Mother Proof's view

I’ve discovered something about myself over the past several years being in and out of test cars that’s equal parts interesting and disturbing. I’m not proud to admit it, but I’m going out on a limb here and fessin’ up: I’m a features slut. When a test car arrives, I pull out the Monroney – the sticker sheet that lists the features and price of that particular car-and immediately scan it to see if any cool features stand out. I’m not talking about junk like all-disc antilock brakes, I’m referring to the really great stuff, like fold-out picnic tables, seats that disappear completely into the floor, and vehicular beaming devices that get me home immediately in case of severe errand meltdown on the part of my 4-year-old.

So you can imagine my thrill when scanning the Monroney of the 2008 Dodge Avenger (the “official passenger car of NASCAR,”‘ whatever that means) and seeing listed a Chill Zone storage bin, YES Essentials seating upholstery and grocery bag hooks. I immediately opened up the car and went straight for the Chill Zone, which is a glove-box-like storage bin with air conditioning routing through it to keep drinks and snacks cool on long trips. I was slightly disappointment to find that the standard 16-ounce water bottles I diligently keep in my garage fridge (an effort to teach my kids the importance of proper hydration) didn’t fit – only 12-ounce-or-smaller drinks fit upright – and settled for stashing a couple of cans of grapefruit and clementine Izze.

As for the fabric, last year I saw permanent market cleaned off a YES Essentials seat with a baby wipe (seriously), and I’ve been a huge fan ever since. The anti-microbial, anti-stain, anti-stink and anti-static properties of this fabric are so anti-singleton and pro-family. Love that.

Next I moved to the Avenger’s cargo area to check out the grocery bag hooks. I looked, then looked some more, then got out a flashlight and scanned the cargo area even more. Hmmm … it seems the Avenger’s beaming device must have beamed those grocery bag hooks right back to the head that dreamed them up. A call to the kind folks at Dodge solved the uncanny mystery: Apparently, hooks were considered early in the Avenger’s product-development stage and therefore were included “in the virtual environment of Dodge’s computer system.” Eventually Dodge decided it would be better to include the hooks as part of a cargo organizer, but no one told the computer, which is why they still appeared as an option on my Monroney. The good news is they will be available as part of the cargo organizer this fall.

After coming up empty in my initial search for the hooks, I also noticed that the trunk that’s home to the Zen bag hooks (the bag hooks of no bag hooks) is lacking a notch for my hand to grasp in order to close it.

My test car was unfortunately not endowed with the optional heated and cooled cupholder, a feature I most certainly would have salivated at. If you buy a car with this feature, drop me a line and tell me how it works.

Installing car seats in the Avenger had its pros and cons. (Incidentally, while I had this car I attended a five-day Child Passenger Safety Technician Certification Course – five days of learning how to properly install child safety seats of all varieties. The only thing that could possibly have been more entertaining would have been trying on a variety of teeny bikinis in a department store with a communal fitting room, fun-house mirrors and show-every-dimple fluorescent lighting. But I digress.) Back to Latch: The lower anchors of the Avenger’s system were a pain to hook and unhook, although the hinged rotating covers on the top-tether anchors were simple and much appreciated.

Driving the Avenger was quite pleasant, indeed. It wasn’t as gutsy as the muscle-car-looking exterior might make you think, but the gas mileage (19/27 mpg, city/highway) was respectable, and because the Avenger is a flex-fuel vehicle, I had the option of filling up with regular unleaded or E85 – a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. I enjoyed the clean, simple electroluminescent instrument cluster (can you say mood lighting?) and loved the auxiliary jack to plug my iPod into during those long early-morning heavy-traffic commutes to car-seat school.

The Avenger is a super-cool-looking car that afforded me several head nods and thumbs-ups from other drivers at stoplights. It strikes a nice balance between design interest (for the modern woman in me), simplicity (for the mommy in me), and cool features (for the features slut in me), which makes me ready and willing to forgive the great grocery bag hook mishap. I’m still glad I uncovered it, though – makes for a great story, don’t you think?

*For more information on the Dodge Avenger and its safety features, visit Cars.com. With questions or comments regarding this review, write to editor@motherproof.com.

LET’S TALK NUMBERS

Latch Connectors: 2

Seating Capacity (includes driver): 5

IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT

Storage Compartments (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Fair

Cargo/Trunk Space (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Ample

SENSE AND STYLE

Family Friendly (Not Really, Fair, Great, Excellent): Fair – Great

Fun Factor (None, Some, Good Times, Groove On): Good Times

Specs

2008 Dodge Avenger SXT

Base price: $19,520

Price as tested: $21,695

Engine: 189-hp, 2.7-liter V-6

Fuel: 19/27 mpg

Length: 190.9″

Width: 71.8″

Ground Clearance: 5.2″

Turning Radius: 18.3′

Cargo space: 13.4 cu. ft.

NHTSA Crash-Test Ratings

Frontal Impact

Driver’s side: Not Rated

Passenger’s side: Not Rated

Side Impact

Front occupant: Not Rated

Rear occupant: Not Rated

Rollover resistance: Not Rated