2007 Dodge Nitro Review
March 4th, 2010 | 
Author: 2007 Dodge Nitro Review
The 2007 Dodge Nitro is an all new midsize SUV monster. Dodge redesigned the fullsize Durango in 2004 and since then has been planning the Nitro. There are many midsize SUVs out there and Dodge wanted the Nitro to be distinctive in order to keep up its reputation for bold styling. The result is a very squaredoff vehicle with larger fender flares.
The Nitro looks and feels larger than its size with a high seating position that SUV owners enjoy and good cabin space. It features a cargo storage system whereby the rear seats and front passenger seat fold totally flat in seconds; additionally the cargo floor slides rearward out over the rear bumper and can hold 400 pounds making the loading of heavy objects much simpler.
The Nitro comes in either twowheel drive or fourwheel drive with a choice of V6 engines one old and one new version. The new 4.0liter V6 is better than the old 3.7liter with 50 more HP and fuel economy that’s only a few miles per gallon less. However the 4.0liter engine only comes in the topoftheline R/T model which costs about 2700 more than the most popular SLT but a fivespeed automatic also comes with the R/T and that transmission is better than the standard fourspeed in the SLT.
There are three types of upholstery: cloth a stainrepellant cloth and perforated leather. No matter which interior option the seats are very comfortable. The cabin is quiet thanks to heavy use of sound deadening material and visibility out the rear and to the front corners of the Nitro is excellent.
For a base price of 19225 a Nitro owner gets many safety features that are usually optional on other vehicles such as front and rear side airbags side curtain airbags an electronic stability program with traction control and brake assist and a tirepressure monitor to cap it all off.
Model Lineup
The 2007 Dodge Nitro comes as three models each with a choice of twowheel drive 2WD or fourwheel drive 4WD.
There are three models of the new 2007 Dodge Nitro: the SXT in 2WD 20735 with parttime 4WD SLT 22635 and 24145 and R/T and with fulltime 4WD; all prices plus 660 delivery.
The SXT 19225 comes with a 210hp 3.7liter V6 and a choice of 6 speed manual transmission or 4 speed automatic 1000. The 4WD model 20735 uses a parttime fourwheeldrive system. Standard equipment includes cloth upholstery air conditioning remote entry with power windows and door locks 115volt power outlet flat folding front passenger seat 60/40 folding rear bench seat AM/FM/CD with MP3 and six speakers traction control and brake assist slatecolored molded front and fender flares folding power mirrors rear window washer/wiper and 16inch wheels.
The SLT 22635 and SLT 4WD 24145 come standard with the auto trans. The SLT adds stainresistant cloth seats power sixway adjustable driver’s seat leather steering wheel with audio controls overhead console cruise control heated mirrors compass autodimming rearview mirror vehicle information instrumentation tinted windows bodycolored front and rear fascias and fender flares and 17inch aluminum wheels.
The R/T 25310 has a new 4.0liter V6 making 260 horsepower joined to a fivespeed automatic. The R/T 4WD model 26970 has a fulltime fourwheeldrive system. The R/T comes with a sports suspension with 20inch wheels and Goodyear Eagle tires. The R/T is equipped like the SLT though it also has Satellite Radio.
Options for all three models include a power sunroof foglamps fullsize spare tire and trailer tow package. Fulltime 4WD is an option on the parttime 4WD SXT and SLT models. Options for the SLT and R/T include leather upholstery navigation system remote start handsfree phone luxury sound system with eight speakers plus subwoofer. The optional Multimedia Infotainment System features navigation audio entertainment and communication wrapped into one along with voicecommand and a 20gigabyte hard drive to store music and photos.
Dodge Nitro Reviews
Walkaround
Dodge publicity makes a big thing about the Nitro’s looks citing its socalled athleticism. We’re not sure. We might call it brawny but mostly it just looks boxy. The exaggerated fender flares are the only rounded parts in the styling. Every other angle is squareish. It looks and feels larger than midsize which some will find to be a good thing.
From the front it’s unmistakably Dodge. It’s got that big crosshair grille which looks much better in body color R/T than chrome SXT SLT. The horizontal headlamps turn signal slits and foglamps are a tidy fit in the massive face.
