There are better options than this out there.
Pros:
Improved handling and seats; Comfortable ergonomic Interior
Cons:
Hard to get in and out of; IL4 Engine/Drivetrain weak
The Bottom Line:
The Camry can be had at less than $2000 more. Lee Iacocca once said, "If you can buy a better car, buy it." The Camry IS a better car.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
I recently had the opportunity to drive the 2005 Dodge Stratus after my 2002 Saturn was totaled in a recent accident. I've loved my friend’s Intrepid, and the Stratus is supposed to be a smaller version of that car, but there is a lot to be desired.
On the Road
Most of my driving was in town, however I had several opportunities to take the vehicle up to 10,600 feet in our local mountains. The curvy road and the incline were enough to convince me that this is not a great car for mountainous terrain.
The engine only had less than 3000 miles on it, so I did my best to break it in properly. The ride was comfortable on the Interstate with a comfortable and relatively quiet ride, though there was still plenty of air noise. The whip antenna in the rear of the cabin was not even noticeable.
I was worried by the transmission on more than one occasion. It has the following positions on the stick: 'L', '3', and 'D'. Taking out '2' makes descents down the mountain side difficult. 'L' runs too hot, and '3' keeps me on the brakes. Neither were comfortable.
One of the neat features is that the car will actually downshift to a degree when you're on a downhill incline and you have the cruise control set. But at mountain road speeds, this isn't practical.
The little 4 cylinder engine consumes way too much fuel for its size. I averaged around 22-24 MPG around town. That makes its fuel efficiency closer to my 1998 Suburban than my 1.9L 4 cylinder 2002 Saturn SL. Fully loaded, it can't seem to find a gear that it likes to climb hills with. I also heard pinging and tapping typically found in a car with 200,000 miles - not 2,000.
The interior was comfortable and ergonomic. That being said, it is very difficult for my 6-foot, highly average build, to get in and out of the vehicle without whacking my head on the top of the door frame.
The seat seems to sit a bit too high (similar problem with the Caravan) and it feels like I have to adjust the tilt just to slide in and out.
Styling
The styling of the Stratus is almost identical to the Intrepids of the late 90's (but smaller, of course). The navy blue color was outstanding, but hard to get all the dust dots off after washing without toweling. The dark interior is a delight to drive at night.
The Interior
My family of 5 (one in a car-carrier plus my little shi-tzu), had no problem fitting in the car and could stay comfortable for extended periods of time. The cargo area is very large and could easily accommodate luggage for a family of 5 taking a week-long trip.
The rear seats have a 60/40 split - pretty commonplace these days, but very nice if you need to turn your Stratus into a Ram and carry some items that normally wouldn't fit in the trunk alone.
The trunk is usefully large and the rear seat folds in two sections for long loads. A large storage compartment resides beneath the center armrest.
On the Road
The IL4 engine is not anything to be desired in a vehicle of this size. I have not driven the V6, but I can presume that it is a lot more powerful and responsive to driver inputs.
The suspension was soft - not too soft, but not really stiff enough, either. The Stratus takes turns pretty harshly and lane changing can send passengers from one side of the car to the other. That being said, it responds accurately and quickly. It does feel like the steering wheel is attached to the road.
As I mentioned already, the noise is noticeable, but not real bad. Some nice tunes will erase the wind noise pretty sufficiently. Road noise is not near as noticeable.
Pricing
At this precise moment in time, the base Stratus SXT is $20,140.
