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2007 Dodge Caliber SE Road Test

Here we are, at that end of the marketplace. What we have here is bare bonestransportation; motoring and nothing more. Currently I'm sitting at the corner of “the cheapest” and “that'll do”, deep in bargain basement country, and am on the lookout for the highest value for the dollar. While I often test entry-level subcompact and compact vehicles, it's very rare that I drive stripped out vehicles. It's been ages since I've had a car without keyless entry, power windows or ABS brakes, and it's been even longer since I've had a car without air conditioning. But these are all qualities of this week's lovely tester, the “value leader” Dodge Caliber SE.

Now, the Caliber is a pretty cool machine in its own right. It looks great in any of the wide number of eye-catching colors it's offered in, with large, chrome-plated alloy wheels and acres of matte black plastic.

This is really simple transportation, no frills added. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

It's also the king of gadgets, at least when it comes to compact cars, with its ChillZone beverage cooler, useful removable and rechargeable LED flashlight,and marginally antisocial MusicGate swing down speaker system that blasts sound from an open tailgate to parking lot partiers. It's also one of the few compacts you can get with all-wheel drive. But these are all options on the Caliber that can drive up the base price. So, how does Dodge's least expensive model hold up without such features? Not badly at all, and a huge step forward from the lowest common denominator

It's got quite the truckish profile, and plenty of matte black plastics. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

of just a few years ago.

After the SX 2.0 (Neon), which was, for the better part, fairly ordinary, the Caliber is like a jolt of internationally inspired espresso. It's Dodge doing what it does best, exerting its true identity in the design of its automobiles. The result has certainly been dividing people left right and center, but one thing most won't even try to argue about is that it's distinctive, because there's nothing on the road that looks remotely like it. There are normal looking compacts like the Corolla and Sentra, and then on the other side of the road we have the extremes:one's the Honda Civic, which looks likes it's

Everything about the Caliber just seems bigger and chunkier than on other compact cars. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

NASA's next lunar rover, while the other is the Caliber, which is part hatchback, part wagon, part SUV. Best of all, it's integrated together quite well, in image, and with the rest of the Dodge family.

Aping an SUV in terms of styling might attract some buyers, but overall it hurts the Caliber on a number of levels. First off, it's got the aerodynamics of a flying brick. At 0.40, it's actually worse than a Land Rover Range Rover, which has a much greater frontal area and is much taller and wider to boot. These pitiful aerodynamics are a source of major wind noise in the cabin at high speed, which is all that much more prominent when the engine calms itself down to muted levels. Next, because the Caliber

No fancy materials, but you get a good vantage point of the road ahead. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

is taller and has a good amount of ground clearance and suspension travel, it has a fair bit of body roll from its higher center of gravity, though, in reality, this is never a problem as the Caliber is neither tippy nor any more prone to rollingover than a regular compact car. One thing about this base Caliber I noticed was that the side-view mirrors don't collapse, which could spell trouble and an expensive repair in the tight city boulevards that characterize the battleground that most Calibers will be subject to.

But all of that SUV-ness lends an air of solidity to the Caliber, when looking at it from the outside, or from the interior. I liken it to a concrete bunker; it feels strong, protective and well built, but the materials are far from spectacular. Dodge clearly went for the cheapest of cheap when

World's biggest fuel gauge? (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

selecting suppliers, as it looks and feels low-rent. I do suppose there are benefits that surpass the reasoning of cost, such as its hard plastics are easy to clean, while none of the pieces on the dashboard or console deflect, even on force. All the edges line up acceptably well, which is good, but there are a few that have some sharp edges, such as those on the inside of the center console, and around the tailgate latch. As for the design, it's 200-proof Dodge, no arguments. There are measurable amounts of sport utility vehicle inserted into the cabin, such as the higher seating position and the center console-mounted gearshift with the lever that'sclose in reach to the driver's hand.

