The new Dodge Avenger sedan shares its underpinnings with the Chrysler Sebring introduced last year, but has bolder, more aggressive styling inside and out, and an overall design that stands out in the mid-size segment.

With the upright, crosshair grille and rather blocky front-end styling, the Avenger shares many of its exterior styling cues with the compact Caliber. That rings true inside, too, where the interior emphasizes functionality.



While the engine lineup includes the familiar 2.4-liter in-line four-cylinder and 2.7-liter V-6 engines, the Avenger R/T will offer a more powerful 235-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 engine, six-speed automatic, and all-wheel drive, which combined with a sport-tuned suspension and stability control should give the sport model a high-performance on-road feel and all-weather capability.



The 2.7-liter V-6 is now flex-fuel capable, while the four-cylinder sedan boasts 30 mpg highway under the EPA's revised 2008 fuel economy standards (32 under the old standards).



Starting at $18,895, the Avenger is priced about $1600 below the outgoing Stratus yet has $985 more in standard features, according to Dodge, like side-curtain and seat-mounted airbags, a Chill Zone cooler box, and a tilt/telescope steering wheel. The price makes it more competitive against the base versions of the Camry and Accord, which do have less standard equipment.



Other new options include a heated/cooled front cupholder, heated front seats, anti-soil upholstery, LED interior lighting, and MP3 capability across the model line. The top-line, MyGIG system combines a navigation system with entertainment features. With a 20GB hard drive, the system has USB compatibility, a built-in jukebox, a voice-memo system, movie playback capability (when parked), and Bluetooth hands-free.



The Avenger is assembled in Sterling Heights , Mich. , and will arrive in U.S. dealerships by spring, with global markets getting left- and right-hand-drive versions by mid-year.

DETROIT - Dodge has set the price of the 2008 Avenger sedan at $18,895, including shipping, for a base-level ST. Dodge says the 2008 Avenger costs $1,605 less than the current Stratus sedan it replaces and contains $985 more in equipment.

The production Avenger, unveiled at the Detroit auto show last week, will compete with the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, Ford Fusion and Saturn Aura. Mid-sized cars - a 1.9 million-unit segment in the United States - makes up for about 11.4 percent of the car market, Chrysler said.

The segment's designs are meant to appeal to married consumers ages 30 to 45 with a median income of about $60,000 and be attractive to families with children, Chrysler said.

The entry Dodge mid-sized sedan will go on sale in March in three trim levels: ST, SXT and the top-level R/T. A fourth model, the R/T AWD, is expected to arrive later in the year.

The R/T and R/T AWD sedans will get a standard 3.6-liter V-6 that cranks out 235 hp and 232 pounds-feet of torwue, mated to a six-speed automatic transaxle with an AutoStick.

Also offered will be the 2.4-liter, four-cylinder world engine and a 2.7-liter flex-fuel V-6.

The first Avengers rolled off the production line at Chrysler's Sterling Heights, Mich., assembly plant in late December. Dealers are to begin receiving them in March. Dodge also will sell the Avenger overseas in left- and right-hand-drive versions.

The Avenger is built on the same platform as the Chrysler Sebring sedan, launched last year. Although the engine offerings are the same, the Avenger's suspension will be "more biased toward handling," said Chrysler COO Eric Ridenour.

Dodge wants customers to think of the Avenger as the little brother of the full-sized Charger.

Dodge will be racing the Avenger in 18 "Car of Tomorrow" races in the upcoming NASCAR season. The automaker will continue to race the Charger in the other NASCAR races.

Features in the Avenger include a beverage cooler in the instrument panel that can hold four 12-ounce cans, a heated/cooled front cupholder, side curtain airbags and a navigation radio system that can display movies when the car is not moving. That system is controlled by voice commands and a touch screen.

Officials declined to reveal sales projections for the Avenger. The Sterling Heights plant, which also builds the Sebring, has an annual capacity of about 250,000 vehicles and can shift between models depending on demand.

The R/T and R/T AWD sedans will get a standard 3.6-liter V-6 that cranks out 235 hp and 232 pounds-feet of torwue, mated to a six-speed automatic transaxle with an AutoStick.