Dodge Caliber   Women's view

June Neary tries out an American spin on the family hatch concept in the chunky shape of Dodges Caliber

So heres the sort of family who will give something like Dodges Caliber a try. Theyll be sick of the usual family hatchback alternatives you know, the Ford Focus/Vauxhall Astra/Toyota Corolla type of option. Theyll be unafraid to try something different but in return, be wanting something that looks special, offers great values and includes plenty of standard equipment. Judged on those criteria, Dodges Caliber seems to tick all the boxes and I had high hopes when one rolled onto my driveway.

Its not pretty, but it is handsome in a chunky sort of way. My family could live with this, was my first impression.

Its not the biggest car in its class or the one with the finest interior finish. That said, you cant deny that this Dodge has quite an appeal. My road testing team colleagues call it "all round funkiness". The interior colour schemes are certainly bright and there are some nice hi-tech touches, although there isnt much oddments storage space. My nephew loved the Apple iPod holder that sits on the underside of the centre armrest. Flip the centre portion of the armrest over and your iPod has a place to sit rather than being clonked and scratched by gear in the glove box as you go round every corner.

A chilled compartment above the glove box is big enough to store four bottles of water and kept the kids chocolate from becoming a sticky mess. Meanwhile, we were able to fold the front passenger seat flat to get my nieces bike inside. The loading bay itself is pretty big but with the seats, rear knee room isnt hugely generous. My test car came with the optional Boston Acoustics stereo upgrade.

With no fewer than nine speakers, this system can really handle some bass. A speaker pod and subwoofer are fitted into the tailgate which can then swing down to face backwards perfect, the dealer told me, for impromptu block parties or barbecues.

I tried the 2.0 diesel and it looks to be the pick of the engine line-up with plenty of pulling power and a power output of 136bhp. Id go for this over the 1.8 or 2.

0-litre petrol alternatives. The 1.8 will get the Dodge to 60mph in around 9 seconds and on to a top speed of over 120mph. The 148bhp power output is a decent return in a market where, for example, a Ford Focus 1.

8i C-MAX can only call upon 118bhp but a penalty comes in terms of fuel economy, the Caliber weighing 1,345kg. Both the 1.8 and 2.0-litre petrols thrive on revs although the standard five-speed gearbox isnt the slickest unit on the market.

This is where the Dodge comes up trumps. Though this car seems a cut or two above the average family hatch, asking prices for the Caliber range model open at an almost ridiculous £11,495 and even the generously stuffed 2.0-litre SXT model that many will opt for still only demands £13,790 of you. The diesel costs from £15,290.

That for a car that features gear like air conditioning, cruise control, 17-inch aluminium five-spoke wheels, leather upholstery, tyre-pressure monitoring and a Chill Zone beverage cooler. If youre feeling guilty and feel obliged to give your impoverished Dodge dealer a little more than that £13,790 sticker price, I can heartily recommend the optional MusicGate Power Group system. This adds a leather-trimmed steering wheel with audio controls and the aforementioned nine-speaker Boston Acoustics premium sound set-up. Its hard to argue with value like this.

Ive outlined the Calibers shortcomings but it represents fantastic value for money. To specify something far less appealing, a 1.6-litre automatic Peugeot 307 say, up to this cars level would cost well over £16,000 and a 1.6-litre Golf over £18,000.

If youre savvy enough to put the Caliber on your next family hatch shortlist, like me you may find yourself struggling to come up with substantive reasons why you shouldnt buy it.

Certainly, The cars drawbacks dont bother me too much and are far out-weighed by its value and sheer pizzazz. As long as you dont mind the neighbours saying "Youve bought a what?", its well worth a try.