2004 Dodge Intrepid SXT

What with the seething masses of minivans, sport utility vehicles, the new so-called cross-over models, compacts and sport compacts and all the rest of it, the concept of what we used to call the family car can seem a little lost. But there are still significant numbers of people who need exactly that—a roomy, comfortable four-door sedan with plenty of legroom and headroom, a big trunk, all the usual conveniences and enough power to get easily away from stoplights or keep up with highway traffic—at a price that won't ding too far into the mortgage payments and grocery money. Such a car is the Dodge Intrepid.

Outside, the Intrepid is all sleek lines and aerodynamic efficiency, and the cab-forward shape gives it a distinctive shape.

The Intrepid line starts with the SE, with a base price of $22,035. Above that is the SXT, starting at $24,885, and the ES, at $26,065. The SE gets down the road with a 2.7-liter DOHC V-6 rated at 200 horsepower. Power for the SXT and ES is a 3.5-liter DOHC V-6, giving 250 horsepower in the SXT (which is the sportiest of the Intrepid line), and 232 in the more luxury-inclined ES. In all cases, the transmission is a four-speed automatic.


Our subject Intrepid, the SXT, arrives equipped with a full complement of features and accessories. Standard includes air conditioning, power mirrors, power driver's seat, power windows, power door locks, remote entry, tilt wheel, cruise control, fog lamps, rear defroster, floor mats, four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes, a 60/40 split folding rear seat and an AM/FM stereo with in-dash CD player and six premium speakers. Consider the base price of the SXT and that's a lot of car for your money. Even loaded with every option available, it's going to be a long way under thirty grand.

Open the door and clamber inside, and a first impression will likely be that this is one generous interior.

Outside, the Intrepid is all sleek lines and aerodynamic efficiency, and the cab-forward shape gives it a distinctive shape that still looks good, even after all these years. Open the door and clamber inside, and a first impression will likely be that this is one generous interior. There's plenty of room all around, and rear-seat passengers not only have lots of space for heads, legs and feet, but nice, big doors for easy getting in and getting out. Between the front seats is an armrest, the padded cover of which opens to reveal a bin for tapes, CDs and loose change. In the center of the rear seat is a fold-down armrest, which includes cupholders for those in back. One nice thing: Even with the aerodynamic shape, the rear door window opening is still big enough to allow passengers to watch the scenery without cranking their necks like a paper clip.


There's a really big trunk, that measures over 18 cubic feet, although the sleek slope of the rear window forces the trunk opening to be smaller than ideal. Still, that big trunk and the fold-down rear seats mean that if you regularly need to carry more gear than the Intrepid will handle, you probably should have bought a minivan, sport utility or pickup in the first place.