2007 Dodge Caliber SE 1.8 from North America
Summary:
This car has potential, but needs more refinement
Faults:
-Intermittent stalling when I push in the clutch.
-Drivers side door panel rattles badly with radio on.
-Shift know coming loose.
General Comments:
I made the mistake of buying this car without driving one with a manual transmission. I test drove one with the cvt, and liked it, so I ordered a 5 speed one. After getting it, I quickly realized I did not care for this car.
Occasionally while driving when I push in the clutch, the engine will stall. Not only is this irritating, it's not very reassuring.
It lacks low end power. If you want to pull away from a stop into traffic, you need to rev the rpm's higher and slip the clutch, or you're not going to make it.
High rpm's create quite a bit of torque-steer, which isn't very enjoyable in a car with not much power to begin with.
There is very little wind noise at highway speeds, and once you're moving, you can keep up with traffic pretty well.
Good handling and comfortable seats make it a nice drive, but this car is far from sporty, and not really my ideal kind of vehicle.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 14th June, 2006
14th Jun 2006, 17:18
You know, it's funny, but all the major car publications in the U.S. are saying exactly what you're saying. What I don't understand is this: You've got Daimler as a parent company, and you well know your competition is a cut above, but you deliver THIS instead? How does DaimlerChrysler expect to compete with the Caliber? What a waste of a Chrysler/Mitsubishi/Hyundai collaboration.