Dodge Caliber: We Hardly Knew Ye

I do have to give it credit. It was the manliest-looking hatchback in the bunch.

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Earlier this year, Dodge announced that it would give the interior of their compact hot hatchback, the Caliber, a makeover and then it would be no more.  A part of me was happy to hear this news due to the poor market reception of the vehicle,  but another part of me hurt for this little car that never had a chance to live up to its full potential.

The Caliber hit the scene in 2006 as a replacement for the aging Neon.  Caliber was to offer a roomier cabin, more power, better fuel economy, more style, and greater functionality.  It met all these goals (though some will disagree about the styling), but it fell short all at the same time. Why?  Because Dodge did it all wrong.

Just like sending your child to school without books, paper, or pencils, Dodge handicapped the Caliber straight out of the gate.  Forgiving the polarizing styling,  things such as a cabin full of bland, hard textured plastics and an overall flat interior design practically forced consumers to look elsewhere.  Sure, it had cute gimmicks like a drink cooler in the glovebox, lights in the cupholders, and an overhead lamp that doubled as a flashlight.  But what good is any of that if the rest of it looks and feels like someone put the fewest number brain cells to work when coming up with the design?

The drivetrains were nothing to write home about either.  The base 1.8 liter four cylinder engine was useless. The 2.0 liter made more sense as a base engine, and better still, the 2.4.  I’ll even forgive Dodge for not letting us have the 2.0 liter diesel they offer to the Europeans.  The problem is they decided to mate them through continuously variable transmissions (CVT) instead of just using geared automatic transmissions.   The CVT was used as a means of increasing fuel economy. It did nothing but make them slower, and, if it broke, the whole transmission had to be replaced. If you could get one with a 5 speed manual, lucky you.  If you could afford an SRT-4 version, I hate you.

It sounds as if I hate this car, but I really don’t.  I am just angry that Dodge spoiled such a good thing.  Caliber could have been a contender of high caliber (I’ve been saving that one for a while now. Can you tell?), but it was a pellet in a shooting range of 9mm and .45 bullets.

Dodge have teamed up with Fiat, who will be helping them develop a new small car to try and make us forget all about this red-headed stepchild of a vehicle.  But those of us that love this mini-mini van will always remember it as a good car that Dodge murdered before it had a chance to breathe.  In closing, I feel a familiar phrase from Top Gear best sums up the Dodge Caliber: brilliant, but rubbish.

-Triple_Deuce

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