2007 Nitro is Dodge's small SUV

No one will mistake Dodge's new sport utility vehicle for a soft, crossover version.

The Nitro is boldly styled, with an exaggerated front bumper, an aggressive grille, black door handles, and sizable fender flares. Chromed, 20-inch wheels are also offered.

It's determinedly macho.

Dodge, the manufacturer of well-known dude vehicles such as the burly Ram truck, wouldn't produce a wimpy SUV.

And it doesn't skimp on safety features. The standard, five-passenger Nitro comes with air bags and stability control, which helped it earn a five-out-of-five-stars rating in federal safety tests.

The vehicle also can come equipped with a 20-gigabyte hard drive in the dashboard -- more computer power than many people have at home -- for music, videos and on-board consumer information.

Its price tag is at the lower end of the SUV range.

The starting manufacturer's suggested retail price, including delivery, is $19,885. This is for a two-wheel-drive model with a six-cylinder, 210-horsepower and a manual transmission.

Models with four-speed automatic transmissions start at $20,710. All-wheel-drives, with manual transmissions, start at $21,395. Automatics start at $22,220.

Listed under Dodge's larger, Durango SUV, the Nitro is meant to compete with masculine, boxy SUVs such as the 2007 Nissan Xterra, which starts at $20,665 for a base model with 261-horsepower; and the 2007 Hummer H3, starting at $29,995 with 242-horsepower, five-cylinder engine and standard four-wheel-drive.

There are three Nitro versions: SXT, SLT and R/T.

Similar to a Jeep Liberty, the Nitro sits high off the ground but has seemingly wraparound window glass.

While driving, I could look down into a nearby Ford Taurus. I also was struck by the Nitro's high "belt line" -- the point where the body meets the windows. Fortunately, the climb into the Nitro SLT 4X4 required only a slight boost, even for someone my size, at 5 feet 4 inches tall.

I found comfortable, substantial front seats in the Nitro, with both front seat cushions extending to the backs of my knees. Usually, vehicles that start under $20,000 don't have this kind of generous, well-cushioned seat.

On pavement, the Nitro SLT with standard 17-inch tires rode well, with no lumbering truck feel.

But on roadways with bumps and cracks, my passengers and I bobbed up and down because of the Nitro's short, 108.8-inch wheelbase and its stiff suspension. On dips, passengers felt substantial hits.

Worse, the 4,000-pound Nitro produced a palpable tipping sense on highway curves. Government testing rates the Nitro three out of five stars for rollover tendencies.

Dodge officials include standard electronic roll mitigation on this SUV. This system applies brakes and diminishes engine power if a rollover possibility is detected. But the system never kicked in during my drive.

There was little road noise coming from the tires, but I heard wind noise from around the windshield pillars and outside mirrors when I got near highway speeds. The 210-horsepower, 3.7-liter engine sounded confident during acceleration.

This horsepower, and torque of 235 foot-pounds at 4,000 rpm, is less than the Xterra's and the H3's.

The Nitro's next power level -- a 260-horsepower, four-liter engine -- is more competitive but is only offered on the R/T model. The price of this high-end Nitro can reach nearly $30,000 with the addition of four-wheel-drive, sunroof and leather interior.

I came away wanting a few modern improvements in the Nitro. For one, shift points in the four-speed automatic were noticeable. I could also feel engine vibration in the steering wheel, gas pedal and floorboard when the vehicle accelerated up hills.

Care is needed when making turns because of the Nitro's sizable windshield pillars and large outside mirrors. Pedestrians and even cars can be obscured.

It can be difficult seeing what's behind the Nitro as well.

This is the first time an automaker used the name "Nitro." The label is memorable -- more so than some of the alphabetic combinations like Lincoln's MKZ.

The recently launched SUV has already has been the subject of one U.S. safety recall. In September, 2,333 two-wheel-drive Intros were recalled because software could lock the wheels if a driver shifts from "drive" to "neutral" at speeds of more than 40 mph.