2007 Dodge Caliber SXT 2.0L
Summary:
Way more than you'd expect for your money!
Faults:
Rear dome light needed to be tapped to work. I changed the bulb, and no problems since!
Flaking paint on the front bumper - Dealer's fault. They attempted to cover some rock chips, and didn't prepare the surface or mask anything before spraying it. They promptly replaced the bumper, and any part that had any over-spray on it. They even put me in a rental while they fixed it.
General Comments:
It's been a fantastic car. I love driving it, and it's pretty darn comfortable for being a mid-trim model car. It's been as reliable as my old Toyota so far, and hopefully will be in the future. I have a pretty heavy foot at times, so I'm hard on engines and transmissions. If the powertrain were cheaply built, I would have broken something by now.
The Caliber's performance, for a 2.0L, is fantastic, especially with that CVT keeping the engine where it needs to be for passing power. My only real complaint so far is road noise; it is not the quietest car in the world. I drove an 08' SRT caliber that didn't have the issue, so I'm assuming it's my tires (they're getting close to the end of their life). The 6CD mp3 changer sounds pretty good. It could use a subwoofer, but I wanted a yellow car, so I took what I could get.
The paint is pretty tough, but tends to get some bad chips around the wheel wells.
The handling is not like Audi, but beats the Focus and Cobalt in similar trim levels.
Interior space is amazing for such a small car. I put all the seats down, and hauled home a queen size bed (from Ikea) in it. The hatch closed, with room to spare.
My favorite part is, everyone whom sees it, or gets into it loves it. It's the only car I've ever had that everyone says about, "This car is sweet!" It must be the solar yellow colour!
Don't get the light interior; the plastics get dirty very easily, and are a royal pain to clean!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 19th November, 2008
24th Jul 2008, 23:04
I test drove several Calibers in late 2006 and really liked them. I was a little concerned about the CVT belt not holding up, but apparently that has not been an issue. I decided to wait until the summer of 2007 to buy another car, and at that time I found out that Dodge had dropped the beautiful yellow color choice, and since all the others were dull and boring, I bought another brand. I don't know why auto makers are going to such blah and uninspired colors.