However it doesn’t appear as if much attempt was made to have the front bumper/fascia be tidy; it’s got edges all over the place including a valley that might hold a threefootwide license plate or maybe a bumper sticker that says “I’m a Dodge so I’m in your face!” Under that there’s a wide air intake for the power steering cooler whose thin fins are exposed to flying stones because there is no screen.
Taking a cue from the faux portholes on the Buick Lucerne or possibly the tradition of a MercedesBenz sports car there’s a trapezoidshaped insert black plastic with three chrome ribs located just forward of the mirrors. It’s intended to look like a cooling slot. It’s a nice touch and for such a small piece it goes a long way toward relaxing the Nitro’s blocky shape.
In silhouette with its relatively upright windshield very high beltline and rectangular windows plus short front overhang its shape is reminiscent of say a ’62 Dodge Power Wagon. But from the rear threequarter angle the lines around the rear glass are reminiscent of its bigger cousin the Jeep Commander. We like the cleaner black rather than chrome around the windows.
Our test Nitro R/T was equipped with standard 20inch chromed aluminum wheels and they sure are showy. The much narrower sidewall on the 20inch tires doesn’t appear to offer much defense against flats.
Interior Features
The SXT comes in a basic cloth but the cloth in the SLT and R/T is something called YES Essentials; it claims to repel stains control odors and reduce static electricity. The optional perforated charcoal leather with red stitching in our test R/T was beautiful. The front buckets were very comfortable and supportive with excellent bolstering.
The steering wheel is a handsome fourspoke with a big center hub and thick spokes at 9:00 and 3:00 o’clock smaller spokes at 5 and 7; the info center buttons are under your thumb on the big spokes. There are three big main instruments: speedo in center tach on right and fuel and temp on left. They’re very good looking and especially legible with the digital information still visible in the sun because the three pods are thoughtfully shrouded. Chrysler does gauges right and generally blows GM out of the water when it comes to handsome style and function.
There’s good front seat legroom and it feels like there’s even more because the dashboard is narrow making the cabin feel nothing like that in a minivan. The dash also has an insert over the center stack about 6 by 9 inches with grippy rubber at the bottom and it’s perfect for well things. The glovebox is the full width of the passenger side.
Rearview visibility is very good with just windows back there no attempt at swoopy styling with sheetmetal. And again because the front fenders have no rise or real shape it’s easy to see the front corners of the vehicle making parking a relief compared to many vehicles this size.
The square theme continues with the center stack and its instruments and buttons for the sound system and climate control although nowadays many cars look like that which isn’t bad just almost natural. Everything is clean easy to operate and easy to understand. We especially like the door handles an intelligent ergonomic design: they’re like a half loop and you simply slip three or four fingers of the hand against the door inside the handle fingers facing forward so there’s no twist of the wrist and pull.
Between the seats along with the gearshift transfer case and emergency brake lever there are two fixed cupholders and a small recess for change. There’s a shallow tray in the top of the center console storage bin and a deep compartment under that; as one lady on the press launch said it’s big enough to stash her cat on road trips.
But the Nitro really rises to the occasion behind the front seat. The Load ‘n Go function quickly and easily flops the 60/40 rear seats and front passenger seat totally flat. With the liftgate raised the carpeted washable vinyl on the SXT cargo floor slides rearward 18 inches out over the bumper saving a loader’s back. It can hold 400 pounds.
Under half of the cargo floor there’s a fourinchdeep compartment that can store things such as jumper cables and tools or hide a laptop.
For the past couple of years Dodge has been working hard on making their SUVs quiet and the Nitro succeeds. The 3.7liter engine is rather loud but the Nitro’s sounddeadening material muffles it well.
Finally the air conditioning might be fine on a normal day but it seemed marginal for hot conditions.
Driving Impressions
After long cruises in both the Dodge Nitro SLT 4WD and R/T 2WD we prefer the R/T.
The 3.7liter engine in the SLT is slightly harsh and too slow and the fourspeed automatic transmission needs another gear; we floored the SLT once at 40 mph and the tranny didn’t kick down and the vehicle felt wimpy. The suspension takes bumps with a jolt especially at lower speeds and mostly at the front wheels. And when we turned off the stability control and drove it aggressively around a hairpin turn the front end washed out as badly as anything we’ve felt in a long time on its Goodyear Wrangler tires. This was surprising because the Nitro is a rearwheeldrive design.
