Seville, Spain - You're either going to love it or, well, not love it and it all comes down to the looks when you're talking about the Dodge Nitro SUV that will arrive in South Africa in the next couple of months in two model variants and with a choice of two engines - one diesel and one petrol.
Let's get its heritage - and possible South African prices - out of the way first. Yes, you've noticed it has the same sharp-edged, chunky looks as other current Dodge models such as the Dodge Caliber (which has a 4x4 version in the US) but its underpinnings are more closely related to sister brand Jeep.
Prices? Not available for SA yet but will be less than the Jeep Cherokee; be prepared to part with a little more than R300 000 before you focus on its options.
Frankly, it's not a 4x4 off-roader as we in South Africa know off-roaders; its huge, plastic front bumper assembly will catch on the first tough gradient and the road tyres are just not right for the job. Standard wheels come in size 17"x7"; giant 20"x7.5" items are an option and they're all made of painted aluminium.
The Dodge Nitro might look like Son of Hummer, but it ain't.
There's a six-speed manual or five-speed auto with the 2.8-litre turbodiesel but a four-speed auto is the only cogset available for the 3.7-litre V6 petrol unit; they all drive the rear wheels in normal conditions but a simple rotary switch locks the axles into a 50:50 split for when the going gets slippery - and not very rough.
There's no low range - as I said, this is an SUV designed for slippery tracks, dirt roads and bad weather - and there was plenty of rain in what should by sunny Spain. If you want to clamber about in rough terrain, along dry riverbeds or the high dunes, then shop elsewhere.
The Nitro had its world launch based in Seville in Spain and through its adjacent and stunningly beautiful mountains concurrently with that of the new sister-ship Mercedes-Benz C-Class though that was between Valencia and the southern resort of Benidorm - we attended both.
Dodge SA will be importing two models: the SXT and sports-orientated R/T. I only drove the SXT diesel with the six-speed manual box and equipped with 20" wheels. Real Tonka Toy of a truck with space for five and an aura of fun
- The 3.7-litre, SOHC V6 petrol engine in the Dodge Nitro SXT, Dodge says, is durable and smooth and has the best power/torque among its key competitors.
"This 90-degree V6 engine has been refined to enhance low-rev torque while providing a smooth idle and minimal engine noise. Plus, a new exhaust gas recirculation valve helps fuel economy. The two-valves-per-cylinder engine generates 151kW at 5200rpm and 314Nm at 4000rpm."
- The all-new four-cylinder, 2.8-litre, common-rail turbodiesel engine has belt-driven double overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder. It provides the entry-level Dodge Nitro with the best power, torque and acceleration (0-100km/h) among its key competitors.
The block is iron, the cylinder head aluminium and it's all fed by Bosch injection to generate 130kW at 3800rpm and peak torque of 460Nm from 2000rpm. Fuel economy can be as little as 8.6 litres/100km in general driving.
Ride controls
This was the model that carried me through the day in and around Seville. It's big and it's rugged but, once warmed through, is as quiet as a petrol engine. I'd suspect it will be the more popular of the two engines when the vehicles go on sale in South Africa - it's really easy to drive (especially with all that torque it trundled along in heavy traffic at around 1000rpm in fourth gear without a stutter) though smaller drivers might find the big gearshifter a bit of a stretch.
Standard ride control and safety features include anti-lock brakes with emergency pressure assistance, stability control, traction control and rollover resistance - essentially an electronic system that applies one or more brakes according to reports from sensors that detect motion that could lead to the Nitro overturning.
Given the way we chucked our launch drive around, there's not much chance of that actually happening! The ride is smooth, the car's suspension tuned for swift progress on tar rather than handling harsh ground.
Seat-belt pre-tensioners are also standard along with, on the SXT and R/T due in SA, rear parking sensors, front and side crash bags and tyre pressure monitors.
Three types of 'map'
The cabin is spacious and functional, the seats deep and well bolstered and with way plenty head and leg room and the driver faces a chunky, leather-wrapped steering wheel and straightforward instruments in three pods; the gauges are black with gray and white graphics and orange needles. A glance is all that's needed.
Our Nitro came with satnav capable of displaying three types of "map" and accurate and indispensable when concentrating on the driving habits and sometimes-strange street and freeway signs of a foreign country.
Also standard on the RXT and R/T is Dodge's "Load 'n Go" boot floor that, once released by a trigger mechanism, allows a flat panel to slide nearly half a metre backwards to be loaded with up to 180kg of whatever it is you want to load. The simply slide it and its load back into the boot.
The rear seats fold 60/40 and long loads can be handled with the help of the folding front passenger seat; and, talking of seats, Dodge has used a new fabric that is not only dirt repellent by also kills germs - a bonus for parents as it resists staining and discoloration and would hold an odour.
Seats in place, the boot will take 369 litres. That grows progressively as you fold seats to a maximum of 1994 litres.
Motorised display
The sound system is, Dodge says, one of the most advanced on the road. "MyGIG is a cutting-edge, multi-media infotainment system that raises the bar on in-vehicle communications.
"It has a motorised, flip-down 165mm display with a touch-screen that can support 65 000 colours. The TFT screen uses an active matrix for viewing from angles up to 180 degrees - perfect for the centre of an instrument panel.
"It has many new features for music, sound, movies and personalised picture displays."
Here's how they read:
- A 20-gig hard disc for storing map data, photos or up to 1600 soundtracks.
- 'Gracenote' music file management that automatically adds song, artist and album information to music files.
- A USB port to transfer images to the hard drive.
- Voice memo recording using a microphone in the rear-view mirror.
- Display screen that can display movies when the vehicle is stationary.
- Voice control for various functions (optional, with Bluetooth).
- Functionality in six languages (Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish).
Another option is a ceiling-mounted DVD screen for the rear passengers, complete with two sets of headphones. The system will play any DVD, WMA, MP3 and audio and video CD's.