2007 Dodge Caliber
Chrysler Group needs the Caliber to be a great car. Riding a wave of success, the American division of DaimlerChrysler has avoided the mountain of negative press that has surrounded the various and sundry calamities of General Motors and Ford its fellow Detroit automakers.
In fact,
chanel bags, the former Chrysler Corp. is held out as a model of the rebirth of the American auto manufacturer. Inevitably, whenever some pundit pontificates about the 30,000 Ford employees about to lose their jobs or the US$8.6 billion GM lost last year, they throw in a tidbit about DCX being the only profitable manufacturer in the United States.
Investigate a little further,
reebok shoes, though, and you find that, as in the past, Chrysler is something of a one trick pony. Like all the company past financial crises that were resolved by the introduction of one extremely popular vehicle think the MagicWagon, K car and the original LH sedans the company current fiscal success rides on the back of the Chrysler 300/Dodge Magnum duo.
Depending on just one product for financial security, as everyone who put their life savings in Nortel can attest, is a recipe for disaster. Diversification is the only sure road to success. And, after years of being a bit player in the compact segment, Chrysler Group has decided it will test its new found success and design expertise by going head to head with the Honda Civic, that most powerful of icons.
Chrysler reasoning is simple. Compact cars,
soccer shoes, it says, represent 47% of the entire Canadian auto market, a whopping 380,000 units in 2005 alone. According to Chrysler, the Caliber is designed for a wide range of potential customers from early twentysomethings with a household median income of $65,000 to 50 year olds with decidedly more disposable income.
That expansive demographic is reflected in the wide range of Calibers from the $15,995 SE with a 148 horsepower, 1.8 litre four banger mated to a five speed manual to the top of the line R/T with all wheel drive and a powerful, 172 hp 2.4L four. In between, there an SXT with an optional 158 hp, 2.0L with either the five speed manual or a continuously variable transmission (CVT).
Even at that low price, the SE gets an AM/FM/CD player, side air curtains and a flat folding rear storage floor. Move up to the $17,
ralph lauren polo,695 SXT and, along with the more powerful 2.0L, there standard air conditioning, power windows and mirrors as well as 17 inch wheels. The $23,995 R/T gets all wheel drive, the 2.4L engine, 18 inch alloys and upgraded sports suspension.
Though most of that is standard stuff in the compact segment, some of the Caliber options are significantly less common. The SXT and R/T get 110 volt outlets, there is a cooler in the glove box (standard on SXT and R/T; optional on SE), and Dodge even offers a way nifty removable and rechargeable LED flashlight built into the roof of the cargo area (SXT and R/T only).
On the safety front, the low priced SE gets standard side curtain air bags and driver side knee air bag as well as the common front bags. Only the seat mounted side air bags are optional. And,
michael kors, finally, if you part of the Caliber primary twentysomething demographic that enjoys ear splitting music, there is an optional 458 watt, nine speaker Boston Acoustics sound system that includes two articulating speakers that swing down from the rear hatch for tailgate parties. The SXT and R/T even offer an optional Bluetooth enabled UConnect system for hands free cellphone usage.
So the Caliber has the value thing down pat. How does it drive?
Pretty well, thank you very much. For one thing, the new 2.0L and 2.4L DOHC engines are amazingly smooth, thanks, in part,
soccer jerseys, to counterbalancing shafts. Unlike previous Chrysler four bangers, the engines are quite quiet even at 6,000 rpm. Though the base 1.8L engine can sound a little busy, the top two engines easily beat the best from Toyota or Honda in the noise,
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The 2.0L and 2.4L are also more than powerful enough; the main difference between the two is the larger engine greater low end torque. There less difference, however, between top end horsepower. Though Chrysler credits the larger engine with 14 more horsepower, there not a huge difference between the two when your foot is planted firmly against the firewall. This isn surprising since the 2.4L gets its displacement bump via a larger stroke, something more conducive to increased low end torque than high revs power.
Both benefit from one of the best CVTs to date. Unlike conventional automatics, a CVT has no gears and constantly varies its ratios to suit the conditions. One of its traits is that when accelerating hard, the engine maintains a constant rpm (generally at the speed it generates the most power) and the CVT changes ratios to pick up speed. Unfortunately, many drivers find the sensation of accelerating without an attendant increase in engine noise quite disconcerting.
Chrysler gets around that by building some artificial steps into its CVT. In fact, it even kicks down when you floor it, just like a regular autobox. At the same time, though,
louis vuitton, it still manages to keep most of the fuel economy advantage that is the CVT raison d In other words, the Dodge gets an A in the powertrain department, right down to the electronically controlled all wheel drive system standard on the R/T.
The handling isn half bad, either, especially with the sport suspension package that standard on the R/T. Along with the low profile P215/55R18 performance radials, it spices up the Caliber steering without unduly affecting its ride. Even the SXT 17 inch wheels make quick work of corners, but, surprisingly, its ride isn appreciably better despite its softer damping.
As well as being feature packed,
ghd straighteners, the Caliber interior is quite roomy. Because of its hatchback styling (think Mini Me Magnum), there lots of headroom. Even legroom is adequate for four six footers. The rear doors sills are pretty high, though, so getting in and out of the rear seats can be a trifle difficult.
For the most part, the interior styling is quite attractive. The centre console faceplate is matched to the car exterior colour and seat bottom. It could be a recipe for garishness, but it actually works quite well.
More disappointing is the cheap plastic on the interior of the doors. I thought this kind of hard, dull grey plastic went out with the Chevy Cavalier. Also, the fit of the passenger side air bag was decidedly wonky. By way of an excuse, Chrysler officials noted that these were early prototypes. But this kind of thing crops up in other Chrysler production vehicles as does the huge gap between the hood and front fender. These things need to change if the automaker is going to convince consumers that the Caliber is a vast step beyond the old Neon/SX 2.0.
Which it most decidedly is. Powertrain refinement surpasses that of Asian competitors, and advanced technology features are not what one normally expects from Dodge but which the Caliber delivers.
This is the first Dodge small car that competes with the Japanese on an equal footing. The true measure of its capabilities, however,
longchamps, will come in the marketplace and whether Chrysler can sell the Caliber without the rebates and discounts that have crippled the American automobile industry.
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