Hot off the presses..the 2012 Dodge Avenger R/T will hit the streets later this year with some subtle interior and exterior mods, as well as a handful of suspension changes to help the car handle the road and track better...no extra power but ive driven a chrysler 200 with the 3.6L V6 and it was a nice, peppy engine...more than enough to help it get out of its own way and smoke the tires...

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When is Dodge gonna stop making rental cars and kill the damn Avenger?

 

0-60 in 6.4 seconds, not bad

 

Would you prefer it look like a melted plastic blob like Toyota and Hyundai? It looks American and I think it's pretty cool looking. Now it's going to have the muscle to live up to it's aggressive styling.

 

Yep, much nicer looking than the GM rental car looking Malibu, Cruze and the Toyota Crappy, I mean Camry.

Now they need a SRT6 and put a turbo in that thing!!

 

Needs a coupe bodystyle and the 2.4 turbo from the Caliber SRT-4 paired to a manual tranny. Then Ill give a ****.

 

Fixed.

 

^ Youre probably right on that one. But unless said redesign includes a 2-door then its an instant fail.

 

The Avenger R/T has more power than the Neon SRT4 did in stock form...and with the Mopar intake and exhaust packages - the Pentastar sounds amazing.

Also, the D segment doesnt have much demand for a 2-door coupe...which is why the fusion and malibu dont offer a coupe either.

 

It probably does, but the Neon was much lighter. Didnt someone say the Avenger R/T was good for 0-60 in under 7 secs? If I remmeber right, the NSRT-4 hit 60 in under 6 secs. And thats stock which is all fine and dandy, but an enthusiast is looking at what the car CAN be, as much as what it is from the factory. Had they kept the 2-door then I guarantee you'd see a LOT more SRT-4s around. Hell, Ive seen the drivetrain swapped into the 1st gens all the time. I own a PT Cruiser GT mtx in addition to my Jeep so Im getting acquainted with what can be done with the turbo 2.4. Its amazing what that engine is capable of, but I know of few if any upgrades for any chrysler V6.

Honda manages to move quite a few Accord coupes. The reason why midsize coupes havent done so well is they were always soft-core when it came to performance. The monte carlo was always something middle aged women drove, and the Grand Prix had the right look, even the right engine with the supercharged 3800 v6 but the lack of a manual transmission or any kind of aftermarket support is what did it in. Same thing with the G6 coupe although it did offer a v6/mtx combo. The Avenger/Sebring always looked like warmed over sedans and offered just decent performance. Again, little aftermarket support and the Mitsu Eclipse not only looked better, but had the upgrades.

If there's to be another midsize coupe its got to offer the right package: The styling has to snap your head, but it has to offer more than just looks. They should stay away from n/a V6 engines. Those are (mostly) seen as minivan and sedan powerplants, especially in FWD vehicles--tuners want a turbo or supercharged engine for the most part. The Caliber SRT-4's turbo 2.4L in stock form had 260 hp which is a great starting point to a Mopar version of the street tuner. Thats what they'd have to offer and with a manual as the only tranny in a performance coupe. That would let the market know that its a serious performance vehicle and not something for a bunch of 48 year old cougars to go out prowling for younger dudes!