Comments on: The cars : Hillman Avenger

By: Comical_Engineer

Comical_Engineer — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 15:48:21 +0000

An under-rated and largely forgotten car. No great shakes on the looks front but they were robust and reliable. My dad nearly bought one but with 3 kids there just wasn’t enough rear seat space and we opted for an older Triumph 2000 instead (probably a lucky escape as the Triumph served us well).

Never thought much of the strip speedo interior which was distinctly low rent when compared with the MkVI Minx that we had at the time (also with strip speedo but much bigger inside). I always felt that the Avenger competed more with the Escort Mk2 in terms of passenger space.

I also never felt that the Chrysler front and rear end facelift was a definite step backwards, especially with the bug eye headlights and chrome grill. The Avenger estate was a pretty useful tool with decent interior space. I can recall loading boxes into one when a friend moved house.

The Avenger was also much better built than the subsequent Alpine which had bodwork with the durability of cheese and I remember seeing several well rusted Alpines parked up in a breakers along with a much better looking and 5 year older Avenger!

By: The Wolseley Man

The Wolseley Man — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 20:59:56 +0000

When I was driving lots of everything in the early 70”s the Avenger fared well in many people’s view – and the motoring press rarely kicked it hard, preferring to come down on the side of style, value for money, practicality and reasonable performance. (I think even the boys at CAR rated it well)
My own view was that the Fiat 124 and the Vauxhall Viva were infinitely more fun to drive. The Fiat particularly just begged for you to slide the seat back, put on your Paddy Hopkirk driving gloves, wack the heater up, drop the window and enjoy the next 200 or so miles. Oh’ happy days!

By: KC

KC — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 19:15:38 +0000

Always thought Avengers looked ungainly and unbalanced, and they haven’t improved with age. I learned to drive in one; it was bright orange and had that strange half-vinyl roof which no other manufacturer ever copied.

Avengers weren’t bad to drive once you were inside, with decent handling and performance; I’ve driven many worse cars since those days.