Dodge Nitro STX 2007 review

Undercover work, after all, is about blending in with the crowd, becoming part of the crowd and drawing as little attention as possible.

Looking at Nitro, one gets the feeling that the designers had something else in mind.

The brash American five-seater station wagon draws a lot of comments with its huge wheels, beefy fenders and big, blunt cow-bag style front end.

Also missing is Dodge's lost trademark chrome grille.

The Nitro comes with a 3.7-liter V6 petrol engine or a 2.8-liter turbodiesel.

Our test vehicle was the top-of-the-line SXT diesel, starting at $43,490.

The diesel adds $3500 to the price, but buys a five-speed automatic with sequential mode instead of the standard four-speed.

The Nitro is built on the same platform as the upcoming Jeep Cherokee, with a partial four-wheel drive system that isn't suited to dry tar roads.

If you don't hit the switch, it will remain rear wheel drive.

This negates the benefits of all-wheel drive, and without a downshift, its off-road ability is also limited.

The in-line four-cylinder turbodiesel develops 130 kW at 3800 rpm and 460 Nm of torque at 2000 rpm.

Impressive numbers, but since the SXT weighs just under two tons, it's not the fastest cab in its class, reaching 0 km/h in 100 seconds.

Both petrol and diesel models are designed to tow the same 2270kg under braking.

But the diesel remains the better choice with 146Nm more torque, delivering dividends in handling and fuel economy.

With a 70-liter tank, fuel consumption is estimated at 9.4 l/100 km, but our test car was more voracious - 11.4 l/100 km, or about 600 km to the tank.

The Nitro is described as a mid-size sport utility vehicle and competes with Ford's Territory and Holden Captiva.

In fact, it fits quite snugly on the inside.

Tall drivers will find it awkward getting in and out of the cab unless they forget to crouch.

Rear legroom is good, but at the cost of cargo capacity, and three adults can squeeze in the back seat.

The luggage compartment itself has an ingenious retractable floor to facilitate loading.

While the Nitro is aimed primarily at road users, drivers expecting passenger cars and handling will be disappointed.

The ride is rough, with plenty of old-fashioned 4×4 rock and roll, and the sturdy rear axle can get skittish if it hits a mid-corner bump.

The SXT model comes with 20-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 245/50 tires that look amazing but do little to soften the impact.

A full-size spare is fitted, but drivers will miss the driver's footrest.

While it's very well equipped with six airbags and electronic stability control, the Nitro's interior doesn't quite match its killer exterior, with lots of hard plastic.

After all, it's a fun, desirable car, but it's in dire need of some fine-tuning.