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2007 Dodge Caliber SRT4 Preview

300-HP Caliber SRT-4 to Humble Premium Players

There was so much to like about the outgoing Neon-based SRT-4 that Im almost sorry to see it go. Its racy Viper-esque grille and hood scoop, fabulous 18-inch rims and snarly exhaust note almost overshadowed its hyperactive 230-horsepower 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, still number one in the class after two years of production. This said, the four-cylinder in the upcoming Caliber SRT4, while still sporting 2.4 liters of displacement is an altogether otherworldly beast.

I suppose, there is precedent in the compact class for upwards of 300-horsepower, but only two production vehicles come to mind, and both are priced way higher than the Caliber SRT4s expected MSRP. This in mind, I dont think Dodge is targeting Subaru WRX STi customers,

There was so much to like about the outgoing Neon-based SRT-4 that Im almost sorry to see it go. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

nor those who opt for Mitsubishis EVO IX in introducing a super-compact model that matches the former cars horsepower rating and eclipses the latter. After all, somehow the engineering skunk works team that has developed the car will send the engines power through to the front wheels without engaging those in the rear, despite offering an all-wheel drive variant in the Calibers top-most naturally-aspirated version, the

The 2007 Dodge Caliber SRT4, being introduced in Chicago today by Herb Helbig, Senior Manager ? Vehicle Synthesis, Chassis and Quality, SRT, Chrysler Group, totally overshadows the outgoing SRT-4. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)

R/T. The trick will be to minimize the steering systems natural tendency to torque when full throttle compromises input at the wheel, a difficult but not impossible hurdle to jump.

Personally, Id be willing to put up with the odd tug on the steering wheel just to get a chance to sit in its highly bolstered racing-style seats, slide my palm over its leather-clad six-speed shift lever, press

NASCAR Driver Kasey Kahne (right) was also on hand for todays Chicago introduction, along with the winner of The Driving Game;? a fictional game show that was part of the press conference. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)

down on the aluminum clutch pedal (with rubber studs, no less) and rev the little powerhouse until its performance-tuned exhaust let out a bark that no doubt will be even more pronounced than the previous SRT-massaged four-cylinder. I get tingles just thinking about it.

I think the exhaust note was my favorite attribute of the Neon-based SRT4. It was so obnoxious... so, impudent in its obstinate attitude that if it possessed a middle

Like the old SRT4, the Caliber-based super compact gets a few racy add-ons to distinguish it from its more proletarian roots. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)

finger it would no doubt be saluting the more obvious politically correct establishmentarian passersby in a gesture of utmost respect and reverence. Yes, the new Caliber SRT4, despite its pragmatic five-door liftback configuration, is the new bad boy of the automotive underworld, ready to lay prey on ultra-premium sports models at five times its sticker price. Its a Magnum SRT8 on a budget, yet its smaller dimensions and lighter curb weight, matched by a sophisticated fully-independent suspension, with MacPherson struts up front and a five-link

The large grille opening is ideal for keeping all things behind it cool. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)

setup in the rear, should make it much more agile than the already surprisingly fleet footed full-size sport wagon - but more on this in a minute.

Like the old SRT4, the Caliber-based super compact gets a few racy add-ons to distinguish it from its more proletarian roots, but once again these arent merely styling details but functional elements of the cars inner workings.

A brooding hood scoop for feeding air into the engine bay sits above the slightly more aggressive body-color crosshair grille, flanked between twin reversed vents, designed to let air escape the engine compartment.
"Exterior

A deep lower valance not only sports large circular fog lamps for lighting the road ahead, but feeds air to the radiator and onto the brakes. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)

design that works as well as it looks is a requirement for all SRT vehicles," said Creed.  "The hood design includes the functionality of bringing cool air in and getting hot air out."

The large grille opening is ideal for keeping all things behind it cool.

"From the very first sketches of the all-new 2007 Dodge Caliber SRT4, we wanted an aggressive, SRT-signature look," commented Trevor Creed, Senior Vice President, Design.  "For example, because the intercooler is positioned so high behind the front grille, we moved the fascia slightly forward and extended the walls of

A functional black-matte diffuser, designed to direct underbody airflow away from the car, enhancing stability at high speed, also incorporates a thick, fat, 3.5-inch chrome-tipped exhaust pipe. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)

the grille.  The result is a much more aggressive look than the standard Dodge Caliber."

A deep lower valance not only sports large circular fog lamps for lighting the road ahead, but feeds air to the radiator and onto the brakes, while sending excess flow down either side of the car toward a new aero extension that covers the rockers. A massive rear wing, almost sixty percent larger than that on the standard Caliber, so that it can maximize downforce, is also added, but in Caliber trim its not as ostentatious as that on the Neon-based SRT4. Rather, it appears like a natural extension of the cars sporty five-door

A brooding hood scoop for feeding air into the engine bay sits above the slightly more aggressive body-color crosshair grille, flanked between twin reversed vents, designed to let air escape the engine compartment. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)

profile, and as importantly it doesnt obstruct the view out of the rear window like the previous models airfoil did.

From the rear, a more pronounced bumper sits atop a functional black-matte diffuser, designed to direct underbody airflow away from the car, enhancing stability at high speed, also incorporates a thick, fat, 3.5-inch chrome-tipped exhaust pipe, looking every bit as purposeful as a WRC rally car.

And wouldnt a WRC-tuned Caliber be the perfect way to show the world that Dodge is firmly planted on the global stage? While hard to believe, not everyone watches NASCAR - for the uninitiated, NASCAR is a motorsport conglomerate

The Caliber SRT4, like the regular Caliber, benefits from a suspension architecture designed alongside Mitsubishis next-generation Lancer, which will be the basis for the upcoming EVO X. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)

that oversees a few series that have plastic-bodied, remotely similar replicas of everyday entry-level sedans or pickup trucks running around on ovals, passing each other ever few seconds until one crosses the finish line, after 200 to 500 laps, before the others. Actually, outside of the U.S., as well as parts of Canada and Mexico, even Winston Cup, NASCARs elite series only gets noticed when one of its talented drivers, such as Jeff Gordon, enters a "Series of Champions" event or tests an F1 car. Dodge, a long-time participant in Nextel Cup and NASCARs other series, such as Busch, now entered with a facsimile of its new Charger, also fields a RAM pickup in the Craftsman Truck Series. But the brand is now

Dodge says that the SRT4 can zip to 100 km/h in less than six seconds, but my guess is that this is a conservative estimate. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)

going global, trying to attract European buyers as well as those from other markets outside of North America, so a new non-NASCAR motorsport presence, such as the World Rally Championship, could give what will without doubt be its most promising new model overseas, real street credibility.

Of course, some will argue that the mere mention of an affordable 300-horsepower compact model will do more to establish street cred than the hundreds of millions spent on a racing program that may or may not produce a winning car. After all, Mitsubishis fabulous EVO has been on- and off-again over the last few years, the Japanese automaker simply not capable of fielding a competitive team during its financial crisis. But the thought of a North America brand taking it to the Europeans on their own turf,

The SRT4s 2.4L turbocharged and intercooled four-cylinder makes a maximium of 300-hp and 260 lb-ft of torque. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)

just like Ford did with its Le Mans winning Cobras and GT40s in the 60s, with Carroll Shelby at the racing divisions helm, is enough to plaster a smile across this domestically grown rebel.

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