2009 Dodge Nitro Sport Utility Crossover

Dodge's Nitro, the brand's first midsized SUV, features a macho, sharp-edged design. Since its debut in 2007, I have always wondered who would buy one. A Sunburst Orange Pearl Coat Nitro came my way from the press fleet, so I got a chance to find out. Well, as Gomer Pyle would say, "Surprise, surprise." I liked it.

Was it my need for a public demonstration of my manliness? Well, no. It was more about how the car drove and performed on a day-to-day basis. Essentially a Jeep Liberty in Dodge clothing, the Nitro, built in Toledo, Ohio, has a chunky, solid quality. This is what people bought SUVs for in the first place�off-road capability, a tall command-of-the-road driving position, and lots of cargo capacity. The Nitro's part-time four-wheel-drive system I can't say much about because I didn't need it. You select it with a center console switch. I sampled it once in a dirt area and it felt locked into place.

With its flat, upright windshield, shallow instrument panel, and tall, chair height seats, there's an old-fashioned feeling to the Nitro. It reminds me of the beloved original Jeep Cherokee, but there's nothing out-of-date in the way it actually works. The seats wore a sturdy, stain-repellent, odor-resistant orange cloth that matched the cheerful exterior. I regretted the lack of a left foot dead pedal (footrest), but quickly realized that sitting tall eliminated the need for it.

From that spot, I surveyed a carefully styled interior of modest materials�lots of slate gray plastic relieved by shiny trim sections. A three-pod gauge cluster pops up out of the horizontal, hard-edged instrument panel. A circle motif shows up in those gauges, and also the interior door handles and speakers, among other places. After a couple of days, everything felt right inside the Nitro�comfortable, familiar and easy to find, and I developed a fondness that I didn't see coming.

Two special features enhance cargo capacity. The front passenger seat folds down flat, so carrying long objects completely inside the car is easy. Out back, the Load �N Go cargo floor slides out 18 inches to accommodate up to 400 pounds of gear. This is a lifesaver for your back. The Nitro comes in three flavors�SE, SLT, and R/T. All wear the familiar Dodge crosshair grille with bold chrome ram's head logo. The entry-level SE gets 16-inch steel wheels, power folding mirrors, and some things you might not expect in the entry-level model, such as traction control, electronic stability control, tire pressure monitoring and SiriusXM satellite radio.

The SLT gives you 17-inch wheels, a six-way power driver's seat, power and heated mirrors, chrome interior accents and some other goodies. The R/T adds a performance suspension, massive 20-inch wheels and tires and numerous exterior enhancements for maximum appeal. All models come with a 3.7-liter V6. This engine puts out a respectable 210 horsepower and 235 lb.-ft. of torque through a four-speed automatic transmission. The R/T offers an optional 4.0-liter, 260-horsepower V6 with 265 lb.-ft. of torque running through five gears. My tester had it, and there was no problem moving the 4,200-pound Nitro along briskly with it.

The EPA gives the Nitro mileage ratings of 16 City, 20 Highway with four-wheel drive, 16/21 with two-wheel drive. The car gets a decent 6 for Air Pollution in the EPA's Green Vehicle Guide, but a disappointing 3 (4wd) or 4 (2wd) for Greenhouse Gases. The Nitro is not the Sierra Club's fleet vehicle of choice. I loved the Nitro's navigation system. One day I entered a destination and was driving along when on the screen appeared this message: ROUTE IS BEING RECALCULATED DUE TO TRAFFIC INFORMATION.

This sophisticated feature helped me make better time by routing me a back way I hadn't considered using before, based on congestion on the usual route. A couple of days later, on a different road, the system again indicated an unexpected way to go. I was very tempted to ignore the directions, but decided that it had earned my respect. Once again, I saved a significant amount of time and aggravation. I just followed the directions, which appeared graphically and were spoken clearly by a pleasant female voice.

Nitros start at $22,985 for the SE, including destination charges. The SLT starts at $25,505 and the R/T at $28,480. My test vehicle, with a raft of extras, came to $33,355. There are concerns about Chrysler's viability now. Despite some historical quality lapses and two changes of ownership in recent years, the 85-year-old company is still building a lot of vehicles, and I'd hate to see it disappear. Chrysler is offering serious deals now, so you should be able to drive home a Nitro for much less than the prices in the previous paragraph.