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The first of the 2008 model year vehicles are beginning to trickle into dealer showrooms. Among them is the all-new mid-sized Dodge Avenger, the replacement vehicle for the inept Dodge Stratus, a mainstay of rental car fleets whose sales have continued to plummet.

With almost 2 million cars sold each year, this segment is the largest and most competitive, dominated by sales leader Toyota Camry (with sales of 400,000), Honda Accord, Nissan Altima and Ford Focus. Stratus notched just over 51,000 sales in 2006. When combined with its Chrysler sibling, Sebring, the pair topped out at 110,000 last year.

Dodge officials don't comment on sales goals, but I'd guess they would be happy to get back to around 100,000.

With gasoline prices hovering at $3 per gallon, big truck sales have been soft. In recent years Dodge, Ford and GM have been focusing most of their attention on trucks, conceding the passenger car market to the Japanese and South Korean automakers. But that's changing as the big three American manufacturers begin to refocus on cars, hoping to gain the attention of auto consumers.

The Avenger, a name once used for the two-door coupe companion of the Stratus, is essentially built on the same chassis and hardware as the 2007 Chrysler, sharing all three engine choices and transmissions, as well as suspension system components and front-wheel-drive configuration. It's the same basic set up for the Dodge Caliber, Jeep Compass and Jeep Patriot.

But Avenger and Sebring, while virtually the same size, have very different exterior styling. Where the Sebring tends to be more on the graceful side Avenger was labeled as "aggressive," "menacing," even "sinister." The taillights were said to wear "war paint," and a particularly cool pair of Oakley sunglasses owned by lead designer Ryan Nagode inspired the front-end styling.

The headlights are slightly tucked up under the hood to give a heavy brow appearance. Wheel arches are overly pronounced and the rear deck is short, high and R/T models sport a rear spoiler atop the trunk deck.

Somehow the look works much better on the Charger than the Avenger.

Three trim levels are offered beginning with the base SE powered by a 173-horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder "world-engine" mated to a four-speed automatic transmission. The middle SXT model, which Dodge says will account for half of all Avenger sales, comes with the same 2.4-liter engine or an optional 189-horsepower 2.7-liter V-6, but still makes do with the same four-speed automatic transmission. Essentially the SXT is an SE in dressed up trim.

At the top is the R/T, which is available in either standard front-wheel drive or as all-wheel drive, a Dodge first. It has a 235-horsepower 3.5-liter V-6 mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. Optional are 18-inch chrome wheels and two-tone leather seating.

All three trim levels are nearly the same, visually, with the R/T adding the rear deck lid spoiler and dual chrome exhaust tips. The SE uses a body color grille; SXT's and R/T's are black.

Inside, the Avenger is a significant improvement over the Stratus it replaced. There's more overall room and seats are generally comfortable. There's only room for two in back. The rear seat is split 60/40 and folds to enlarge the smallish 13.3-cubic-foot trunk.

The dash is acres of hard plastic but is nicely designed with all controls and buttons intuitive and easy to use. I liked the white on black instruments and the brushed aluminum trim on the center stack.

Regardless of model, standard equipment includes the "Chill Zone" glove box, a feature we first saw on the Caliber a year ago, which is an area on top of the glove box that can hold four cans of soda or bottled water and uses the air conditioning system to keeps drinks cool. Optional is a cupholder on the front console that can heat a drink to 140 degrees or cool a beverage to 35 to 40 degrees.

All models feature Chrysler's YES Essential seat fabric, a cloth material that is anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, anti-static and is said to not stain even if you spill red wine. Which caused me to wonder, "Why open wine in a vehicle?"

Other standard features in all models include air conditioning, AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system, remote locking, power windows, power-heated outside mirrors, cruise control, and tilt-and telescoping steering wheel.

Safety gear includes front and side airbags. Unfortunately, the base SE does not offer stability control or brake assist, however antilock brakes are an option. There are no crash test results as of yet for Avenger.

I drove all three models and found it to be solid and surprisingly quiet with a smooth, compliant ride. I preferred the handling of the R/T over the base SE and SXT and thought it handled sharp curves and cornering sufficiently better. I'd recommend skipping the 2.4-liter four-cylinder. There's just not enough power for passing and the engine roars under full acceleration.

During the vehicle introduction, competitive vehicles - including the Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord and Nissan Altima - were available for comparison. Dodge officials were obviously very confident in their product, but of all the vehicles, Fusion was the only one I liked less than the Avenger. I'd put the new Altima at the top of the class in this segment.

Overall, the new Avenger is clearly superior to the outgoing Stratus with improved styling, driving characteristics and features. It's the same price as its sibling, the Chrysler Sebring, in case you like the car but not the styling. But Avenger doesn't break any new ground and I'd still choose the Camry, Accord or Altima if I was shopping for a mid-sized sedan.