Road Tests: Long-Term Test

We have finally said farewell to our '98 Dodge Intrepid. Now we pause to reflect upon our time with the vehicle and what it meant to us, both collectively and as individuals.

The Intrepid was universally lauded for its powerful 3.2-liter, 24-valve, V6 engine, commodious interior and cargo space, and rakish good looks. The car drove, handled, and braked exceptionally well, especially considering its size. In fact, apart from a few maintenance and build quality issues, this Dodge served our staff well over the past two years.

The '98 Intrepid was the first car ever to be designed and assembled wholly by computer. Perhaps that can explain its futuristic, love-it-or-hate-it, aerodynamically correct design. The majority of our drivers, however, thought the car was sportily attractive, and were in fact showered with compliments during their jaunts throughout the continental United States.

The actual size of the Intrepid, in conjunction with the swoopy bodywork, resulted in several complaints in the visibility department. Practically everyone who drove it commented on the impossibility of determining how much room was available for parking and merging. Rearward visibility was further hindered by fat C-pillars, a steeply raked window and a high rear deck. Also, the side mirrors could stand to be larger.

Another problem with the design of the vehicle that cropped up time and again was its proximity to the ground. During winters in Denver and Detroit, the low front overhang effectively worked as a snowplow, and nearly all of our drivers scraped a parking curb at some point. We also had to worry about the car bottoming out as we traversed potholes. This is incongruous and annoying in a family sedan; it made us feel like high school street racers in lowered Honda Civics.

The interior received mixed reviews. Initially, we were impressed by the quality of the materials - the leather seats were nice, and even the plastic seemed durable and felt good to the touch. Ergonomically, we were satisfied, determining that the controls were logically laid out. It didn't take the editors of Edmunds.com long to start picking the Intrepid apart, however -- our initial placidity turned to discontent the more time we spent in the vehicle. Hey, we're paid to complain, alright?

Most of us didn't care for the monochromatic gray cabin decor; it was intimidatingly stark and, what's more, showed off every bit of dirt and dust. Complaints also abounded for the lack of lumbar support in the seats and the absence of rear cupholders. We became less enamored of the secondary switchgear as well, noticing that the stereo controls were inconveniently located beneath the climate controls, there was no scan mode on the radio, and we had to press two buttons in succession in order to preset stations. The automatic climate controls irked us due to the uniformity of the switchgear and the relatively hard-to-read labeling.

We also found that noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) issues frequently made themselves apparent in the Intrepid. Several drivers complained of excessive road rumble and wind noise, especially off of the B-pillars, at speeds exceeding a mere 25 mph. The fans in the climate control system were also raucous, whooshing excessively on each but the lowest possible setting.

Build quality, while an improvement over past Chrysler products, was not up to the standards set by Honda and Toyota. Upon receiving the vehicle in February '98, we happened upon a misaligned right rear door, which contributed to the increased wind noise in the car, a clumsy paint job on the edge of the left rear door, and an already-malfunctioning remote keyless entry fob. As time went by, we unearthed a few more maladies. By February '99 the left rear interior door panel was practically falling off and in July we noticed the door and light fixture seals were starting to weaken and curl. Pretty inexcusable in a car just over a year old.

Accolades abounded for the Intrepid's handling abilities. One driver even went so far as to refer to it as "nimble." We also appreciated the communicative steering, which kept us apprised of all that was going on under the tires. The tires themselves, however, started to get on our nerves in August '99, with one editor noting that they were prone to screeching with little provocation. The suspension, on the other hand, was so well tied-down that, at one point, it kept an editor from exterminating a black Labrador retriever that had somehow found its way onto the freeway.

More insistently irritating problems which tended to recur during our two-year stint with the Intrepid were the temperamental remote keyless entry system and a defective driver's side window (it started to act up in June '98 and then quit working altogether in September '99). We also noted that it took an inordinate amount of effort to depress the gas pedal on this particular vehicle. But by far the most frequent complaints centered on the automatic shift lever. At 10,400 miles, we were already noticing a "slushy" feeling when shifting, and this condition was exacerbated by the lack of any illumination on the PRNDL markings. How chintzy! At night, our drivers would find themselves hitting the gas while in neutral - very embarrassing.

