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Dodge Caliber

Published 10:53 am Friday, October 31, 2008

When car manufacturers make a vehicle available to the media for review purposes, they send a well-equipped version. This is understandable from a marketing perspective — presenting your product in its best light — but more important, it enables reviewers to experience all of the vehicle’s available features and rate them comparatively.

Although I recently drove and loved a Dodge Caliber SRT 4, the racing-inspired, 285-horsepower version of this compact sport wagon, this review will be of a stripped-down Caliber.

Where did I get such a model? I rented it. On a trip to New Mexico last month to visit my older son and his family.

It was interesting to discover how many features a car doesn’t need if I have to pay for them.

And it was great fun seeing my two young grandkids get excited by the hand-crank windows, something they’d never seen before in their lives. They called them “cool.”

In a review not very long ago, I referred to manual door locks as “barbaric,” but in my Caliber rental I survived in good health and peace of mind without keyless entry or even a central power locking system. But I could reach all four lock buttons from the driver’s seat; if not, there might have been a prima-donna meltdown.

The base Caliber has a 1.8-liter, 148-horsepower four-cylinder engine with five-speed manual transmission, or a 158-horsepower version with continuously variable automatic (CVT).

This is in the low range of what I consider adequate power, yet I did somehow always arrive at my intended destinations, and in average time. The climb up to the Sandia Mountains required some assertive gas-pedal pressure (to be expected) but the automatic transmission behaved extremely well. Modest power in a vehicle isn’t the end of the world, especially when you’re averaging, as I did, about 28 miles to the gallon of regular gas. However, a transmission that jerks noticeably back and forth because it can’t keep up with the engine is barbaric.

Standard equipment includes power rack-and-pinion steering, front and rear stabilizer bars, side-curtain airbags, outdoor temperature gauge, fabric seats, tilt steering wheel, variable intermittent windshield wipers, 60/40 split folding rear seats, five-speed manual transmission, 15-inch wheels, tire pressure monitor, rear window wiper and defroster, 12-volt power outlet, and an AM/FM stereo system with single-disc CD player and auxiliary audio input jack.

Features that are available as options include anti-lock brakes (included with the CVT), air conditioning, front-seat-mounted side airbags, Chill Zone (beverage cooler in dashboard, included with air conditioning), engine block heater, and Sirius satellite radio.

An optional Power Equipment package adds power windows, power door locks, power mirrors and remote keyless entry. The Popular Equipment package adds the features of the Power package, plus cruise control, floor mats, and a soft tonneau cover for the cargo area.

In addition to the automatic transmission, my rental was equipped with air conditioning.

The front-drive Dodge Caliber has seating for five and a nice roomy cargo area. It’s right-sized and quality-built for utility as well as fun.

OK, Larry Lark, now you can stop calling me a car snob and get on with your life — at least until two weeks from now when I’m back with an incredibly fast car no one can afford.