Dodge Nitro could become near and dear to your heart

— -- Dodge Nitro is likable. Makes sense because it's a slightly stretched version of the likable Jeep Liberty SUV, with a Dodge-styled body.

That styling is one of the most likable elements of the Nitro, which is a truck-style, small SUV about the size of a Nissan Xterra. Nitro's grille seems to be trying too hard, like a little kid struggling to make a seriously mean face. Otherwise, terrific.

Reasonable people often disagree on matters of taste, so no demerits if the look doesn't appeal to you.

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Three Nitros were tested: Two early-built R/T models priced roughly $30,000, one a rear-wheel drive (RWD), the other a four-wheel drive (4WD) and a $23,000 SXT 4WD.

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The R/Ts felt as if they were assembled wrong, the bodies seeming to keep going when the chassis stopped or turned, almost as if the bodies weren't attached tightly (though it's unimaginable that was the case).

The R/T comes with a more-powerful V-6. It was loud and quick.

The R/T also comes with 20-inch-diameter wheels and special suspension tuning intended to accommodate the tires' stubby, hard-riding sidewalls. The R/T testers had a choppy, bouncy ride that quickly grew irritating. The payback was a flatter attitude during brisk cornering, but it was insufficient compensation.

The SXT, however, was dandy. And a seeming bargain, giving you space, hip styling, adequate pep from the 3.7-liter V-6 and snow-drift-busting, slick-slope-defeating 4WD for a price you could swallow.

The SXT, which Dodge says is the version most people buy, was far more pleasant to drive than the R/Ts were, though it gave up 50 horsepower, was equipped with a four-speed automatic instead of the R/T's five-speed, and lacked such amenities as heated seats and satellite radio.

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The SXT felt stable and comfortable in real-world cornering, such as barreling too fast around a decreasing-radius exit ramp or discovering too late that the gentle-looking turn really is a 90-degree bend.

Snow and ice were little problem. In RWD, the traction control allowed enough wheel spin to keep you going instead of bringing you to a halt, as many rivals mistakenly do. If needed, 4WD was just a knob-twist away. It engaged instantly and cured any snow-related traction ills. Yes, you have to switch the system on and off — you can't set it and forget it — but small price for the exemplary results. (Intended for bad weather, not off-roading, it has no low-range gears.)

That's how Dodge engineers — bless 'em — tune others, too (Magnum wagon, for instance). How radical: a system that leaves the driver in control, helps instead of hinders and encourages fun. Is that legal?

Also satisfying:

•Space. Stretching the Liberty chassis 4.5 inches split about evenly between extra rear-seat legroom and additional cargo space, elevates Nitro from tight to about right. Adults can sit in back without banging their knees on the rear of the front seat.

The center console bin is generously sized. Space under the cargo floor secures valuables. Console surfaces are cupped or scooped out to hold small items.

•Feel. Disregarding the R/Ts, assuming they were part of a practice run, and focusing on the SXT, the driving personality was an inviting blend of truck ruggedness and crossover smoothness.

The "old-fashioned" four-speed automatic in the tester banged off hard-throttle shifts, up or down, with a prompt firmness bordering on abruptness. Under light throttle, the shifts and the engine's power curve seemed well matched for smooth, non-intrusive motoring. In other words, it was fun to drive fast and slow.

Both the 3.7-liter and the 4-liter V-6 engines were coarse-voiced, but not so bad as to be deal-breakers.

Doors closed with a satisfying thunk. Most controls operated with the refinement typical of more-expensive vehicles. (The power window switches are from the Mercedes-Benz parts bin. Dodge and Mercedes both are part of DaimlerChrysler, as is Jeep.)

•Convenience. The front passenger's seat folds flat to extend the cargo space. Some models have a sliding cargo floor so you can ease heavy items into the Nitro instead of manhandling them up and in. A standard 115-volt outlet will charge your laptop or cellphone briskly, or let you take along junior's video game console without running all over to find a 12-volt adapter. The middle slot in the back seat has a safety belt tied into the seat itself, not awkwardly into the ceiling as on many other SUVs.

•Features. You can get most everything you could on a bigger, fancier SUV. Small needn't mean Spartan.