Our Intrepid didn't always adapt well to cold weather. December '98 in Colorado found a sticking left rear door lock, a problem which disappeared on temperate days. The next month our Dodge traveled to the hardy Midwest and our driver noted that it emitted a desultory groan upon start-up. The following month in Chicago turned up a slipping transmission at frigid temperatures. We're sure the poor thing was just aching to get back to sunny So Cal.

The Autostick feature on the Intrepid was not a favorite among our staff. Here's one of the more entertaining reactions:

Who in the hell invented AutoStick? This worthless piece of equipment should be called DipStick. The car gives no feedback to what gear you're in, it upshifts when it hits the rev limiter and downshifts when you come to a stop. This basically means that while driving with AutoStick, you are allowed to change your own gears as long as the engine speed is not too fast or too slow. Wow, that's exciting.

...Which just about sums that up. Although, to be fair, we should mention that one editor noted that using the AutoStick helped to keep the engine in its sweet spot during mountain driving.

The Intrepid, like all of our long-term vehicles, suffered its share of abuse while in the charge of the Edmunds.com staff. It got to take its first trip to the body shop in February '99, after being bombarded with hurtling chunks of ice in Detroit. Its reconstructive surgery - replacement and refinishing of the front fascia and repair of a door dent -- set us back $1060.60. We shelled out another $1553.34 in September '99, when we rear-ended an Accord. Fairbanks Dodge in Coconut Creek, Fla., smoothed out the hood for us and fixed up the front bumper. Both of these repairs were a tad more costly than we were expecting, but about on par for newer vehicles these days.

We ran into a little trouble when it came time to return our leased Intrepid to the dealer. After we finally got through to a real live person at Dodge of Alhambra, the dealership from which we leased the car, we were told that we must handle the lease return through Union Bank of California, who in turn informed us that we had to deal with the California Automobile Dealers Exchange (C.A.D.E.). C.A.D.E. took the Intrepid back with a minimum of fuss - indeed, their examination of the vehicle upon return seemed rather cursory. We ended up - thanks to an utter lack of communication on the bank's part - returning the vehicle over two months past its due date, thereby incurring two more monthly payments.

Even though the editors at Edmunds.com never exactly found themselves fighting over the keys to the Dodge Intrepid, all things considered we found it to be a functional, comfortable and attractive means of transportation. If Dodge decides to start taking more care in the assembly of its vehicles, the company will greatly strengthen the appeal of this sedan. As is, we'd have trouble recommending this mid-scale family hauler when there are much more tightly built and attractive offerings from carmakers such as Volkswagen, Ford and Honda.

What Edmunds.com says about the Dodge Intrepid:

Pros: Huge interior, gigantic trunk, smooth and powerful 3.2-liter V6 engine, excellent handling.

Cons: Cheap interior materials, lots of engine and road noise, invisible corners make parking a chore.

Best Logbook Quotes:

"The bold and intrepid, uh, Intrepid found a comfortable lane of travel ripping through the slipstream of Los Angeles traffic and reminded me that one did not need an expensive sports car to jockey for favorable lane positions on the death-match the locals refer to as 'the 405.'" -Zach Helke

"The car feels decidedly large, yet not at all unwieldy or cumbersome. Dodge did a good job of managing the Intrepid's heft and keeping the "land yacht" sensations to a minimum." -Karl Brauer

"Memorable for its unique styling, good road manners and commodious accommodations, the Intrepid nevertheless needs notable improvements in refinement. Excessive wind, road and drivetrain noises mar an otherwise competent family vehicle." -Scott Schapiro

"Maybe it's because I grew up near cattle almost all of my life, but the smell of leather is a pleasant smell, and the seats feel like they were stolen from a Cadillac." -Zach Helke

"I personally think that this car has one of the best front quarter profiles of any car today. Sleek and modern, the Intrepid felt like a car that a person likes to be seen in by other people." -Joshua Catalfo

