pet connection

“Adventure will come to you on four wheels.” — fortune cookie

Well, I don’t know about that, but I do know a pretty nice dogmobile was delivered this week: The Dodge Nitro. So far, the only DaimlerChrysler vehicle that hasn’t made a great impression was the Jeep Liberty, and since it’s an old model that’s supposed to be redesigned next year to be more like the Nitro, it’ll soon be difficult to get a Dodge or Chrysler minivan, SUV or crossover that won’t make a great dogmobile.

The Nitro is no exception.

Although the coming-at-ya front design is a little too hard-edged for me, that overpowering grill work is the only thing I didn’t like about this vehicle. (And I suspect that’s because its target audience is younger than I am, and male.) The boxy design of the Nitro is going to be a lot like the Honda Element, I figure: You’re going to really, really like it or shy away in horror.

But if you’re in the latter group, get in and be convinced.

Longtime blog readers know my biggest complaint with utility vehicles is that all the sloped backs and rounded edges mean a lot of cargo space gets wasted inside. That’s not true with the Nitro, with its square back and high profile. You’ll find every inch of cargo space is useable, and Dodge has made it even easier to get to than any other vehicle I’ve driven so far.

That’s because the Nitro has an innovative roll-out platform — the Load ‘N Go — that allows you to load up without leaning over and in, which as all we boomers know is the prescription for a back injury. Once you’re loaded up, the platform rolls easily back into the cargo bay. This is one of the niftiest features I’ve ever seen, and I immediately used it to load 50 pounds of dog food into the back (total capacity for the platform is 400 pounds, according to Dodge.) I lifted the box with my knees, set it on the platform and rolled the platform in. How cool — and safe — is that?

The rear cargo area also has six cargo tie-downs for securing crates and other gear once you’ve rolled them in.

Other pet friendly features include second-row seats that fold completely and easily flat, and recessed cup-holders that deter a paw in the latte. The version I tested didn’t have heated seats (yes, I knew you’d all wonder), but there were so many blank buttons I’m sure it can be added as an option. Mine did have a moonroof for additional ventiliation, and power windows all around for more. The rear glass didn’t flip up independently of the rear hatch, but the hatch itself was easy to lift.

Ground clearance is good enough for a turn down a bumpy road, but probably not for serious cruising to off-road dog-related events. The interior is comfortable and the handling good, but not exciting. Fuel economy: A modest 17/21, about par for most mid-sized SUVs.

Because I’m a little bit of a geek, I have to mention one exceptionally cool feature that’s not at all dog-related: The Dodge Nitro offers as an option a 20GB hard drive for letting you load up music and pictures, turning the vehicle into a virtual iPod. Or, you can just plug in your iPod and play music from there. The Nitro also has options for delivering an array of voice-activated commands. Dog-related? How about this: You can set the Nitro to have a picture of your pup on the screen as wallpaper. OK, so I’m impressed.

You won’t find all that gadgetry on the entry-level model, which starts at a tick under $20K. But it doesn’t take much more of an investment ($3,000-$5,000) to load up all the bling on one of most promising dogmobiles out there.

Update: The space between the wheel wells is a 42.5 inches. That means the Midwest side-by-side crates will fit with the second-row seats folded flat.