Dodge Caliber AWD R/T Review

Lesley Wimbush
by Lesley Wimbush

The Galway-Cavendish Forest Rally is a challenging mix of changing elevations, sweeping curves, tight turns and blind drops that runs through nine clicks of thick forest. Chrysler Canada figured it was the ideal spot for a car journalist to test the mettle of their ‘07 Dodge Caliber AWD R/T. So there I was, ferrying the club president and organizer from one end of the road to the other, wondering if Dodge had the right ammunition for the sales campaign ahead.

Dodge’s SUV-flavored hatchback is certainly a better choice for off-road work than the chick car it replaces (the Neon). But they’re right: it’s not cute. With its raked roof line, muscular fenders, beefy four-box grill and awkwardly angular rear, the Caliber looks the unholy spawn of a Dodge Ram and a Chevy Malibu. I’m not saying it’s ugly, but only time will tell whether we look back on the Caliber as the Dodge Omni of the new millennia.

Luckily, the Caliber’s bargain basement price softens the blows inflicted by its questionable style. You can pick up a Caliber SXT for $14k, complete with air conditioning, power windows, a gutless engine and a gearless transmission. Meanwhile, road rally organizers and TTAC journos travel fully-loaded (so to speak). Our $20k press car had on-demand AWD, a [slightly] more energetic 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine, leather seats and a sunroof. Oh and a bitchin’ Boston Acoustics sound system called "MusicGate" that hangs a couple of laughable speakers off the liftgate like a set of dangling testicles. Again, like they said, it’s not cute.

The Caliber’s cabin is generic DCX: hard, stark plastics arranged with Germanic efficiency. The R/T’s leather seats cater to sybarites who shun side support. The high seating position provides terrific visibility, but left me feeling a bit perched. Otherwise, the Caliber has plenty of room for official paperwork, a cubby hole for a radio mike, a center console with a 115 volt auxiliary power outlet for radio and siren controls and a washable hard-surfaced cargo area for rally signage. Without going into specifics, the integrated glove box/beer holder also came in handy. Completely closable vents were another bonus, given the huge rolling dust clouds trying to strip the car’s paint.

The interior is also well insulated from intrusive noise and annoying vibration. Unfortunately, there’s that engine note out back, which errs on the “fart in a can” side of aural stimulation. Step on the loud pedal and you are rewarded with a… Bronx cheer? Oh well. Suffice it to say, keep the rpm around 3500 and the Caliber motors along in relative quiet.

With 172 horses pushing 3308 pounds, you’d think the Caliber would be acceleratively challenged. And so it is. The diddy Dodge takes over 10 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 60. Blame a CVT (continuously variable transmission) that sacrifices urge on the altar of smoothness. Under max throttle, the Caliber reminds me of a fat kid wheezing away on a Power Wheels tractor; the revs climb faster than the vehicle accelerates. Take advantage of the Caliber’s Autostick manual mode and the car’s computer simulates gear shifts on your behalf. It’s an irritating affectation, but driving off a cliff is the only way you’ll get the Caliber to go any faster.

The Caliber R/T handled well enough on the thick gravel, rock and washboard. Despite 18" rims, the car clung to mixed surfaces with good-natured glee. That said, the Caliber’s lack of tread was almost our undoing; on one tight bend we— OK, “I” spun out in an impromptu four-wheel drift. Back on the blacktop, during highway and around town driving, it’s understeer uber alles baby, guided by a heavy (though predictable) helm.

The Caliber’s R/T model is a nod to the hairy-chested Dodge Charger “Road/Track” muscle cars of days gone yore. While I appreciate Dodge’s spinmeisters’ devious ingenuity, plonking me on a rally course to convince me that the “T” in question needn’t be paved, I remain unconvinced about the wisdom of selling the Caliber R/T as a performance-oriented SUV-ish thingie. Even with sports-tuned shocks and springs and a set of large(r) sway bars, the Caliber is far too slow, top heavy and generally ponderous to satisfy a sporting driver.

In 2005, Chrysler designer Ralph Gilles drove a Charger SRT-8 at the infamous Targa Newfoundland rally. Rumor has it he’ll return to this year’s event driving a much-massaged version of the Caliber R/T. Now that sounds like fun. The Caliber R/T, however, isn’t. If Dodge ditched the CVT and AWD and tweaked the R/T’s suspension they’d have… a slow, nose-heavy, physically challenged hatchback that gets around 20 real world mpg. If DCX is to rally its troops and remain competitive in these fuel-conscious times, they’ll have to do better than this.

Lesley Wimbush
Lesley Wimbush

Gearhead, newspaper grunt, car writer, illustrator: http://www.auto123.com/en/info/news/ourwriters,front.spy www.CanadianDriver.com www.painkillerz.ca

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  • Rudiger Rudiger on Sep 02, 2006

    According to the above referenced website, the 2007 Toyota Prius is not eligible for any hybrid tax credit (full or partial). Only the 2005-06 Prius is eligible. 2007 Toyota models that are eligible for a tax credit are the 2007 Camry Hybrid and the 2007 Lexus GS450h.

  • MrK MrK on Jan 18, 2008

    Now that all the reviews I'v seen are mostly from 2006. Why don't you do a follow up. I drove an R/T through snow up to the bumper and the thing sayed right where I wanted it to. It averaged about 23 miles per gallon for a tank of gas driving on the roads that were plowed. After about 1000 miles it turned out to be a pretty good car. It has a great stereo, satilite, cd player, and mp3. Sure it doesn't have loads of speed, but driving it off a cliff? (It isn't THAT bad). I think the exhaust sounded better than those cans the kids put on their civics. If you do use the manual shift it does get up to speed faster. Its not the dog everyone said it is. The only reason I would't get one is because I'm 6ft 1in and I could feel my hair on the roof all the time. Lean the seat back and the steering wheel is too far away. So anyway, how about some realistic follow up to the original, everybody dump on the new guy syndrome, reviews.

  • AZFelix Hilux technical, preferably with a swivel mount.
  • ToolGuy This is the kind of thing you get when you give people faster internet.
  • ToolGuy North America is already the greatest country on the planet, and I have learned to be careful about what I wish for in terms of making changes. I mean, if Greenland wants to buy JDM vehicles, isn't that for the Danes to decide?
  • ToolGuy Once again my home did not catch on fire and my fire extinguisher(s) stayed in the closet, unused. I guess I threw my money away on fire extinguishers.(And by fire extinguishers I mean nuclear missiles.)
  • Carson D The UAW has succeeded in organizing a US VW plant before. There's a reason they don't teach history in the schools any longer. People wouldn't make the same mistakes.
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