What Owners Say About the Intrepid:
E-mail Commentary

I purchased a new 2000 Intrepid ES a month ago. So far I am very pleased with the car. I went for the 3.2L V6. It's smooth, quiet and very peppy. I test drove the 2.7L but didn't find it as quiet, especially when I spanked the gas pedal. I gave up 2 MPG for the bigger, better engine. The interior (Agate) is fantastic! The dash is aggressively styled so I don't feel like I bought my grandfathers' car. It has an abundance of room for my 4 year old and my 2 year old. I love that it came with 60/40 rear folding seats. The cloth seems very durable. I normally don't like a darker interior, but I've learned to adapt and actually like the agate color. The ride is refreshing. I can corner without feeling any inertia. I feel like I'm planted in my seat and I'm not smacking my face on the window. I did notice a little tire noise over rough surfaces, but that doesn't change my opinion of the ride. The trunk is huge, which will prove helpful for our trips to the Jersey shore. My children also appreciate the rear heating/AC ducts it came equipped with. Our choices were the Intrepid or the Caravan/Voyager...I'm glad we made the right decision. I look at it as having ample room in a sporty body. It's not a vanilla sedan. - J. Ortlieb, Philadelphia, PA

It is a great looking car, as is typical of Chrysler products. But I cannot say that the ride has been without many mechanical imperfections. We went on our first trip to the Dodge Five Star service center, while still under warranty, with a list of about 15 problems. None of the problems were major; however, in my opinion a new car should not present so many defects in just a few months. The Dodge service center fixed most of the smallest problems, but they could not hear the wind rushing through the closed doors/windows like I did while cruising at 55+ mph. I inspected the door seals and determined that they did not fit properly and left gaps in the upper rear corners of each door, where I think the wind noise was originating (and I pointed it out to the service rep). Of course their Five Star policy is "if we can't reproduce it, then we don't fix it." I then took the car to a different Dodge service center and they replaced all door seals and the noise is gone....amazing isn't it? -L. Lee, Roy, Washington

Town Hall Commentary

Last year we bought my wife a new '98 ES and are very pleased. The new 3.2lL engine has even more pep than the previous 3.5-liter and gets a little better fuel economy on cheaper gas, as the 3.5 needed mid-grade. We now have 33,000 miles on the new car and have had no problems since we got it (except we did have to go back the day after delivery as the oil cooler line had a cracked fitting that had to be replaced).

The thing we like best about the Intrepid is that it seems to be the best value for the bucks. We have had a Taurus and also tested the Lumina and the Intrigue, as well as the Diamante. The Diamante just costs too much and has a lot of torque steer. The Dodge has a lot more interior room, trunk space and horsepower than anything else in the class. The closest cars I have been in that really compare in comfort and performance are the Olds LSS and the Pontiac Bonneville -- but be ready to shell out at least another $5 grand [for either of these more upscale models].-- dlansou

The '98 Dodge Intrepid was a cheap thrill. I had an ES model with a great sound system, trip computer and many other gadgets. The car was fast and smooth. The handling was excellent for a big car and four sets of golf clubs didn't even fill the trunk. I thought the car was a great buy, especially considering all of the options.

It didn't cause me any trouble in my 25,000 miles of hard driving. My "hard driving" included some fun cornering and plenty of red line run-ups in low gear. The traction control was excellent in slippery conditions, too. I tried to make it spin in snow and ice and it just refused. The guy driving it now likes it a lot, too. He also has had no trouble.-- gnodes

Summing Up:

Current Market Value*: $17,165
Depreciation: $8,315, or 33% of original MSRP at time of lease (February 1998)

Final Odometer Reading: 36,935
Best Fuel Economy: 30.4 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 10.3 mpg
Average Fuel Economy: 20.2 mpg

Total Body Repair Costs: $2,991.94
Total Routine Maintenance Costs: $431.62
Additional Maintenance Costs: $257.72

Warranty Repairs: 5
Non-Warranty Repairs: 2
Scheduled Dealer Visits: 4
Unscheduled Dealer Visits: 6
Days Out of Service: 28 (About 15 of which were for body work)
Breakdowns Stranding Driver: 0

Recalls:

June 1999: On-board diagnostic emissions control system.

Problem History:

When we received the vehicle in February '98, the right rear door was misaligned, the left rear door didn't always respond to the remote keyless entry, and the rear window moldings were coming loose.

In June '98, the driver's side window started to malfunction, and we noticed that the driver's seat was loose in its track. In July, the driver's side door started squeaking.

September '98 turned up a wobbly steering wheel at low speeds, which was later attributed to a bad front tire.

