Boston.com's view

THE BASICS Base price/as tested: $22,870/$25,255 Fuel economy: 18.2 miles per gallon in Globe testing/regular fuel Annual fuel cost: $2,164 (at $3.03 per gallon, regular, 13,000 miles per year)

THE EARLY LINE As Chrysler changes hands, vehicles already in the pipeline will have to keep the company rolling as the new owners decide on new products.

THE SPECIFICS Drivetrain: Front-wheel drive Seating: 5 Horsepower: 235 Torque: 232 lb.-ft. Length: 190.9 inches Wheelbase: 108.9 inches Height: 58.9 inches Width: 71.8 inches Curb weight: 3,568 pounds

THE SKINNY Nice touch: The boldly retro black-on-white gauges. A nice Chrysler/Dodge trademark. Annoyance: The “awnings” that extend over those gauges. They do nothing at night, and block light during day. Watch for: The all-wheel-drive version of the Avenger. Makes it a better New England contender.

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Can you be a high-riding sedan in the lucrative mid size market and use a beefed-up look to not only set yourself apart from frumpy competitors, but also offer a hint of the American muscle car somewhere in your bloodline?

That’s the challenge for today’s test car, the 2008 Dodge Avenger R/T. It’s the successor to the forgettable Stratus, which hasn’t been produced full time since 2005, when it sold 99,648 cars to Toyota Camry’s 431,703, according to the trade journal Automotive News.

That’s a big gap to close, but it is the mission the folks at Chrysler are on as they move from German ownership to Canadian control, and a promise of better products from the new owners.

For now, cars like the Avenger — a down-sized Charger look-alike — will have to play an important role in keeping Chrysler firing on all cylinders, or as many as possible, while the company undergoes a major tune up.

Chrysler did a great job with its 300 series cars, and its Jeep Wrangler four-door is a hot item. But given that nearly one-third of all cars sold in the United States are midsize vehicles, every automaker needs a horse in that race.

Using Chrysler’s distinct looks — a wide, crosshair grille sweeping out to quad headlights, bulging arcs above the wheel wells, bold rear fenders, and a wing across the chopped trunk lid — the Avenger definitely stands out from more sedate competitors such as Camry, Honda Accord, Saturn Aura, Ford Fusion, Pontiac G6, and Nissan Sentra.

It promises muscle, but does it deliver?

Sort of.

The car rides on the same platform of the more ordinary Chrysler Sebring and comes in three models: base SE at about $19,000 with a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine at 173 horsepower; an SXT whose 2.7-liter-four bumps horsepower to 189 at around $20,000; and our test car’s 3.5-liter V-6 with 235 horsepower, with a starting price of about $23,000.

That’s decent power for this category, though even the hybrid model of the Accord offers more pep. The test car also featured a six-speed automatic that seemed to sit in the dark closet of the undercarriage.

The R/T is a bit stiffer below than the other Sebringesque models of the Avenger, but its handling was moderately tight in cornering, with only slight body roll in hard corners and a minor tendency to dive during hard braking. It was also surprisingly quick out of entrance ramps and onto the highway, showing confident stability.

There is no sedan in this class in which you will sit higher in the seat. Strangely, that does not seem to cut back on headroom, which was ample. Plenty of leg room was available front and rear, as well.

I liked the sensible layout of the dash/center control pod, with a big speedometer front and center, large, easily grasped knobs on the pod controlling climate and sound, and a navigation screen at the pod’s center.

What I didn’t like was the preponderance of hard plastic. Dodge claims this model is $1,600 cheaper than the last Stratus and that it has more content, so I realize the plastic is part of the attempt to keep the price down. The standard side-curtain and front side-mounted air bags, however, do provide a great upgrade. Traction control, unfortunately, is optional. It should be standard.

The Avenger, particularly the R/T edition, talks-the-talk and walks at least some of the walk, while looking finer than most of its competitors.

Royal Ford can be reached at ford@globe.com