2007 Dodge Caliber Review

Specifications

Dodging Bullets

Dodge is on a testosterone high the likes of which we have not seen since the previous heyday of the Hemi back in the 60s and 70s. Coincidence? I dont think so. The domestic brand is more than happy trying to pigeon-hole itself into “man” brand status: big, bold, unadulterated muscle with plenty of mojo. No offense, but no “chick cars” in this lineup, at least not anymore.

After years of hanging the Dodge flag on powder blue Neons, as well as soft shouldered Stratus and Intrepid sedans, which even seemed tame in their gaseous light and wispy cloud names, except for the fearless Intrepid that is, the Magnum and Charger have ushered in an era of powerful cars with powerful names, and anyone shying away from the gun-toting designations had better just get out of the line of fire.

Not only is Dodge experiencing an image revival, they are also riding the wave of sales success after sales success. But really, Im not much of a numbers guy. No, what really gets my engine cranking is a company that takes aggressive, stylish concepts and puts them into production, with more voice given to the designers than the accountants and marketing mediators.

Considering Dodges willingness to stick to its guns with the likes of the Charger and Magnum, it should come as no surprise that the brands execs have kept the Caliber true to the concept that preceded it. Dodges recent spate of introductions and consequent sales successes are, as Senior Designer Greg Howell termed it, “the light at the end of the tunnel” after many years of diluted designs and middling market presence. You show me a wagon that can stand grille to grille with a Magnum and Ill show you my apologetic side. Chrysler Groups product offensive has driven its 2005 fortunes to the tune of a five percent increase in overall sales, the only North-American based manufacturer to do so (lets not quibble about Chryslers Teutonic connection just now).

Anyhow, this is one more production car that is surprisingly true to concept form. Aside from little tweaks like scaling back the Caliber concepts 19-inch alloy wheels and a bit of softening to the edges of the front fenders, the production Caliber looks nearly identical to the prototype. In fact, I cant spot any major differences aside from a functional interior that is so filled with clever little features that it will knock you on your tailgate.

Big, intimidating grilles, big flared fenders, big knobs and big shiny wheels, thats what Dodge is all about.  The Caliber is a practical city car treading that fine line between hatchback, wagon and SUV - can anyone say crossover? I particularly like the term CUV (Crossover Utility Vehicle) that has been circulating lately to describe wagonish SUVs, compact vans, sporty utes, etc. Its one of those catch-alls that saves us the effort of contradicting the manufacturer when they try to claim their wagon is a sport tourer or sport activity vehicle.

The Caliber gets away with such a designation by giving us a tall wagon body shape and capacity, but its overall profile gives it a racy hatchback shape with some coupe inspiration. A strip of black plastic (a “design graphic”) running along the roof line extends straight back from the roof line into a high spoiler, but it also gives the rear cargo area more room while deceiving the eye to maintain the sporty rear end.

While the top half of the hatchback is curvy, the bottom half is severely upright, extending a few inches past the glass, maximizing the useful stowage area below the window line. The sheared off tail also helps the cars overall aerodynamic package, reducing drag and thereby aiding fuel efficiency.

The front end of the Caliber is dominated by Magnum-sized headlamps and a Magnum-sized grille with the outline and crosshairs of said grille picked out in chrome. The bulging wedge-shaped hood flows out of the grille and visually leads into the A-pillar and the black graphic while also providing definition for the oversized fenders.  In R/T trim, the 18-inch chrome wheels look almost as aftermarket as the satin-finish-alloy 19-inchers of the concept. Almost. They still do a respectable job filling the wheel arches with little room to spare, but Im not looking forward to seeing this vehicle on the streets with piddly little 15-inch steel wheels as standard in base trim.

