Review
This is Dodge's latest no-nonsense, hardy lifestyle vehicle designed to take you and the family from here to, well, anywhere really. It's a rival for the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV-4 and Kia Sorento but is more of an old-school 4x4 than any of these road-biased rivals. That's because the Nitro has a heavy-duty chassis, a live rear-axle and long travel suspension - not usually the ideal components of a 'fine-driving SUV' - but this should at least endow it with the ability to venture deeper into the rough than many of its rivals.
There are three engines to choose between: a 3.7 litre V6 petrol, a 4.0 litre V6 petrol and a 2.7 litre diesel sourced from the Volkswagen stable. Both American petrol units are woefully underpowered given their size and return poor fuel consumption. In fact, considering the current fuel price and CO2 emissions taxes in Britain, we'd sooner reveal our bank details to an anonymous caller from Barbados than run a petrol version of this car. So that just leaves the diesel, which packs the biggest mid-range punch anyway, with its 340lb ft torque. It also returns 38mpg and powers the Nitro past 60mph in a perfectly acceptable 11.5 seconds, but gets very vocal in the process.
And it's the Nitro's refinement in general that lets it down. There's too much wind and engine noise, the auto gearbox is frustrating and the lofty driving position is poor to the point of uncomfortable. And, as we suspected, on the road it doesn't drive as well as many other monocoque-bodied European and Japanese rivals. The steering feels lazy, it rolls into corners, and it gets unsettled by choppy surfaces. This, then, is definitely not the sports-bias utility vehicle that Dodge wants it to be. Even off-road, the Nitro won't perform as well as a Jeep Wrangler or a Land Rover Freelander in the mud. It has no low-ratio gearbox or hill descent system and you have to manually switch between rear- and four-wheel-drive. So perhaps it's not so tough after all.
At least it's good for a family with plenty of space inside, generous rear legroom and the SXT models come with a sliding boot floor which is helpful for loading heavier items. The optional multimedia system is also well worth specifying too.
And then the are the Nitro's looks. Its bluff-nosed, truck-style front grille may appeal to some, as will its 20 inch alloys, but for many it will lack the sophistication of its rivals, especially (the admittedly pricier) Freelander. It's a bit crass to European eyes but that said there are (slightly childish) feel-good moments to be had from rumbling along in a lifesize Tonka toy (ours was even bright red) while watching other drivers dive out of your way. If you aspire to a Hummer and live in Cheshire, this could be a step in the right direction. Otherwise, we can't recommend living with the Nitro. But for making us feel 12 again, we like it much more than we should.