Take a long look at this, the new Dodge Nitro. Whatever you may think of its looks — and I find it rather fetching — it is a car that people will at least notice. Except they won’t yet, as the Nitro doesn’t go on sale here until next summer and hasn’t yet made its debut even in its native America.

How is it, then, that I’ve just driven one through southern California from San Diego to Palm Springs and didn’t get so much as a second glance? That’s because in America the bestselling “car” is a vast pick-up truck, so if your set of wheels isn’t the size of a mobile home, you’re always going to struggle with road presence. SUVs are to the American car-buying public what the Toyota Corolla is to the rest of the world: so common and unremarkable that none of us can remember when we last saw one.

But in Britain, or so its importers are hoping, things will be different. Here the Nitro will sell against cars like the Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento. In a market where one Ford hatchback or another has been the staple seller for at least two decades, I suspect the Nitro is going to be as conspicuous here as it is ignored at home.

Just don’t go thinking that those looks and the promising name mean there’s huge power at your disposal. The car I drove was fitted with a 3.7 litre V6 engine, and while that might sound impressive on paper, in reality it doesn’t live up to expectations. Dodge Nitro? Flaccid more like. It comes with an old and horrid four-speed automatic gearbox and is the first six-cylinder motor I can recall since the last Ford Cortina’s that sounds as if it’s in pain when you rev it.

The good news is that the majority of Nitros sold in the UK will be powered by a common-rail 2.8 litre diesel working in greater harmony with a five-speed auto. The bad news is that because Americans only understand the word “Diesel” when it is preceded by the name “Vin” they didn’t have one for me to try.

Of even greater concern to me than the asthmatic engine was the Nitro’s ride and handling which, frankly, made me feel ill. The suspension was so soft and incapable of controlling the car’s natural desire to heave, pitch and roll that it provided one more reason to add to the regrets I had about watching the movie Poseidon on the flight over. But worry not, says Daimler-Chrysler, the suspension settings had been configured to reflect the fact that there are no corners in America. Cars destined for Europe will apparently have settings similar to the “Performance” suspension that I also tried. With these the car is transformed: the stiffer springs and dampers not only made it handle properly, the ride was also improved almost beyond recognition.

Not that I enjoyed driving the Nitro even with proper suspension, but then I never enjoyed driving the Hyundai Santa Fe with which the Nitro will go head to head. I expect customers will feel the same way about the Nitro in nine months or so. It lacks the Hyundai’s third row of seats and its second row won’t slide, recline or remove, but there is excellent headroom and legroom all round, and a vast boot.

The car’s interior reveals smart, simple instruments, sensibly arranged controls and some sense of design cohesion. I just hope the awful fit and finish of much of the trim reflect the fact that I was driving pre-production prototypes.

Driving it so long before it goes on sale means there is much about the Nitro we still don’t know — most notably the extent to which the diesel engine will improve it. Nor do we know what equipment it will carry or even how much it will cost. All I can tell you is that Dodge plans to put the car on sale “with a decent level of standard equipment for less than £20,000”.

At that level, which is less than the cheapest of the forthcoming Land Rover Freelanders, it should find a space. It certainly offers a lot of metal for your money and an all-American authenticity with which to combat the imageless Korean brands at which it’s aimed.

THE OPPOSITION

Model Hyundai Santa Fe £20,995
For Three rows of seats, refined, good performance
Against Ride quality, interior appearance, lack of image

Model Kia Sorento £19,995
For Spacious, recently updated, good value
Against No third row seating, not a coveted marque