2009 Dodge Nitro

Until recently, Dodge was known for building outrageous high-performance muscle cars, including the Challenger and Charger, with brashly named trims—Hellcat, anyone? Dodge is still finding its footing during the transition to electrification and stricter emissions laws, with plans for electrified and turbocharged muscle yet to materialize in dealerships. The Hornet compact SUV is based on the Alfa Romeo Tonale, and is available as a plug-in hybrid. The Durango SUV soldiers on, largely unchanged from 2011 and still based on the same design as the 2011-2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Most alarmingly, it lags behind more modern vehicles in crash tests. Dodge sits near Chrysler at the bottom of our used car reliability rankings.

The Nitro was based on the Jeep Liberty and used the same 210-hp, 3.7-liter V6 engine. The R/T version features a 260-hp, 4.0-liter V6 and a firmer suspension. Pronounced body lean and vague steering detract from agility. The cabin is noisy, the ride is stiff and snappy, and the front end can become buoyant on the highway. The footwells are extremely narrow and 4WD models have a part-time system that lacks a low range. One nice feature is an optional sliding cargo floor that extends 18 inches rearward and is rated to hold 400 pounds. But overall the Nitro has little going for it, the driving position is awkward, plus fit and finish are subpar. The Nitro's last model year was 2011.