2007 Dodge Caliber SXT 2.0 from North America

Summary:

Nice car, still needs refinements

Faults:

Nothing yet.

General Comments:

Overall we like this car so far.

The driver's door panel is starting to squeak on rough roads a bit, and the light carpet colour is very hard to keep clean and stain free.

The glove box sliding door does not stay open to keep things cool. The dealer has heard same complanints about this.

We leased this car just to be on the safe side, as we don't want to be stuck with a lemon.

The Boston stereo sounds amazing and clear.

The car looks smart and handles very well in town and on the highways.

Overall, a well thought out car that is fun to drive, but is definitely not a race car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 30th July, 2006

9th Aug 2006, 22:12

I had heard that the Caliber was very slow and had poor build quality. I liked the looks, so I test drove a couple that had the 2.0 with the CVT. I was very pleasantly surprised with both the power and the smooth, solid feel of the car, as well as the AWESOME price. I had test driven the Toyota Matrix, Pontiac Vibe and the Scion. The Caliber would blow the doors off any of them and do it very smoothly and quietly. As for build quality, the ones I drove were much more solid and well-appointed than anything else I've driven. I've owned several Chrysler products and have never had a minutes trouble with any of them. If I can sell my current vehicle I'm buying a Caliber.

2007 Dodge Caliber SXT 2.0 from North America

Summary:

Great car, worth every penny

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong.

General Comments:

I test drove the Mazda3 wagon, the Pontiac Vibe, the Toyota Matrix and then this car. The Caliber was the most snappy and responsive of all tested. The 1.8 liter offers enough HP and torque for most everyone's needs. If you are looking into something sportier that can beat everyone off the line, don't look here.

The inside is very comfortable and has plenty of headroom for me and I'm 6'1". The rear is surprisingly comfortable for two adults. It seemed that the other cars tested were a little more refined for the fine details within the interior of the car such as the AC power plug-in. I do, however, prefer the layout and gauges of the Caliber over the other cars.

I have driven this baby just over 4000 miles since acquiring it and it has been very easy on gas with the 1.8L engine. I usually get about 35-37 mpg on the highway.

I can't speak much for reliability as the car only has 4000 miles on it.

If you are looking into buying a wagon/compact/SUV type crossover, I would recommend looking into the Caliber.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th June, 2006

19th Jun 2006, 10:42

Nice review. Keep us abreast of how she performs as the mileage is piled on. After reading so many negative things about this car in so many publications, I'd at least like to know if she holds up well.

22nd Oct 2006, 17:09

I did encounter a problem with Dodge honoring the warranty on my 1988 Daytona, and ended up having to pay a private garage to repair the problem (a warped brake rotor) at 800 miles. I kept the car another 100,000 miles and never had another problem with it. We also had a 1990 Omni that went an amazing 240,000 miles with only two timing belt replacements and two brake jobs. In 2000 I bought a Dakota pickup and up until it was totalled in January of 2006 it had never required a single repair of any kind. Chrysler builds very good cars (much better than the imports we've owned) and I think the Caliber is a definite winner. I've driven two and was more impressed with them than anything else in their class.

31st Dec 2007, 21:31

Responding to > 2nd Sep 2006, 14:12 < Honoring a manufacturer's warranty is not at the option or discretion of a dealership. A manufacturer guarantees a vehicle and certain assemblies for a certain amount of time and miles and dealers who sell/service those vehicles are obligated to repair failed systems.

The WheelMan.