But for all the clever tricks that the Caliber offers (or, I should rather say, offers for a price) in its cabin, the cargo space is rather ordinary. You'd get split folding rear seats that are capable of reclining but the bay

CVT is far from the best I've tested. Robs the engine of its power. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

is lined on all of its sides in hard, slippery, wipe-down plastic that's got a diamond plate finish, mimicking the tool carrier one might find in the bed of a Ram pickup. Imagine trying to transport a Labrador in there ... the slippery surface would have the poor pup sliding left and right. Overall space is 18.5 cubic feet with the seats up and 48.0 cubic feet with the seats down.

For what most buyers will be doing with the base Caliber, driving from A to B, I'd have to say that the suspension tuning is about right. It's a pretty laid back machine to drive, the compact car that you'll want to choose when cruising because of its softly sprung ride. Pitch it into the bends and it'll roll about just like a little SUV, which is amplified by the fact you're sittinghigher up from the ground. And while it'll serenely soak up the noise and shake of scarred city streets, bigger bumps do manage to overwhelm it, letting in the occasional harsh bang and crash from high raised manhole covers

Not a pair of spooky eyes, but the standard glow in the dark cupholders. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

or deep potholes.

Powertrain wise, the Caliber gets an all-new series of engines that were developed in collaboration with Mitsubishi and Hyundai. While all mechanically related, there are three different displacements, 1.8, 2.0 and 2.4-liters, all of which have dual overhead camshafts and continuously variable valve timing. Going for base doesn't necessarily mean sticking to the smallest motor; the engine that powers your Caliber is dependent on the gearbox that you select. Should you want a manual, the engine available is the 1.8-liter for the SE, SXT and Sport models, while opting for the CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) grants a bigger displacement engine with more power and torque. The 2.4-liter is the star until the 300-horsepower SRT4 arrives, and comes in the R/T model, which is now available with a five-speed manual in front-wheel drive trim (hooray - Ed.). As for the AWD-equipped car, it's only available with the CVT, though it gains AutoStick manual mode for slightly more enthusiastic outings.

Out of all the possible options available

It's unusual for Dodge to only offer the Caliber as a hatchback, but we don't mind. It's quite practical. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

to fit to a Caliber – ABS brakes, a stronger sound system, cruise control, more airbags – I got stuck with the CVT transmission, which is OK, but far from the best I've driven. If your driving style is relaxed, this gearless gearbox might make a good case for itself, but onramps and the sort of hard acceleration needed for emergencies punt it back to the days when the CVT was a fresh new technology and still prone to the rubber band effect. The Caliber's CVT also feels like it's sapping more power from the engine than it ought to. During the time of testing, my esteemed colleague, Mr. Yarkony was driving a simple Kia Rio with a manual transmission. Testing the 0-60 mph acceleration times of the two cars resulted in a dead heat. The Caliber might have a size and weight disadvantage, but it has the advantage of 40 additional horsepower! The Dodge also makes its driver endure a fair bit of torque steer, which is surprising because it doesn't have that much torque. Another complaint I have with the CVT is that if you let go of the gas pedal while cruising, the moment you put your foot back on the car lurches. I was told byChrysler Group's small car developer

You wouldn't call it cute... evil, perhaps? (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

that the noise and vibration is the result of the fuel pump, cutting out, but this abrupt phenomenon has been cured. Still, if it were my pick, let's just say I'd much rather have had the air conditioning (which includes the aforementioned ChillZone) than the CVT. Selecting the $1,000 CVT also locks you into having ABS brakes, which isn't too bad of a deal considering ABS as a standalone option is $400.

When it comes down to the wire, one of the biggest challenges that any manufacturer faces is a consumer on a budget. Starting at $13,725, the Caliber is a good value, filing in under just about every other competitor out there, except the Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Elantra and the Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5 twins. And if you take into account it's a hatchback, it's even more difficult to get this size of a vehicle cheaper. Unfortunately, opting

for the SE model means that you're more or less stuck to base level transportation. For as long as you own the car you might find yourself yearning for such niceties as keyless entry and power side-view mirrors, or how about a sunroof? You just can't have them, unless you opt for an SXT model, which throws in seventeen-inch wheels, sportier fabric, and body-colored center console trim.

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