The Dodge brand name has a strong USA heritage. The brand is a minor player in Ireland with stylish cars and SUVs that are noticed by their unique designs. Now dodge has entered the commercial market with an Irish modified Nitro model that carries forward that style along with a practical use. Michael Moroney took the Nitro van on tour and here's his report.

Whether it's a car or a commercial, there is no mistaking the style of the Dodge Nitro. Dodge is now offering a van conversion of the Dodge Nitro Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) which is both different and competitively priced.

The Dodge Nitro commercial carries forward the distinctive Nitro styling to the commercial SUV sector. It has a powerful 2.8-litre turbo-diesel engine and prices are competitive at €28,995 incl. VAT.

The Nitro is aimed at the mid-size commercial SUV market, where there is an appetite for space, towing and load carrying ability coupled with a bit of style. And the Dodge front end and chrome grille features give the longer than average bonnet design a refreshing retro look.

The Dodge Nitro comes with a 2.8-litre common rail turbo-diesel engine that complies with the latest in EU emission standards. Delivering 177bhp, the output from this four-cylinder unit is impressive and so too is its torque. The engine performance from the Dodge Nitro gives it a clear power lead relative to other mid-range SUVs.

There is a manual and automatic gearbox version of the Nitro commercial and it's the automatic version that wins out in the acceleration and comfort stakes. It delivers a marginally better acceleration at 10.5 seconds in a 0 to 100km/hr race, and it's more comfortable to drive.

In a performance sense, the Nitro commercial delivers more pace than the likes of the competing Nissan X-Trail. The downside is that the manual gearbox Nitro commercial, which I had on test, demands more strenuous effort in terms of gear changing, detracting from its otherwise modern design style.

Dodge fit a bigger than average engine in the Nitro and, while this delivers well in terms of acceleration, the price is poorer fuel economy. The official fuel economy rating for the Nitro is 8.6 litres/100km (33mpg), and that's high for a mid-range commercial SUV.

Commercial vehicle drivers do not have the same constraints as regular car drivers when it comes to CO2 ratings. Commercial attract a lower VRT rate and lower road tax rates, so the relatively high CO2 output figure of 228g/km is of less consequence. The commercial conversion for the Nitro has allowed for a lowering of prices to a newly announced figure of €28,995 incl. VAT or €23,962 before VAT.

That compares with the passenger versions with a price tag of €37,995 and an annual road tax bill of €2,000. This points to the fact that if you want to drive a Dodge Nitro, then the commercial route is the only way to go. This pricing will certainly attract some drivers in the Nitro direction.

Drivers will be attracted to the Nitro for some of its standard distinctive features which are not found in many other SUVs. The four-wheel drive system is a part-time system, which has a dial operated single-speed transfer case and two modes (2WD and 4WD part-time). This aims to deliver a maximum 50/50 front/rear split of torque.

The Nitro's safety package is impressive. It includes anti-lock brakes (ABS), Electronic Stability Programme (ESP), Brake Assist System, Traction Control System and Electronic Rollover Mitigation (ERM). This latter system applies one or more brakes and/or modulates the engine throttle to prevent the vehicle entering a potential roll situation. Every Dodge Nitro has seat-belt pre-tensioners and Constant Force Retractors and the Nitro SXT model is equipped with Rear Park Assist sensors.