Dodge Caliber 2.0-Litre petrol
As much as anything, this job involves taking the rough with the smooth. For every Italian exoticar we get to enjoy, there are countless Korean econoboxes to endure. Its impossible to leave certain preconceptions behind when encountering a car, even one that fits as few niches and stereotypes as the Dodge Caliber. I thought I knew what to expect.
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Dodges launch of the Caliber tried very hard to stress its young, in your face appeal. Its hard to imagine Peugeot or Vauxhall choosing the Pacha nightclub in Ibiza to introduce their car, although much of Dodges best efforts were undermined by a senior suit describing the venue as a trendy disco. After a number of lifestyle videos and viral ads that aimed at underlining Dodges irreverent brand values, I found myself rather warming to the car. It certainly looked a good deal more distinctive than the usual family hatch like a Focus or an Astra.
The tagline attached to the vehicle claims its anything but cute and youd have to agree. The bold wheelarches, huge grille with the traditional Dodge crosshairs and the big alloy wheels that most ride on arent your usual cuddly mainstream fare. This was underlined when the Calibers designer claimed the name was dreamed up as a continuation of the Magnum theme. Are you feeling lucky, punk? Pumped full of the Dodge message, I harboured a suspicion that this was as favourably disposed as Id get towards the Caliber and that a subsequent drive would only dull the impression.
The fact that my car was finished with an optional Mopar styling kit didnt do it too many favours, the bright blue plastics on the centre console resembling the sort of thing youd buy for a mobile phone at a car boot sale. After sampling a standard car, Id recommend that you keep your money in your pocket when it comes to options time. Otherwise things looked good. The interior quality was nothing to give Volkswagen a fit of anxiety but its certainly a long way removed from the typical LAX hire car standard.
An obviously Mercedes-sourced LCD display looked conspicuously slick, in much the same way that the BMW-sourced stereo systems rather stood out in the old Rover 75.
"Its impossible to argue with this sort of value for money. Buy this car before Dodge realise their mistake"
The 2.0-litre engine is the most powerful petrol unit in the line-up, for the time being at least. The standard 156bhp 1998cc powerplant is nothing particularly special in and of itself, but the automatic gearbox its connected to merits a little inspection. Continuously Variable Transmissions (CVTs) are nothing particularly new, having been around in various guises for well over thirty years.
They tend to be unloved by keen drivers who often drive a car by ear as much as anything although they are undeniably fuel efficient, plugging into the meat of the torque curve with a dogged determination. Leave the Calibers shifter in D and the CVT gearbox does its thing rather unnervingly. Accelerate hard and the revs will rise rapidly to the 6,000rpm redline and stay there, the engine note not changing a jot from a rather discordant blare yet the car will accelerate rather purposefully. It takes some getting used to.
Its also pretty dramatic and serves to endow the Caliber with a more purposeful feel than its undeniably modest power output would suggest. If youre unwilling to put up with these rather odd characteristics, the gearbox also has a mode where you can knock the gear lever from side to side to shift up and down through six artificially mandated ratios. Its a lot more enjoyable and the shift times are lightning quick. Dodge call this Auto Stick and although it would have been better tapping the lever fore and aft rather than from side to side, its pretty good fun.
You dont get wheel-mounted paddles to play with though. Performance figures arent anything to get excited about, the Caliber hitting 60mph in 10.7 seconds before running on to a top speed of 125mph. The fuel economy is nothing stand out either, the 2.
0-litre recording an average of around 35mpg. What is absolutely astonishing about this car is its price. This would appear to be a £17,000 car all day long. Your boss will think it is, your neighbours will too and so will anybody else looking.
It seems a cut or two above the average family hatch but asking prices for the Caliber Range model open at an almost ridiculous £11,495 and even the generously stuffed 2.0-litre SXT model I sampled still only demands £13,790 of you. 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 a nine-speaker Boston Acoustics premium sound set-up. Best of all theres a pair of speakers that swing down from the tailgate to face rearward. The party really is right here. 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 2.0-litre on your next family hatch shortlist, like me you may find yourself struggling to come up with substantive reasons why you shouldnt buy it.
Facts At A Glance
CAR: Dodge Caliber 2.0-litre petrol Range
PRICES: £13,790 - £13,930 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 13E
CO2 EMISSIONS: 192g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 10.7s/ Max Speed 125mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [urban] 28.0mpg / [extra urban] 40.9mpg / [combined] 34.9mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side and curtain airbags, ABS, tyre pressure monitoring /
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 4414/1747/1533mm
