Nitro and diesel - not an explosive combination

After seeing the TV advert where the Dodge Nitro owner kindly provides a jump start to a motorist and blows up his car - and narrowly missing the chance to see the Nitro deliver a jolt of electricity to an errant dog in an advert that was banned in the US - I was keen to determine if this SUV would live up to Dodge's grab life by the horns marketing slogan.

This brother of the Caliber is a chunky vehicle, 4.58m long, 1.77m high and 1.85m wide. Dodge's signature crosshairs grille is prominent; set in between flared wheel arches and large headlights and marked off with a low skirt on the front. The rear, sides and roof are flat with sharply rounded curves where they meet. It has truck written all over it.

The SXT version, which essentially offers a slightly softer ride with a little roll through corners, comes with 17" alloy rims with 235/65 tyres but fans of blinged-up cars might desire the R/T and its 245/50 low-profile tyres on whopping 20" rims.

The Nitro shares several features with the Jeep and Chrysler luxury brands making their way into the South African market. Finishes in hard, moulded plastic, tinted rear and passenger windows, upright seats that look more like large couches and a radio, six-CD/MP3 player that appears to be sourced from a single supplier.

A DVD player with rear viewing screen is optional, as is the sunroof; each will each add R10 000 to the vehicle price.

It will carry five adults comfortably and there's literally enough room to stretch your legs in the rear. This carrying capacity is complimented by 390 litres of boot space that expands to 1990 litres with the rear seat - which splits 65/35 - folded down.

The boot has a floor that slides out for easy loading or unloading and it can also be removed if necessary. Its 180kg capacity will likely please even the most serious of shoppers or travellers.

When the front passenger seat is folded it serves as a table for the driver and Dodge says it will keep a laptop secure and within reach. Though using a laptop while driving seems plain dangerous.

Tight fit

I was put off by the layout on the driver's side because it made me slightly claustrophobic. Even with the seat at its lowest point my feet just touched the floor. The edge of the cushion at times dug into my knees, which were only five centimetres away from the fascia, and the high sills on the windows and tall centre divide added to the impression that I was locked into a cockpit and surrounded by instruments.

I got used to it but it meant I had to lean far back in the seat if I also wanted to avoid being squashed up against the steering wheel.

Still, the Nitro is sure-footed and the steering light. It's a big vehicle for the local market but still easy to park and navigate through traffic. Rear view is limited but the parking sensors in the bumper come to your aid well before you collide with anything.

Every Nitro has a switch to the left of the gear lever that will engage the transfer case and change the drive from the rear wheels to both axles. With '4WD' set, the difference in traction is marked. On dry tar the Nitro feels glued to the ground and its handling in the wet is improved.

The all-wheel drive works well on sand roads but the low-slung front spoiler and engine skid plate mean that serious offroading is forbidden.

Damp squib

The SXT's 2.8-litre turbodiesel and automatic transmission - putting out 130kw and 460Nm - took much of the fun out of driving the Nitro. The power is all there but it's not in the form this vehicle needs. Getting any performance out of this combination meant mashing the stiff accelerator pedal to the floor and waiting for the turbo to come into play. The speed would then build up rapidly and a quick shift to the brake was needed as a vehicle or corner approached almost too fast.

Slacking off even slightly on the pedal makes the power die off quickly and both the engine response and acceleration become sluggish.

This was all the more disappointing because colleague Dave Abrahams attended the July

If Dodge can lighten up the accelerator pedal and produce a punchier diesel the Nitro 2.8 CRD would be immensely improved because its has what counts everywhere else. Otherwise I'd recommend sticking with the beefier response of the petrol models.