2011 Dodge Nitro Road Test Review

By Bob Plunkett

We're tracking across a river of sand in a wadi that winds through the California desert, all four 245/50R20 Goodyear Wrangler HP all-season tires scratching for traction in a four-wheeling edition of the Nitro, a boxy-square SUV by Dodge.

Measuring up to the mid-size segment with cabin space for five passengers, Nitro possesses the smooth-riding traits of a car-based crossover wagon as well as the rugged characteristics of a brutish sport-ute capable of taking a cross-country tack over off-road terrain like the sand-coated Borrego wadi.

That unusual combination of attributes -- easy to drive on pavement but also sure-footed off pavement -- makes Nitro a rare vehicle of multiple personalities.

For the 2011 editions Dodge casts Nitro in three different trim editions, each with traction choices of rear-wheel two-wheel-drive (2WD) or part-time four-wheel-drive (4WD) with a system which works when driving on pavement or trekking through dirt, gravel and sandy tracks. [Full Review]