2010 Caliber test drive

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Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: rudolphna
Originally Posted By: saaber1
The truth about cars review.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/dodge-caliber-20/

Top gear review:

http://www.topgear.com/uk/dodge/caliber


These prove that critics of all kind are snobby. Movie critics, game critics, car critics... They can say what they want. Take those with a grain of salt. Heck, the topgear one shouldn't be looked at with anything other than humor. I like the caliber a lot. I think it looks nice, and is composed on the road, and the steering isn't THAT numb. I'd say none at all.


Since I am "The Critic," what does that make me?
wink.gif



Jeez... Ok not ALL Critics, and certainly not you.
 
I'm not loyal to any brand, but I think GM has a special place in my heart. My dad was a big GM guy, 70's Impala, Pontiac, Chevy and Buick Wagon's, Lumina etc. I loved my 01 Impala LS barring the electrical gremlins I had. Now with the G6 and VVT on a pushrod is quite thrilling. My buddies father(who was my fathers best friend recently passed away) was a very big Ford guy. Mustang's were his pride and granted I wasn't big on Fords of the late 90's early 2000s(personal experiences) they were unique in how they were incorporating new ideas and now Ford is on a rampage.

Granted they GM and Chrysler were bailed out they are striving and offering vehicles with more refinement. I said it in a post before and I'll say it again. All 3 were slumbering and unleashing the same old vehicles with a few changes and when dookie hit the fan, it was as if overnight they started to put out these more modern up to date cars that compete and even surpass foreign competitors in some areas.

It takes a crisis to reinvent the wheel.
 
Originally Posted By: The Critic

Plus Calibers don't attract women.


Real men don't need a car to attract women. I feel sorry for you if you need a specific car to attract women.
 
We sell a lot of used Calibers and they're OK. Pretty roomy, versatile interiors, easy to drive, a good deal for a 1-2 yr old car. Not what I'd call the most refined car out there, but a nice car if you're used to something 10 yrs old.

Personally, I like the Jeep Patriot and Compass better. Same platform but different feel. A Patriot Limited with heated leather, Boston Acoustic stereo, nav, etc, can be had in the low/mid $20's. Everyone that has demo driven a Patriot has offered positive comments. Most have been pleasantly surprised.
 
I like the Caliber, but like it was said, I'd go for a Patriot/Compass before one of the them. Same platform, but slightly larger engine, and more usuable space, IMO.
 
Originally Posted By: rudolphna
Originally Posted By: saaber1
The truth about cars review.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/dodge-caliber-20/

Top gear review:

http://www.topgear.com/uk/dodge/caliber


These prove that critics of all kind are snobby. Movie critics, game critics, car critics... They can say what they want. Take those with a grain of salt. Heck, the topgear one shouldn't be looked at with anything other than humor. I like the caliber a lot. I think it looks nice, and is composed on the road, and the steering isn't THAT numb. I'd say none at all.

I don't really get the Caliber bashing either, granted I haven't driven one for more than a 1/2 hour but it seemed to be equal to every other small car I've been in, I guess it had a more sporty feel than a focus/corolla/cobalt/elantra boring sedan clone, with a hatchback for utility. I find here that resale value is surprisingly high too. I'd like to try a manual trans one but the CVT was well behaved and reacted very fast using the shift paddles. I can't comment on the mileage but I'd think I could match my Neon with one at least, mid 30's for mostly highway commuting.
 
I've always liked the idea of a Caliber. I've never driven one. Can you still get the 2.4? IIRC, they changed all the models up this year, and dropped the RT (2.4), and SRT. My wife just doesn't like wagon-like vehicles.
 
My father has an 07 from July 06 Build, SXT with 2.0 and CVT.

Took it on long 600 mile trip with 4 adults and luggage, returned over 34 mpg wiht him flying along at 75mph LOL

He has not had a single problem with it in 3 years. Nice little car with a hatch.

With the new interior and agressive pricing, I Would buy one in a heartbeat over say a junky Corrolla my MIL bought this past year. I have driven both and the Caliber feels tighter and has better engine in my opionion. I would opt for the 2.4 and the stick if I bought one, and the interior in the Caliber is better than the [censored] in a Corrolla, and is more versatile.
 
I had one as a rental for a few weeks, it was fine. For the price you get SUVish versatility and a higher ride height. I'd take a look at it if I was in the market.

I am not the biggest fan of CVT transmissions, so I would probably check out a stick.
 
