2011 Dodge Avenger Update Revealed, Australian Return Unlikely

DODGE AVENGER

Another week, another updated Chrysler Group model - this time in the form of the 2011 Dodge Avenger.

Local Dodge fans will miss out on this one, with the 2010 Avenger now in runout mode at Dodge dealerships, after Australian deliveries ended late last year.

But just  what are the locals missing out on?

As with almost all of Chrysler Group's 2011 updates, the Dodge Avenger gets the brand's new 'split crosshair' grille and a restyled front bumper. The rear end also gets sharp new LED taillights, rounding out the external updates.

Inside, the changes are far more significant, with an all-new and quite stylish interior featuring a new dash, steering wheel and seating - all with higher-grade materials designed to be "more pleasing to the touch but also to the eye." The new steering wheel includes controls for audio, cruise control and hands-free phone use.

Chrysler's new one-size-fits-all 3.6 litre Pentastar V6 engine joins the Avenger's engine options, producing 209kW and 352Nm of torque. A revised version of the existing 2.4 litre four-cylinder petrol engine also features, and both engines are paired to a six-speed automatic transmission.

Chrysler says the Avenger team has completely redesigned 26 of the updated model's 30 suspension bushings, while the front and rear tracks have been increased by nearly three centimetres.

Wider tyres sit at each corner, and the whole car now sits 12mm closer to the ground up front and 6mm lower at the rear.

With the 2011 update currently available in left-hand-drive only, a return to these shores is, for now, unlikely.