2008 Dodge Avenger – First Drive:
Dale Earnhardt was called the Intimidator, Arnie was called the Terminator. Why? Because Earnhardt’s #3 in a rearview mirror scared the bejeezus out of fellow race drivers, and Governor Schwarzenegger snuffed out bad guys in his own special biomechanical kick-ass way. Now we have the Dodge Avenger (a reintroduced name on the new Stratus replacement), so called because it avenges the carnage the imports have brought upon the midsize domestics. Well, actually, no it doesn’t really, um, avenge, so much as it offers bold American style wrapped around a mediocre sedan, with all-wheel-drive arriving later as an option. The 2008 Avenger represents an admirable effort, but one that ultimately gives Honda and Toyota little to worry about.