Dodge Intrepid

investmenttool.com technology journal

I took a business trip to Mountain View California in late February. During that trip I rented a car. Luck of the draw got me a Dodge Intrepid. It shows what is right about Chrysler and what is wrong.

Though the car has a newer more hip look, it does not compare favorably with the Pontiac Grand Prix, a sedan I owned and drove for nearly three years. The six cylinder engine accelerates with a bit of a growl and is somewhat disappointing.

The four speed automatic transmission shifts smoothly most of the time, though for some reason it did lug twice after quick decelerations.

The vehicle handled competently, but did nothing special. There was a feel of confidence on curves and no move on wet or dry pavement made the read end of the front drive vehicle fish tail.

The fuel mileage of the Intrepid was excellent, nearly 26 miles a gallon in mixed highway and local driving. The test might not have been fair because there was only one stretch of real traffic during the entire five day test drive.

The interior of the car did not make a slightly sore back worse, but was nothing to write home about either. It had a plastic, cheap feel to it. I wonder why the radio on every make of car is just different enough, it makes me want to read the owners manual.

One thing Chrysler managed to do is eliminate the wind noise which plagued almost every prior vehicle I drove in. From the old 1968 Plymouth station wagon to the K car I drove in 1989, there was wind noise. Not in the Intrepid. It is about time.

There is a lot that Chrysler could do to make this car better. It is however a competent vehicle that will do the job so long as your standards are not too high.

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Shmuel Protter
investmenttool.com

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