- suv 73,381
- 12,440 high price
- Columbia, MO
-
- autoshopper.com
2009 dodge nitro review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. Midsize suv with bold styling. introductionthe dodge nitro is distinguished by its squared-off styling with exaggerated fender flares. The nitro looks and feels larger than its size. It's on the smaller end of the midsize suv class but larger than the compact suvs. The underneath, the dodge shares its basic structure with the jeep liberty. nitro features a high seating position and good cabin space. Its load n go cargo system makes loading heavy objects easy thanks to a rear cargo floor that slides rearward out over the rear bumper and can hold 400 pounds. The newer 4. 0-liter v6 is better than the old 3. 7-liter, with 50 more horsepower and fuel economy that's only about one mile per gallon less. No matter which covering, the seats are very comfortable. The cabin is quiet thanks to heavy use of sound deadening material, and visibility out the rear and to the front corners of the nitro is excellent. the nitro gets suspension, steering and brake revisions to make the vehicle more linear and precise for 2009. Dodge says retuned springs, shocks, anti-roll bars and steering gear valve, plus stiffer rear axles, improve steering and handling, while a retuned brake booster, low rollback calipers and a revised brake pedal improve pedal feel. Dodge has also discontinued availability of a manual transmission, as well as the all-wheel drive system that was offered on slt and r/t models. lineupthe 2009 dodge nitro comes as three models, se, slt and r/t. The r/t comes with a sport suspension with p245/50r20 goodyear eagle tires on chromed aluminum wheels. The r/t is equipped like the slt. options for all models include leather upholstery with heated front seats 830); power sunroof 895); rear park assist 250); a travel convenience group 820) with an alarm, heavy-duty engine cooling, a class iii trailer hitch receiver, a wiring harness and a full-size spare tire; a chrome accents group 1,210) with chrome on the side steps, fuel filler and door sills; and dodge's uconnect multimedia suite 2,145), which has a navigation system with voice command, an ipod adapter, uconnect phone wireless cell phone link, 6cd changer, and a 30-gigabyte hard drive to store music and photos. R/t and slt offer a convenience group 1,345) with rear obstacle detection, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, dodge's uconnect wireless cell phone link, remote engine starting, eight speakers and a subwoofer. The slt can be ordered with chrome alloy wheels and the r/t sport suspension 1,505). safety equipment that comes standard on all models includes dual front air bags, head-protecting curtain air bags, and a tire-pressure monitor. Active safety features include abs with brake assist, traction control, and electronic stability control with trailer sway control. walkaroundthe dodge nitro is distinguished by its boxy styling. The exaggerated fender flares are the only rounded parts in the styling. Every other angle is square. It looks and feels larger than it is, which some will find to be a good thing. It is, however, smaller than many of its midsize competitors. from the front, the nitro is unmistakably dodge. It's got that big crosshair grille, which looks much better in body color (r/t) than chrome (se, slt). The horizontal headlights, turn signal slits and fog lamps are a tidy fit in the massive face. however it doesn't appear as if much attempt was made to have the front bumper fascia be tidy; it's got edges all over the place. Beneath the bumper is a wide air intake for the power steering cooler, whose thin fins are exposed to flying stones because there is no screen. taking a cue from the faux portholes on the buick lucerne, or possibly the tradition of a mercedes-benz sports car, there's a trapezoid-shaped insert, black plastic with three chrome ribs, located just forward of the mirrors. It's intended to look like a cooling slot. It's a nice touch, and for such a small piece it goes a long way toward relaxing the nitro's blocky shape. with its upright windshield, high beltline, rectangular windows and short front overhang, the nitro's silhouette is reminiscent of a '62 dodge power wagon. But from the rear three-quarter angle, the lines around the rear glass are reminiscent of the big jeep commander. The narrow sidewall on the 20-inch tires doesn't appear to offer much defense against flats. The front buckets were comfortable and supportive, with excellent bolstering. There are three big main instruments: speedometer in the center, tachometer on the right, fuel and temperature gauges on the left. They look good and are especially legible, with the digital information still visible in the sun because the three pods are thoughtfully shrouded. Chrysler does gauges right, and generally blows gm out of the water when it comes to handsome style and function. On the other hand, dodge trails gm when it comes to materials quality. Like most dodges, the nitro's interior materials are largely plastic and don't impart the feel of luxury or quality. A few more soft-touch surfaces would be nice. there's good front-seat legroom, and it feels like there's even more because the dashboard is narrow. The dash also has an insert over the center stack, about 6 by 9 inches with grippy rubber at the bottom, and it's perfect for, well, things. The glovebox is the full width of the passenger side. rearview visibility is very good, with just windows back there, no attempt at swoopy styling with excess sheetmetal. And again, because the front fenders have no rise or real shape, it's easy to see the front corners of the vehicle, making parking a relief compared to many vehicles this size. the square theme continues with the center stack and the audio and climate controls. Everything is clean, easy to operate, and easy to understand. There's a shallow tray in the top of the center console storage bin, and a deep compartment under that. uconnect integrates the radio and navigation system and a 30-gigabyte hard drive that holds songs, pictures and the navigation information. It responds to voice commands and the navigation system has real-time traffic information. While the screen has a nice display, there's a separate enter button, which can be annoying because intuition suggests pressing the toggle switch down. We hate the enter button. the rear seats are split 60/40 and easily fold flat and the front passenger seat folds totally flat, great for hauling long objects. The se model has a reversible, washable vinyl rear load floor, while slt and r/t models have the unique load n go system. With the liftgate raised, the carpeted rear cargo floo. AM/FM✔ Power Windows✔ Power Mirrors✔ Tachometer✔ Cruise Control✔ Air Conditioning✔ Aluminum Wheels✔ Navigation System✔ Sunroof/Moonroof✔ Alloy Wheels
12,440 Columbia, MOColumbia, MO at autoshopper.com