The engine range is replete with three gasoline variants for world markets and a turbodiesel slated for European markets only. Americans get a choice of three four-cylinder engines: a 1.8-liter unit making 148-hp and 125 lb-ft of torque; a 2.0-liter unit making 158-hp and 140 lb-ft of torque; and a 2.4-liter range topper making 172-hp and 165 lb-ft of torque; not quite GTI or Si territory, but up there with the respectable Corolla XRS and Mazda3 s. However, I have a feeling this model is at the front of the line for SRT tuning, and considering what the Street and Racing Technology team did to create the SRT-4, this all-aluminum engine, together with an AWD-ready chassis, could possibly have the next-gen Caliber-based SRT-4 creeping up on the WRXs and Evos of the motoring world. FIA World Rally series, anyone? That would definitely be a great way to get more exposure and promote Dodges sporting character on the European stage, considering it will be the vehicle which will be used to launch Dodge on the other side of the Atlantic.

These engines were designed (and will be built) in joint venture with Mitsubishi and Hyundai, and feature advanced elements such as a modular design, meaning that many of the parts from the different displacement engines are interchangeable. Other technologies include advanced cylinder head port and intake manifold design, dual Variable Valve Timing (VVT) and an intake manifold with flow control valves. In an effort to keep you from nodding off at the keyboard, Ill spare you the details, but its in place to lower fuel consumption while still boosting performance.

As I mentioned earlier, the Caliber will have available all-wheel drive, which functions primarily as a front-wheel drive system that redirects torque to the rear wheels as necessary when wheel spin is detected. Better yet, the AWD system also has a predictive algorithm that calculates if conditions are likely to lead to the need for grip at all four corners and, if needed, engages all four wheels in advance of any slippage.

The other big news on the tech front is the CVT transmission, which promises 6 to 8 percent fuel savings over a traditional automatic transmission, and will help performance by keeping the engine revving in its sweet spot at all times.

But enough about all this technical hooey, the big news is really the interior. Dodge has finally broken out a new bag of tricks that prove its designers and engineers are true to their claims that the “Calibers flexible two-box design provides ultimate interior utility.” As with many wagons and utes, the rear seatbacks split and fold in a 60/40 configuration, and can provide up to 48.0 cu-ft of stowage capacity. Thats a lot by the way. The rear cargo area features a removable vinyl load floor that can be taken out and hosed down.

Beyond sheer storage capacity is a multitude of typical convenience features, but whats impressive are some of the things that come standard, such as side-curtain airbags, an auxiliary radio input jack, electrically lit front cupholders, and a center console sliding armrest that moves forward 3 inches to accommodate shorter drivers.  The armrest lid features a unique flip pocket for storing a cell phone or an MP3 player. Additional standard features include body color grille and fascias and black door handles. And those are just the tricks you get on the basic SE.

Some of the features that you can add with various package upgrades include a six-disc audio head with AM/FM radio, cassette and MP3/CD play capability, a one-touch power window for the driver, power locks, remote keyless entry, power mirrors, body color liftgate appliqué, air conditioning, Chill Zone (which is an integrated instrument panel beverage cooler included with air conditioning), SIRIUS Satellite Radio, a Uconnect hands-free communication system, trailer tow group, floor mats and MusicGate Power (a nine-speaker Boston Acoustics premium sound system with subwoofer that includes two articulating speakers that can swing down from the trim panel to face rearward for tailgate parties and other activities).

Weve known for a long time that the Caliber was in the chamber, but its reassuring to see that Dodge keeps coming out with production vehicles that other companies would be afraid to call concepts. And like the previous new models that Dodge and Chrysler have released, the Caliber is priced so low that it will give the Koreans pause. Its MSRP of $13,985 is at the lower end of the compact price chart. Amongst its true competitors, such as the Pontiac Vibe, Toyota Matrix, Suzuki Aerio Wagon or Kia Spectra5, none are even within $500 of its base price.

Of course, its critical that the Caliber is price competitive due to its unique, wagon-only configuration, because without a lower-priced sedan to bolster sales, Dodge, and all of Chrysler Group for that matter, are hanging their holster on the Caliber in the compact class, what is fast becoming one of the toughest, leanest and meanest segments in the American market thanks to high gas prices.

The Caliber will make it to showrooms this coming spring as a 2007 model, and you can definitely expect Dodge to come out with (yup, strap yourself in for one more firearm metaphor) guns blazing and a marketing campaign that will make the beer companies look like bus-stop advertisers. Calibers will be everywhere you look, and in my eyes, thats a darned good thing.