CARSHAVA

AUTO SHOWS:  Once upon a time, someone in the marketing department at Chrysler hatched what seemed to be novel idea: Take the R/T badge, once a sign of an enthusiast-oriented product, and slap it across most -- if not all -- of Dodge's lineup. It was given the green light, and the world was flooded with R/T models that drove no better than their plebian siblings.
Flash forward to today. Dodge brand CEO Ralph Gilles -- himself a driving enthusiast -- has promised to restore the R/T badge to its former glory, applying it only on vehicles that "stoke their love of driving while still taking care of their families and responsibilities." That hopefully holds true for the new 2012 Avenger R/T, which debuts this week at the 2011 New York Auto Show.
As is the case with other current models in the R/T portfolio (now including the Charger, Grand Caravan, Durango, and Journey), the new sport-tuned Avenger doesn't receive any wild bump underhood. In fact, it continues to make use of the same 3.6-liter, 283-horsepower Pentastar V-6 found in lesser Avengers, matched up to a six-speed automatic transmission.
In other words, it's not exactly a configuration that's going to raise eyebrows, quicken pulses, and set Internet discussion boards afire. But wait: In the immortal words of Ron Popeil, there's more.
The secret, or so we're told, lies entirely with chassis tuning. Lo, engineers have had their way with the Avenger's suspension bits in an attempt to liven up a front-drive platform long regarded as more milquetoast than magnificent. The Dodge crew says stiffness is increased by 18 percent, while front and rear spring rates are upped by 17 and 12 percent, respectively.