But there are some sour notes:

•Fuel economy. So-so by today's amped-up, hybridized expectations — midteens around town. But not bad considering that Nitro weighs about 2 tons, or some 800 pounds more than a Ford Escape, and is powered by big-displacement six-cylinder engines.

•Head restraint. None in the middle of the back seat, making it less safe. (But that's a cramped spot best used for child seats, in which case the missing head restraint is more help than hindrance.)

•Seat comfort. The bowed-out backrests shove you up and off the seats instead of snugging you in. Some physiques might find them fine, though.

•Price. Agreeable if you keep your pencil off the options list, but most models are well more than $30,000 if you ask for everything. That's too much. You can get into some bigger, nicer SUVs for $30,000-plus.

But they wouldn't have the yeah-what's-your-point persona of the Nitro. And that, in these days of SUV deflavoring, is worth a lot.

2007 Dodge Nitro

•What is it? Compact, four-door SUV available with rear-wheel drive (RWD) or four-wheel drive (4WD), based on the Jeep Liberty and manufactured at the same Toledo, Ohio, factory that makes Liberty.

•How soon? High-performance R/T version went on sale in January. First sales of SXT and SLT were recorded last September.

•How much? SXT RWD, the base model, starts at $19,885 including $660 destination charge. SLT RWD starts at $23,295. R/T RWD starts at $25,970. Add $1,660 for 4WD. R/T 4WD with all factory options is $34,310, Dodge says.

•Who'll buy? Mid-20s to mid-40s, 55% men, 55% married; $60,000 median annual income.

•How many? Dodge won't say. Recent sales pace is equivalent to 77,000 a year.

•What's the drivetrain? SXT and SLT have 3.7-liter V-6 engine rated 210 horsepower at 5,200 rpm, 235 pounds-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm; six-speed manual transmission (four-speed automatic optional).

R/T has 4-liter V-6 rated 260 hp at 6,000 rpm, 265 lbs.-ft. at 4,000; five-speed automatic transmission. Traction control is standard with all powertrains.

Part-time 4WD system has single-speed transfer case (no low-range setting for hard-core off-roading) that splits power 50/50 front/rear when engaged.

Full-time system is planned, but introduction date isn't set.

•What's the safety gear? Expected bags, belts, plus side-curtain bags front and rear; anti-lock brakes, anti-skid and anti-rollover systems.

•What's the rest? Standard equipment includes climate control; AM/FM/CD/MP3-compatible stereo with auxiliary input jack; power steering, brakes, windows, locks, mirrors; rear defroster, wiper; tilt-adjustable steering column; remote-control locks; console-mounted 115-volt outlet.

•What's the pledge? Basic and powertrain warranties: 36 months or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first. Corrosion: Exterior body panels, 60/100,000; other panels, 36/36,000.

•How good? Will be rated in the 2007 J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study due June 6 and Consumer Reports magazine's April auto issue on newsstands next week. Mechanically similar Jeep Liberty was ninth among 21 2006-model compact SUVs in last year's Power IQS. Liberty is recommended by Consumer Reports.

•How big? Not as tall, but otherwise about the size of a Nissan Xterra. Nitro is 178.9 inches long, 73.1 inches wide, 69.9 inches tall on a 108.8-inch wheelbase.

Cargo space: 32.1 cubic feet behind the rear seat, 65.2 cubic feet with the rear seat folded, 75.6 cubic feet with rear and front passenger's seat folded.

Weight: 3,932 to 4,162 pounds, depending on model. Rated to tow up to 5,000 pounds, carry up to 1,150 pounds of people and cargo.

Turning circle diameter is listed as 36.3 feet, curb to curb.

•How thirsty? RWD models are rated 18 miles per gallon in town, 24 on the highway, 20 in mixed driving, except 4-liter V-6 with automatic transmission is rated 23 mpg on the highway.

4WD models are rated 17 or 18 mpg in town, 22 to 24 highway, 19 or 20 in mixed driving, depending on engine and transmission.

Trip computer in 4-liter, 4WD R/T tester with automatic showed 13.9 mpg in 125 miles of frisky suburban driving; 3.7-liter V-6, 4WD, automatic — driven harder and idled more for winter warmth — was 14 mpg in the burbs.

•Overall:Easy to love.