Dodge Avenger Stormtrooper

[michael]

400bhp... front wheel drive... white... more white... more white... and some more white. Cool name though.

 

fSsiudBv15I

 

It's been around as a concept for a while now but they have announced a UK price and it's coming here next year apparently.

 

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/firstdrives/227562/dodge_stormtrooper.html

 

With bland looks, a cheap interior and poor driving dynamics, it’s fair to say the Dodge Avenger isn’t Auto Express’s favourite saloon.

 

But now the American company has created this Stormtrooper version – a car that, as its name suggests, is light years ahead of the less than impressive regular model.

 

Indeed, all the Stormtrooper has in common with the standard Avenger is its bodyshell. And even that has been modified with unique additions and pearlescent paint to lend it the look of the Star Wars baddies with which it shares its name.

 

However, it’s inside and under the skin where the real changes have been made. Open the door, and the first thing you see is that the brittle plastics of the regular car’s cabin have been swapped for suede and white enamel trim.

 

But while the white Alcantara seats, with their red piping, aren’t the most practical, the scope for drivers to tune the Stormtrooper to suit their tastes will be a dream come true for any trackday fans. The centre console screen has been replaced by a computer that can hook up to the Internet. This allows the driver to alter the motor’s fuel-air mixture depending on conditions, plus transmit fault codes to dealers and even swap different engine set-ups with other owners.

 

The Stormtrooper sits on unique springs and dampers – these are nearly 40mm lower than the regular model and fully adjustable. We tried the Avenger with settings in between ‘track’ and ‘comfort’, and it was a decent compromise, offering compliance over bumps without feeling too soft.

 

The steering has also been transformed. Turn-in is crisp, and although the Stormtrooper is slightly nose-heavy, a thicker anti-roll bar at the rear provides the necessary stiffness to help counteract that.

 

In the UK, the biggest engine in the Avenger is a 2.4-litre petrol unit. But in the US it’s available with a 3.5-litre V6, which has been boosted to 4.0 litres for the Stormtrooper.

 

The throaty V6 has been sharpened up with a reworked computer chip, while Dodge has also tweaked the six-speed automatic gearbox. The steering wheel-mounted paddleshifters – taken from a Mercedes SL65 AMG – now talk directly to the ECU, which guarantees super-smooth changes every time. Considering the 400bhp output and the efforts Dodge has made to give it a sporty edge, the strangest decision is maintaining the Avenger’s front-wheel-drive layout.

 

Accelerate hard from a standstill and the steering wheel writhes in your hands as all that power is fed to the tarmac – although it’s not as bad as you might expect.

 

And while the Stormtrooper is a quick car in a straight line, it doesn’t take long to impress in corners, either.

 

That’s a testament to what the engineers could achieve with all Dodge’s cars, given the limited time and resources.

[Pig]

Love it or hate it....... i cant decide!

[Havard]

400Bhp on a FWD car......WTF??

 

I bet that will understeer like a bitch. Not sure about the looks but it's certainly different..!!

 

H.

[SupraAyf]

I like it but I am a Dodge owner myself;)

[Mike]

Horrible imo. Square and looks like every other American car at the minute. Why are they always going for the muscle car/retro thing these days? A few curves here and there wouldn't go a miss.

 

I used to work with a girl whose fantasy was to have sex with a Stormtrooper. She didn't even want them to take off their helmet either.

[Homer]

Halfords shop window job (well not Halfords exactly, but whatever the US equivalent is of ripspeed).

 

FWD too

[Thorin]

Too much white, but I like it, it's ugly but quite cool as a result I think. 400BHP? Torque steer much?

[Chris Wilson]

Sort of thing the son of a 300C owner might covet. Enough said?

[DJButler]

I hired one some time ago in AZ, bag of crap and that must be a 400bhp bag full. Why didn't they beef up a Charger might not have been any good but would at least look a bit better.

 

This is only my opinion and is not intended to ruin the special relationship between our two fine countries, But we have the best taste in motors.:)

[Tricky-Ricky]

400BHP scrabble wagon:p

[R Black]

I've driven its bigger brother albeit in standard trim, which was nowt to write home about, poor interior not much go. Top of the range is passable though.Dont think it looks bad at all, saw a standard one yesterday which did look crap. I would imagine its got pi*s poor dynamics though.

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[Gaz Walker]

Its very white.