Duly Noted #1

We welcome you back to our May issue with yet another new feature, DULY NOTED. Duly Noted will bring you Automotive Declassifieds hallmark unbiased opinion, much like that of our new QuickJot, but in a wider scope. Think of Duly Noted as the Panoramic version of QuickJot. It will allow us to look at the big picture. Our first entry into Duly Noted will broaden the scope of our past QuickJot review of the Dodge Avenger. Our review showed many shortcomings of the Avenger when compared against the competition. The word competition is the operative word here. In the "fiery" mid size car race the Avenger is simply outdone by the competition, especially for the price. That same platform when utilized for a different niche however can actually make a viable choice. This niche approach is nothing new. Any parent of a high school junior will be able to tell you the benefits of niche marketing their child into the college of their dreams. Maybe your son or daughter may not have a chance of getting into a top tier school on a highly competitive football,soccer or a swimming scholarship, but maybe they could get into that dream school on a Latin scholarship or how about archery!? By helping your college bound student to exploit their unique skills you are also helping a school to help fill their quota of "whatever" it may be they need. In much the same way auto companies can sometimes find success in the niches instead of coming up short in the dead center categories. Chrysler is just such an example. I find this important to talk about because the last review of the Avenger did not give justice to some of the other good examples of that same engine chassis combo found throughout the Daimler Chrysler lineup. Where the engines and chassis combo's can't keep up in the mid size market they are the norm for the entry level market occupied by the Dodge Caliber or the off-center compact car based Jeep Compass, Patriot duo. The upcoming Chrysler Sebring convertible also fills a niche with a vehicle that is unique and desirable. So the upshot of this is that one platform can create different reactions depending on the competition of the given category it finds itself in. While this platform doesn't do the mid-size car category justice it is a compelling choice in these other forms. Soon we will bring you reviews of these vehicles, so stay tuned. - Much like a family each sibling shares in common certain traits and genes but can excel in as many different ways as there are siblings.