Our new-vehicle data manager, Scott Schapiro, has been cruising all over southern Florida this month in our long-term Dodge Intrepid. Even though he spots many rental Intrepids on the roads near his home, which causes the snazzy styling to get a bit lost in the crowd, he still says cutting-edge styling is the most memorable aspect of this vehicle. Coming in a close second is the car's handling. Scott found the steering to be excellent, offering plenty of feedback to let the driver know what the front tires are doing. Unfortunately, the tires have a habit of screeching with little provocation, leading us to believe that the Intrepid's suspension is writing checks that its tires just can't cash.

Marketed as a sport sedan, Dodge's Intrepid ES comes equipped with AutoStick, an automanual transmission that allows drivers to shift their own gears if they choose. When placed in the conventional automatic mode, the tranny was eager to rev the motor to redline under hard acceleration and downshift to the most appropriate gear during passing maneuvers. When trying to shift our own gears using AutoStick, however, we found that it was difficult to see the gear display--causing drivers to take their eyes off the road quite often.

Scott also noticed a distinct lack of refinement and said all occupants complained about intrusive road noise inside the cabin, along with wind noise and drivetrain vibrations that were much too noticeable. This month, our Intrepid has averaged 18.7 miles per gallon during everyday driving, which is only 1.5 mpg better than the Cadillac Seville, with its additional 500 pounds, two more cylinders and 75 extra horsepower. What this means is that we're not impressed with the Intrepid's mileage performance lately.

So, what does the Intrepid offer consumers in this very competitive segment? Space, and lots of it. Rear passengers oohed and ahhed about the spacious interior and rear A/C vents, while everyone loved the cavernous trunk that was able to swallow everything from bicycles to 8-foot ladders. The bottom line: If you have a large family and need lots of space, the Intrepid will certainly fit the bill.

Total Odometer Reading: 26,658
Best Fuel Economy: 20.8 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 16.7 mpg
Body Repair Costs: $0
Maintenance Costs: $0
Problems: Squeaky driver's door, buzzing front speaker, slight squeak during throttle upshifts.