The R/T costs about 2700 more but it’s def. worth it. It’s better looking with more of its trim in the same color as the body although the 20″ chrome wheels are a bit expensive as a 1405 option on the SLT too bad you can’t get 17″ size on the R/T and save the money. Chrysler’s R/T models are considered higher performance but in this case it’s not hotrod high performance.
The 4.0liter V6 is a new single overheadcam engine. It’s rated at 260 horsepower 50 more than the engine in the SLT and it provides 265 poundfeet of torque at 4200 rpm. That’s a lot of horsepower and torque and we can’t say that the R/T really feels like it has that much.
The R/T engine is quieter than the 3.7liter in the SLT and it gets nearly the same mileage: 17 city and 21 highway in 2WD with 89 octane recommended but 87 acceptable. We got 16.7 mpg driving the R/T very hard.
The fivespeed automatic transmission makes a difference in smoothness over the 4speed. However in manual mode it doesn’t do well. It responds to a shift by the driver at least this driver about half the time. As a result passing on highways is unnecessarily dangerous. The upshifts near redline 6000 rpm are also a bit slow. And the shift mechanism is not comfortable either.
The handling of the R/T is reasonable and considerably more direct than the SLT; quality tires help quite a bit. But it’s the ride that’s much better in this 2WD model. In theory the R/T’s tuned suspension should be much more firm and surely it is a better vehicle overall but it’s also a lot more comfortable.
Summary
The Nitro is the first midsize SUV from Dodge and has all the Dodge character. It’s built on the same platform as the Jeep Liberty and actually feels bigger than its size thanks largely to a high beltline high seating position and much glass instead of sheetmetal at the rear corners. It’s not easy to make an SUV look distinctive and the Nitro does well. Mechanically it’s stimied by the 3.7liter engine and fourspeed automatic transmission in the SXT and SLT the most popular models.
Model as tested
Dodge Nitro R/T 25310 Base Price
19225
Basic Warranty
3 years/50000 miles Price as tested
28645
Assembled in
Toledo Ohio Options as tested
Trailer Tow Group power sunroof AM/FM/6 CD/DVD/MP3 with 8 speakers plus subwoofer fullsize spare handsfree communications 2675
Destination charge:
660
Gas guzzler tax:
N/A
Model Line Overview
Model lineup
Dodge Nitro SXT 2WD 19225; SXT 4WD 20735; SLT 2WD 22635; SXT 4WD 24145; R/T 2WD 25310; R/T 4WD 26970 Engines
4.0liter sohc V6
Safety equipment standard
multistage frontal airbags front and rear sideimpact airbags curtain airbags; antilock disc brakes electronic stability program with traction control and brake assist electronic roll mitigation child seat anchor system tirepressure monitor Transmissions
5speed automatic
Safety equipment optional
Specifications as Tested
Standard equipment
air conditioning remote entry with power windows and door locks power sixway adjustable driver’s seat flat folding front passenger seat 60/40 folding rear bench seat Load ‘n Go cargo storage system with tiedown rails AM/FM/CD with MP3 and six speakers SIRIUS satellite radio folding power heated mirrors rear window washer/wiper tilt steering column cruise control tinted windows overhead console vehicle information instrumentation compass 115volt power outlet autodimming rearview mirror leatherwrapped steering wheel with audio controls and 20inch aluminum wheels
Engine Transmission
Engine
4.0liter sohc V6 Transmission
5speed automatic
Drivetrain type
rearwheel drive EPA fuel economy city/hwy
17/21
Horsepower hp rpm
260 6000 Torque lb.ft. rpm
265 4200
Suspension
Brakes front/rear
disc/disc with ABS Tires
P245/50R20
Suspension front
independent Suspension rear
independent
Accomodations
Seating capacity
5 Head/hip/leg room front
40.6/56.8/40.8
Head/hip/leg room middle
N/A Head/hip/leg room rear
40.8/47.4/37.7
Measurements
Fuel capacity
19.5 Payload
N/A
Trunk volume
75.6 Towing capacity
5000
Wheelbase
108.8 Track front/rear
61.0/61.0
Length/width/height
178.9/73.1/69.9 Ground clearance
7.3
Turning circle
36.3 Curb weight
3971
2007 Dodge Nitro User Reviews
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Brian James is a Paintless Dent Repair Technician and car crazy individual! This article may be reproduced as long as it is done so in its entirety and without any edits Related posts:
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