gearbox and is the
first six-cylinder motor I can recall since the last Ford Cortina's that
sounds as if it's in pain when you rev it.

           The good news is that the majority of Nitros sold in the UK will
be powered by a common-rail 2.8 litre diesel working in greater harmony with
a five-speed auto. The bad news is that because Americans only understand
the word "Diesel" when it is preceded by the name "Vin" they didn't have one
for me to try.

           Of even greater concern to me than the asthmatic engine was the
Nitro's ride and handling which, frankly, made me feel ill. The suspension
was so soft and incapable of controlling the car's natural desire to heave,
pitch and roll that it provided one more reason to add to the regrets I had
about watching the movie Poseidon on the flight over. But worry not, says
Daimler-Chrysler, the suspension settings had been configured to reflect the
fact that there are no corners in America. Cars destined for Europe will
apparently have settings similar to the "Performance" suspension that I also
tried. With these the car is transformed: the stiffer springs and dampers
not only made it handle properly, the ride was also improved almost beyond
recognition.

           Not that I enjoyed driving the Nitro even with proper
suspension, but then I never enjoyed driving the Hyundai Santa Fe with which
the Nitro will go head to head. I expect customers will feel the same way
about the Nitro in nine months or so. It lacks the Hyundai's third row of
seats and its second row won't slide, recline or remove, but there is
excellent headroom and legroom all round, and a vast boot.

                       Model Dodge Nitro 3.7

                       Engine type 3700cc, six cylinders

                       Power/Torque 210bhp @ 5200rpm
                       235 lb ft @ 4000rpm

                       Transmission Four-speed automatic

                       Fuel/CO² Figures not available

                       Performance -60mph: 10sec
                       Top speed: 121mph

                       Price Less than £20,000

                       Verdict Cool looking, poor driving, but interesting

                       Rating

                       Release Date Summer 2007

           The car's interior reveals smart, simple instruments, sensibly
arranged controls and some sense of design cohesion. I just hope the awful
fit and finish of much of the trim reflect the fact that I was driving
pre-production prototypes.

           Driving it so long before it goes on sale means there is much
about the Nitro we still don't know - most notably the extent to which the
diesel engine will improve it. Nor do we know what equipment it will carry
or even how much it will cost. All I can tell you is that Dodge plans to put
the car on sale "with a decent level of standard equipment for less than
£20,000".

           At that level, which is less than the cheapest of the
forthcoming Land Rover Freelanders, it should find a space. It certainly
offers a lot of metal for your money and an all-American authenticity with
which to combat the imageless Korean brands at which it's aimed.

           THE OPPOSITION

           Model Hyundai Santa Fe £20,995
           For Three rows of seats, refined, good performance
           Against Ride quality, interior appearance, lack of image

           Model Kia Sorento £19,995
           For Spacious, recently updated, good value
           Against No third row seating, not a coveted marque