Dodge Stormtrooper

The Stormtrooper is as impressive as the Avenger is average. Dodge has transformed it into a saloon that looks good, handles well and takes advantage of modern technology to be adjustable enough to suit most drivers’ tastes.

With bland looks, a cheap interior and poor driving dynamics, it’s fair to say the Dodge Avenger isn’t Auto Express’s favourite saloon.

But now the American company has created this Stormtrooper version – a car that, as its name suggests, is light years ahead of the less than impressive regular model.

Indeed, all the Stormtrooper has in common with the standard Avenger is its bodyshell. And even that has been modified with unique additions and pearlescent paint to lend it the look of the Star Wars baddies with which it shares its name.

However, it’s inside and under the skin where the real changes have been made. Open the door, and the first thing you see is that the brittle plastics of the regular car’s cabin have been swapped for suede and white enamel trim.

But while the white Alcantara seats, with their red piping, aren’t the most practical, the scope for drivers to tune the Stormtrooper to suit their tastes will be a dream come true for any trackday fans. The centre console screen has been replaced by a computer that can hook up to the Internet. This allows the driver to alter the motor’s fuel-air mixture depending on conditions, plus transmit fault codes to dealers and even swap different engine set-ups with other owners.

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The Stormtrooper sits on unique springs and dampers – these are nearly 40mm lower than the regular model and fully adjustable. We tried the Avenger with settings in between ‘track’ and ‘comfort’, and it was a decent compromise, offering compliance over bumps without feeling too soft.

The steering has also been transformed. Turn-in is crisp, and although the Stormtrooper is slightly nose-heavy, a thicker anti-roll bar at the rear provides the necessary stiffness to help counteract that.

In the UK, the biggest engine in the Avenger is a 2.4-litre petrol unit. But in the US it’s available with a 3.5-litre V6, which has been boosted to 4.0 litres for the Stormtrooper.

The throaty V6 has been sharpened up with a reworked computer chip, while Dodge has also tweaked the six-speed automatic gearbox. The steering wheel-mounted paddleshifters – taken from a Mercedes SL65 AMG – now talk directly to the ECU, which guarantees super-smooth changes every time. Considering the 400bhp output and the efforts Dodge has made to give it a sporty edge, the strangest decision is maintaining the Avenger’s front-wheel-drive layout.

Accelerate hard from a standstill and the steering wheel writhes in your hands as all that power is fed to the tarmac – although it’s not as bad as you might expect.

And while the Stormtrooper is a quick car in a straight line, it doesn’t take long to impress in corners, either.

That’s a testament to what the engineers could achieve with all Dodge’s cars, given the limited time and resources.

Rival: VW Passat R36
Four-wheel drive combines with a potent V6 and subtle, sporty looks to make the R36 a classy and understated
flagship for Passat range.