1997 Dodge Intrepid Review, Prices, Photos

1997 Dodge Intrepid Review, Prices, Photos

1997 Dodge Intrepid Review, Prices, Photos

1997 Dodge Intrepid (continued)

Walkaround

The color of our Intrepid Sport test model is dubbed Bright Platinum Metallic–a $200 optional paint job–but looked more like light metallic grey to our eyes. The wide front air dam, wide-set foglights and squinty headlights give the Intrepid the look of a nocturnal predator. This is a car that definitely looks like it's on the prowl.

Prowling for what, we wonder? Perhaps it's eager to gobble up cars like the Ford Taurus, Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, which are territorial rivals even though the Intrepid is actually a full-size car.

By now, every auto journalist worth his or her weight in free coffee and Danish has thrown laurels at the feet of the Chrysler designers who came up with the cab-forward design. But let us add to those hosannas: In concert with the dramatically-swept windshield, the function of this design follows its sleek form–both in terms of exterior aerodynamics and interior space.

Adding to the Intrepid's heart-fluttering hint of bad-boy are the evocative monochrome body cladding, the eye-catching wraparound taillights, the black-tinted windshield trim, and black heated-mirror housings.

Trim levels include the base Intrepid and the Intrepid ES. Updates for the '97 include bolt-on wheel covers, an optional eight-way power driver's seat, and a new $1400 Sport option package that consists of a 3.5-liter 24-valve overhead-cam V6 engine, the AutoStick system, Sport badging, leather-wrapped wheel and shift knob, a digital message center and the eight-way driver's seat.

The base price of an Intrepid is $19,955, including destination. Our tester came equipped with the Sport package. After adding the $200 metallic paint job, $105 for a regional emissions test and the $550 destination–then subtracting the $600 Dodge discount–the final MSRP came to $21,060.

Interior Features

When the Intrepid was introduced, one car-buff magazine measured the interior space, from the base of the windshield to the base of its backlight, and found it was 14 inches longer than a Ford Crown Vic–a vehicle that's much larger and heavier.

Therein lies the beauty of the synergy between the cab-forward design and the long wheelbase. There's enough back seat legroom for Dick the Bruiser to pin the Sheik with a flying leg-scissor hold. Headroom is also copious, while the optional 50/50 split-bench front seat increases seating capacity from five to six–and with the Intrepid, that means six full-sized adults.

Standard equipment on the Intrepid consists of a 3.3-liter 161-hp V6 engine, four-speed automatic transmission, dual airbags, air conditioning, tinted glass, AM/FM/cassette, rear defroster, front bucket seats, dual vanity mirrors, body side protection, interior courtesy lamps, tilt steering and power windows/locks/mirrors.

All switches are easy to locate and operate, and dials are smartly laid out and well-illuminated. The sporty instruments have black-on-white graphics, with a touch of grey shading.

The eight-way power seat provides plenty of body-position configurations at the flip of a switch, and it reclines to near-horizontal to provide clearance for loading large or odd-shaped objects. Interior lighting is also generous.

And can we talk cupholders? The Intrepid sets the gold standard: the adjustable sides can be ratcheted in and out to hold cups of various girths–and keep them in place. We wish this design was universal.

1997 Dodge Intrepid Review, Prices, Photos