Top Gear is a Brit based view , and if it isn't Europe it is junk in their view .

I would not give them bad toothed Limys a second thought
 
The Caliber would have been a nice car and competitive in the marketplace in 2003. Today, it is outclassed and outshined by nearly every vehicle in the small car segment. It's not going to get any better for Chrysler either. With GM and Ford releasing their new small cars very soon (Cruze and Focus, respectively), Chrysler is going to be stuck with the lame-duck Caliber for a few more years while even their domestic peers get some new iron.

Cheap interior materials and an overall underwhelming interior design is what kills it for me. I hate the World engine, in any flavor. Thrashy sounding, poor fuel economy, and unimpressive power. Add to that a CVT and it becomes a car I would promptly sell if it were given to me for free.
 
i had one as a rental when i was having some body work done. i loved the caliber. especially all the cubby holes in the interior. it was good on gas too! mike
 
Originally Posted By: MrHorspwer
The Caliber would have been a nice car and competitive in the marketplace in 2003. Today, it is outclassed and outshined by nearly every vehicle in the small car segment. It's not going to get any better for Chrysler either. With GM and Ford releasing their new small cars very soon (Cruze and Focus, respectively), Chrysler is going to be stuck with the lame-duck Caliber for a few more years while even their domestic peers get some new iron.

Cheap interior materials and an overall underwhelming interior design is what kills it for me. I hate the World engine, in any flavor. Thrashy sounding, poor fuel economy, and unimpressive power. Add to that a CVT and it becomes a car I would promptly sell if it were given to me for free.


Nobody complains about those exact same engines in the Hyundais and Mitsubishis.
 
Originally Posted By: rudolphna
Originally Posted By: MrHorspwer
The Caliber would have been a nice car and competitive in the marketplace in 2003. Today, it is outclassed and outshined by nearly every vehicle in the small car segment. It's not going to get any better for Chrysler either. With GM and Ford releasing their new small cars very soon (Cruze and Focus, respectively), Chrysler is going to be stuck with the lame-duck Caliber for a few more years while even their domestic peers get some new iron.

Cheap interior materials and an overall underwhelming interior design is what kills it for me. I hate the World engine, in any flavor. Thrashy sounding, poor fuel economy, and unimpressive power. Add to that a CVT and it becomes a car I would promptly sell if it were given to me for free.


Nobody complains about those exact same engines in the Hyundais and Mitsubishis.

don't forget kia
 
My brother has an 07 SXT Caliber w/about 60k on it now. It's actually holding up much better than I though. And my bro is pretty hard on his cars....

It has a good amount of space and cubbies, as we used his car to help a friend move. It will push 30mpgs pretty easy (does a good amount of freeway driving), and still pulls mid 20s around town.


It took a little while, but it grew on me. The refreashed 10's help the interior look a lot less cheap(er). Not sure if I'd buy a new one, but they are a good used car value...
 
Looks like you can still get the 2.4 in a Caliber Rush. It's rated 21 city/25 hwy. Yikes, that's worse than some V6 mini-utes with a lot more space and utility.
 
Originally Posted By: kkreit01
Looks like you can still get the 2.4 in a Caliber Rush. It's rated 21 city/25 hwy. Yikes, that's worse than some V6 mini-utes with a lot more space and utility.

Jesus, that's pretty darn awful.

My mom's 2010 Altima is EPA rated 20/27, and that car will do 6.6 sec 0-60 runs and < 15 sec quarter miles all day long.
 
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: kkreit01
Looks like you can still get the 2.4 in a Caliber Rush. It's rated 21 city/25 hwy. Yikes, that's worse than some V6 mini-utes with a lot more space and utility.

Jesus, that's pretty darn awful.

My mom's 2010 Altima is EPA rated 20/27, and that car will do 6.6 sec 0-60 runs and < 15 sec quarter miles all day long.


I reluctantly sold my '07 Caliber a few weeks ago.

My Caliber would get 30-32 MPG on the highway. It hauled all the stone tile for our basement (42 boxes if I remember correctly). It also hauled several 10' sections of gutter, a few doors, lumber for several projects, and a lot of office furniture.

Comparing the Caliber to the Altima is downright stupid. They are different vehicles for differnet uses.
 
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Comparing the Caliber to the Altima is downright stupid. They are different vehicles for differnet uses.

I was just comparing MPG to performance.

A Toyota RAV4 V6 will deliver better highway mileage than a Caliber 2.4 and have more cargo capacity. Plus it'll smoke it any day.
 
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