DODGE AVENGER

Despite actually looking quite interesting in a retro sort of a way, the Dodge Avenger is one of the more dreadful cars you could even have the unhappy accident of buying. Run a mile. Then take a bus somewhere. And run another mile for good measure.

• Comfort

  You'd have thought an American car would be the height of soggy, indulgent comfort. Not so the Avenger, which is rough over broken surfaces and all over the place when the going gets uneven.

• Performance

  Rough engines, be they diesel or petrol, providing lacklustre performance. But bear in mind if the Avenger was any quicker it'd probably be absolutely terrifying.

• Cool

  No. America is way overdue a cool car. But this isn't it.

• Quality

  Not on your life. America's quality standards in its befuddled auto industry are on an approximate par with India's. The Avenger feels like a badly built Airfix kit, and you don't get to paint it yourself.

• Handling

  Handling isn't a total disaster, in so much as there is some, but the ride is bouncy and unstable enough to dissolve any trace of confidence in the Avenger at speed.

• Practicality

  One thing you can say for the Avenger is it's big. After all, Americans have to fit in it. Masses of space front and rear, and a huge boot for burgers and steak and guns.

• Running costs

  Fuel returns aren't so bad from the Avenger's VW-sourced powerplants and insurance is low because who, in their right mind, is going to steal this? But buy one new and it'll probably be worth next to nothing that afternoon.