Equally production oriented, the engine is mated up to a 42RLE four-speed automatic transmission. While hardly state of the
 |
| The 210-horsepower 3.7-litre V6 engine is mated up to a 42RLE four-speed automatic transmission. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler Canada) |
Workhorse might be the apropos title for the Nitro when it comes to performance. While hardly embarrassing, its zero to 100 km/h time of 9.7 seconds, standing quarter mile of 16.9 seconds and 174 km/h (108 mph) top speed isn't about to have import tuners peering into the cargo bay to find a can of nitrous hooked up via a braided hose - despite the concept's name.
Handling should be good, however, with an independent short/long arm front suspension setup and a five-link rear system. Its
 |
| Dodge isn't saying what Chrysler Group chassis architecture the Nitro is based upon, if any. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler Canada) |
Dodge isn't saying what Chrysler Group chassis architecture the Nitro is based upon, if any, but my guess would be the Jeep Grand Cherokee. First of all, building one SUV off of the Grand Cherokee platform isn't optimizing economies of scale enough to be competitive in today's ruthless automotive market. Sure the upcoming seven-occupant Jeep Commander will be based on a lengthened and widened version of the GC platform, but it would be silly for Dodge to create its own unique architecture for the Nitro, if built.