We say A big and brutish American SUV that feels dated. The Nitro is ugly, basic and a terrible drive.Performance There are two engines to pick from with the Nitro, you can get either a 2.8-litre common rail diesel unit with 177bhp, its old but at least proven. Alternatively you can get a quiet 3.7-litre V6 petrol with 205bhp. The diesel does 0-60mph in 11.5 seconds and a top speed of 112mph 113mph in automatic). The V6 is slightly better in pace, giving the Nitro a 0-60mph time of ten seconds and a top speed of 118mph.Emissions Most SUVs have high emissions and a low fuel economy but that doesn’t excuse the poor numbers the Nitro delivers. With the 2.8-litre CRD and manual transmission, the Nitro’s fuel economy is 32mpg and CO2 emissions are at 228g/km, in automatic these figures are altered to 30mpg and 250g/km. Models with the V6 petrol, available with the auto gearbox only, do just 24mpg and emit 283g/km.Driving The Dodge Nitro is not an enjoyable car to drive since the handling is below average. The SUV can be driven in a rear or four-wheel drive setting; the latter is really not much use on anything other than loose surfaces.Feel The Nitro is unsettling, thank to its limp, overly-light steering and the excessive body roll through the corners. Bumps and vibrations are also a constant annoyance for passengers onboard.Space There’s a decent amount of room all-round for five passengers in the Nitro. With all the seats up however the boot is disappointingly small, with 397 litres of room, about the same as a family hatchback. The space load will increase to 1,994 litres with the rear seats folded down.Equipment Just two trim levels exist for the Dodge Nitro, SE and SXT, and from the SE trim you do get a decent level of equipment. Heated mirrors, alloy wheels and roof rails are amongst the standard list. The SXT trim adds some more luxuries like cruise control.Price Dodge no longer sell cars in the UK, when it was new the Nitro was priced from £18,703 and cost up to £24,295 in the top SXT trim. Nowadays you could get a used one for as little as £6,000 from some sources.Quality The seats are uncomfortable and unsupportive while the interior feels cheap and tacky all round. The cabin is covered in tacky plastics which don’t look built particularly, while road noise also seems to intrude inside easily. Not good then.Safety Standard safety kit includes electronic stability, child-seat anchor points and electronic rollover mitigation, a system to stop the Nitro from rolling over.Pros The Nitro’s styling will grab attention if that’s what you’re looking for, the diesel engine is also decent and it’s well equipped.Cons The Nitro feels dated, its drive is unbalanced and uncomfortable, the steering is weak and the cabin is poor quality.Alternatives Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento, Chevrolet Captiva
