Dodge Nitro - Bold Styling, Nice Drive   by Kelly Foss www.car-data.com One of the missing pieces in the Dodge suite of vehicles has always been a midsize SUV. Dodge’s full size SUV, the Durango, is large, but there was serious demand for a vehicle of the same ilk in a reduced size. The Nitro is designed to fit that bill.

As you can tell from the name, the Nitro is not intended to be a timid wallflower type of vehicle. Rather, it’s an in-your-face, “look at me” machine that is most often shown in a bright red paint scheme. It is big and bold and follows the Dodge “type A” personality persona. Now, having said all that and beyond all the bravado, it is a pretty nice, well-thought-out vehicle that also performs well.

The boxy styling of the Nitro is not only attention getting but also allows for a very nice interior package. It is purposefully angular, squared off, boxy and upright. It is not burdened with sloping roof lines that rob the interior of valuable space. Rather, the vertical lines of the body yield large rectangular interior spaces. There is no attempt to claim aerodynamic efficiency “brownie points” with the Nitro.

The interior space is easy to access. The front seating position is sufficiently spacious for this size of truck, as is the rear. The instrument cluster is laid out logically and informatively. The vehicle’s cargo area is quite spacious. The rear lift gate opens wide to allow large boxy things. There is a very innovative LOAD N GO cargo handling feature in the rear. Laid on top of the cargo floor is a tray that carries up to 400 pounds that slides rearward as much as 18 inches over the back bumper. To operate, you slide the tray out, put your heavy items on it and then slide it back into the truck. With this tray, you don’t have to wrestle heavy items into the cargo area anymore.

The Nitro is equipped with either a 3.7 liter V6 or Dodge’s new 4.0 liter V6 with 260 horsepower. Transmission choices are a 6-speed manual and either a 4- or 5-speed automatic, depending on your engine choice. This midsize SUV has real off-road chops if you care for that. It is a first cousin to the new Jeep Liberty and shares some of its 4-wheel drive componentry.

The Nitro is actually quite fun to drive. Though I was prepared for a trucky, jarring ride, in reality I found it quite civilized for this class of vehicle. The visibility is great, the utility is very good and the way that it motors around the city is quite pleasant. This truck is perfectly suitable for a family vehicle with the added benefit of a large useful interior and dramatic styling.