In December '98, the left rear door lock was acting up again and the driver's door molding needed replacement. We found a blown power point fuse the following month.

February '99 unearthed a slipping transmission in cold weather and a loose left-rear interior door panel, and the "check engine" light came on (which turned out to be caused by the failure of an emissions-control part).

In June '99, there was a recall for the emissions control system (surprise, surprise) and we noticed a shimmy in the steering wheel when braking (turned out to be the result of warped front brake rotors).

In August '99, there was a slight squeak occurring during throttle upshifts.

The driver's side window stopped functioning altogether in September '99. In October the third brake-light bulb went out. We discerned an intermittent vibration through the steering wheel in November.

Dealer Service Commentary:

La Brea Chrysler/Jeep in Los Angeles, Calif.

"The service department aligned the (right rear) door correctly, replaced the weather stripping and fixed the rear window molding free of charge. They also tested the ornery rear door lock, but could not find anything wrong."

"After describing the broken window and burnt-out bulb, we were informed that it would be a day or two, but would be covered under warranty. Just three hours later we got a call that our car was ready; now that's service!"

Emich Dodge in Littleton, Colo.

Our driver was only charged $7.00 for a $24.54 oil change to make up for a longer-than-expected wait.

John Elway Dodge in Littleton, Colo.

"The service department found nothing wrong with the Intrepid's suspension, wheels, tires or alignment that could be causing the steering wheel wobble...They also couldn't find a problem with the rear door lock...To top it off, they put 60 miles on the car during its 24-hour stay, got it dirty, and didn't bother to clean it up before turning it back over to us."

Dick Huvaere's Richmond Chrysler/Plymouth/Dodge in Richmond, Mich.

"Unfortunately, this dealership experience was disappointing. They replaced the fuse for the dead power point, but it went out again the next day. They determined that a bad front tire caused the steering wheel wobble, but couldn't replace it because they 'don't deal with tires.' And they forgot to perform the 15,000-mile service altogether."

Pointe Dodge in Detroit, Mich.

Initial try: "Unfortunately, the place was a zoo...the customer service manager told our editor that he couldn't leave the Intrepid there, even with the engine light problem."

Body shop: "The technicians would remove, replace, repaint and reassemble the damaged front fascia, fix the dent in the lower driver's door and repaint its lower edge, and remove the old red scuff mark on the rear fascia for us, all to the tune of $1060.60."

Service department: "After leaving several messages that were never returned, we finally reached customer service manager Dave Ferguson on March 10, a full week after the car was supposed to have been ready for pick-up. Ferguson explained that the car wasn't ready because he was waiting for parts that he had ordered...Five days later, we were still waiting to hear back from the shop."

Allen Motors Dodge in Derry, N.H.

"A mechanic confirmed that the wheel shimmy was caused by warped rotors. They were fixed for $80 and the emissions problem was repaired at no charge."

Fairbanks Dodge in Coconut Creek, Fla.

"To our surprise, the damage estimate came to $1,700...After some haggling, we were able to get the price down to $1,553.34, still quite a charge for a small fender-bender. Our car spent about a week in the shop, and was as good as new."

Claude Short Dodge in Santa Monica, Calif.

"I easily made an appointment for the service two days in advance. The service advisor was pleasant and didn't try to sell me any extras...The car was ready by midday and we paid only the cost of an oil/filter change."

Changes to the Intrepid Since 1998

1999: Minor appearance tweaks such as chrome badging and improved floor carpeting debut for 1999. A new engine immobilizer is made available on the ES. The suspension is also enhanced with beefier sway bar links and trailing arms to improve the ride without hurting the big car's stellar handling.

2000: A performance R/T model is onboard for 2000, with a 3.5-liter V6 that cranks out 242 horsepower and 250 foot-pounds of torque. Five new colors, new seat fabric in Base models, and added horsepower and torque for ES models powered by the 2.7-liter V6 are also new. AutoStick is newly available with that engine, and ES buyers can order an in-dash CD changer. Tether-ready child-seat anchors have been added behind the rear seat, and cars sold in California meet LEV standards.

Similar Vehicles:

Chrysler Concorde
Chrysler LHS
Chrysler 300M

*based on Summer 2000 edition of "Edmund.com's Used Cars and Trucks," and expressed in U.S. dollars.