2007 Dodge Caliber SXT 2L from North America

Summary:

A car up to Caliber!

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

First off, this is my 43th car since I first stated to drive in 1967'. Some I kept 4 years,others 3 months.

We are very satisfied.

It holds the road well, even when blowing wind and snow are coming sideways.

The brakes are well calibrated, and you feel secure when using them.

We are very comfortable, and the instrument panel is well laid out and well lit at night.

No need for radio controls on the steering, because buttons on dash are at your fingertips.

Adjustable height seat for the driver is easy to operate . I'm 5'11" and can easily wear a stetson hat in the car!

The regular radio is fantastic! / Air blower works well. Wiper mechanism is good, but change the wipers for a better quality.

There are a few things to get used to:

It's a bit noisy; it seems to be coming from under-body. But all st. wagons are like that.

Doors seem a bit lite. Don't close too hard!

Also the access buttons on they are small, they operate the doors and the back hatch all on the same touch. But you can't access the hatch with the key?

Besides that the car is a charm!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th January, 2008

2007 Dodge Caliber SE 2.0 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A great disappointment

Faults:

ABS light came on, sensor replaced.

Rear driver side passenger door lock wouldn’t engage.

Trim falling off.

General Comments:

My company offered me this car, as its previous new owner no longer wanted it. So my one-year-old Ford Focus was given to another colleague. What a grave mistake I made. The fascination of owning a new American brand in the UK such as Dodge quickly dissolved.

The car definitely standouts amongst all the euro looking cars on my road, but I just wished it had the same quality and ride comfort of my old Ford Focus. The diesel engine is much more louder from within the cabin than any diesel car I have sat in recently. Vibrations are felt in the cabin, particularly the gear stick and steering wheel. It is also not as economy as I was expecting. I’m averaging about 36mpg. The same engine in a VW Golf gets 47mpg plus. The ride is harsh and I always thought American cars were soft riding.

The biggest disappointment is the cabin. It feels very cheap. All the plastics are hard, with some sharp edges on the door pockets and grove box lid. The heating control knobs are coming loose and the passenger side window button has fallen into the trim. I blamed this on my girlfriend, but now I think it is due to the quality. The overhead light is a neat feature, but won't stay in place and the plastic surround on the handbrake has came off.

I have recently been in a few Chrysler and Dodge cars in the showroom while waiting on repairs being carried out on my own car. I’ve discovered that the quality of any of their cars is sub standard. It reminds me of the quality of old Kia’s, but even Kia nowadays is more than a match. I have to keep this car for two years before my company upgrades me. Two very long years. I want my old Ford Focus back.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 14th November, 2007

14th Nov 2007, 20:23

That's weird. In the US, the Caliber is pretty good and is fairly popular, but not available with a diesel. On gasoline, they advertise 30 mpg city/36 mpg highway, which is considered pretty good here. 4-cylinder gasoline, CVT transmission, front wheel drive. The mileage drops a couple mpg for the all-wheel drive versions. To my knowledge, we have virtually nothing available in this country that gets 47 mpg, including the hybrids. Interesting -- it's as though somebody doesn't want us to have super fuel-efficient cars.