Dodge seemingly wants people to consider the Caliber as a downsized Magnum, and to believe this makes it essentially a sporty mini-minivan-cum-compact station wagon. Nice idea, but the package doesn't quite do this. Everything it does, it does well, but aside from the SRT4 model, it doesn't quite achieve the sporty part.Of the base trim packages and powertrains, we believe the SXT with the 2.0-liter engine and five-speed manual delivers the best all-around performance.
The 2.4-liter engine's 172 horsepower arguably does a better job of motivating this one-and-one-half ton hatchback, but the CVT was neither as comfortable nor as precise in its selection of gear ratios as we hoped, or as Dodge promises. Left in Drive, it sounds and feels like an automatic that needs to have its bands tightened, or like a manual gearbox with a slipping clutch. Even in AutoStick mode, which involves imposing an electronically managed shift pattern on a transmission designed not to shift gears, engine speed wandered noticeably within the selected ratio. While Dodge says it adjusted the CVT to make it quieter and more drivable for 2008, we didn't notice a difference. And while Dodge says its testing shows the CVT improves fuel economy by between six to eight percent over a four-speed automatic, the 2.4-liter with five-speed manual is rated at 23 mpg City and 29 Highway, compared to 21/25 with the CVT, according to EPA estimates.
The 1.8-liter base engine is EPA rated at 24 mpg City and 29 Highway, while the 2.0 comes in at 23/27. But with fully 10 percent less torque, the 1.8 is also the least responsive to the gas pedal when you need it the most.
All three base engines deliver their power smoothly, with no disruptive surges or flat spots. Pedal layout is decent, while not quite ideal for heel-and-toe downshifts, and there's a dead pedal where drivers can rest their left foot on long trips.
The SRT4's engine is a different beast altogether. With 285 horsepower and 265 pound-feet of torque, it can motivate the SRT4 from 0 to 60 mph in about six seconds flat. That's slightly slower than the 2006 SRT4, which was based on the Neon. While the Caliber SRT4 has 55 more horsepower than the 2006 SRT4, the Caliber is larger and heavier, so the extra power doesn't quite make up for the difference.
The Caliber SRT4's 2.4-liter engine exhibits some turbo lag, but it's mercifully short and the car is more than willing to get up and go from a stop. Passing power is prodigious provided you are in the right gear. If you let the rpms run too high, the engine will run out of breath, too low and you'll have to wait for the turbo to spool up. Deft shifting can avoid these problems. Speaking of shifting, the manual gearbox has fairly short throws and positive engagement, making it fun to operate.
Driving and handling dynamics for SE, SXT and R/T models are mostly consistent, about on a par with the Vibe and the Matrix but not quite in the same league as the more tautly sprung Mazda3. There's not as much body lean in corners as we expected in a car this tall. Under hard acceleration, front-drive models show some torque steer, where the front-wheel drive tugs at the steering wheel, a shortcoming shared with every front-wheel-drive car we can remember in this class. This problem is compounded by the SRT4's greater power.
The Caliber's weight is biased to the front, so understeer (where the car wants to go straight instead of turning) is the default mode when corners are entered a bit too fast. The all-wheel-drive R/T is much better mannered in both these regards, especially in tight corners, when the system distributes the power as appropriate between the front and rear wheels to put the power where it can be used best, as much as 60 percent to the rear wheels if necessary. One downside to the AWD is the added unsprung weight with which it burdens the suspension, mass that's felt over pa
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