- hatchback 157,495
- Watauga, TX
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- autoshopper.com
2008 dodge caliber review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. New srt4 model joins lineup. introductionthe dodge caliber was launched as a 2007 model. For 2008, the high-performance dodge caliber srt4 joins the lineup. the dodge caliber is classed as a compact car, though it's larger than the neon it replaced. A five-passenger, five-door, the caliber isn't easily categorized, combining elements from hatchback, wagon and minivan designs. Though very popular in europe, hatchbacks, especially five-door hatchbacks, have not caught on in american garages. The five-door hatch is a practical design, but most americans prefer the styling of a traditional sedan with a separate trunk. Maybe that's changing, however. All-wheel drive makes the caliber a capable winter vehicle. relatively affordable, caliber starts below $14,000 retail, and fuel economy is respectable, achieving 24/29 city/highway miles per gallon in its most frugal form, according to epa estimates. at the other end of the scale, the new srt4 version has a turbocharged engine generating 285 horsepower. With a starting price of $22,435, it is a performance bargain. the mid-level caliber sxt model with the 2. 0-liter engine and five-speed manual transmission is among the more enjoyable of the standard models, but the caliber is no sports car. For driving excitement, the srt4 is the choice. the front seats are comfortable, with lots of head room, and there's a large amount of cargo space here. Packaging is functional, with folding rear seats that have an optional reclining adjustment and an optional fold-flat front passenger seat to make room for a ladder or more likely, a surfboard. A 148-horsepower 1. 8-liter is standard in se and sxt, a 158-hp 2. 0-liter is optional for sxt, a 172-hp 2. 4-liter is standard in r/t, and the srt4 has a 285-hp turbocharged 2. 4-liter. The 1. 8 is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox, while the 2. 0 comes with a continuously variable automatic transmission (cvt). The 2. 4 is available with the five-speed manual in the front-drive r/t and the cvt in the all-wheel drive r/t. The srt4 comes only with a six-speed manual. the se 13,925) comes standard with the 1. 8-liter engine and five-speed manual transmission. Air conditioning is not standard, nor are power windows. The se comes with manual roll-up windows and manual outside mirrors. Options for the se are as extensive as the standard equipment is basic. The power equipment group 595) includes power windows, outside mirrors and keyless remote central locking. The popular equipment group includes the power group, plus floor mats, a cargo area tonneau cover and cruise control. An uplevel stereo adds mp3 capability and six-disc cd changer. Sxt options include seat heaters for the cloth seats 250); sunroof 795); the driver convenience group 760) with dodge's uconnect hands-free cell phone link, homelink universal garage door opener, auto-dimming rearview mirror, vehicle information center and a tire pressure monitor; the popular equipment group 200) with fog lights, body side molding, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with redundant audio controls; a navigation system with six-disc cd changer 1395); and the premium sound group 495) boston acoustics sound system with nine speakers, including two articulating liftgate speakers called musicgate power. The available sport appearance group 365) has a body-color grille, color-keyed instrument panel and shifter bezel, fog lamps, sirius satellite radio, leather-wrapped steering wheel with redundant audio controls, and cloth bucket seats with contrasting inserts. When ordered with the 2. 0-liter engine, it also has dodge's autostick manual shiftgate with six preset gear ratios for the cvt automatic. A trailer tow group 130) adds an engine oil cooler and a wiring harness. the r/t 18,395) comes standard with the 2. 4-liter engine, the manual transmission and, new for '08, front-wheel drive. Massive headlights are notched into the leading corners of the front fenders. A pouting lower lip-like bumper separates the grille and headlights from a slimmer, lower air intake and (uplevel) fog lamps. the side view shows strongly blistered fenders front and rear beneath a wedge-shaped beltline. The lower portions of the doors wear longitudinal moldings, again, body color or chrome highlighted, that look like a bi-level rocker panel but aren't, but that nevertheless minimize the caliber's height. Full-round door handles, either chrome-trimmed or body color, bridge scooped-out grip spaces. the roofline arcs cleanly from its junction with the hood just aft of the front wheel wells over the side door windows to pinch off at the tail end of the rear quarter glass. Topping this arc but stopping at the top of the backlight (rear windscreen) is an unbroken, thick strip of black molding the caliber's designers say is supposed to work with the arc and the truncated back end to impart a coupe look. We're not sure why that was important or that it necessarily succeeds, but it does buff up the caliber's side aspect. the back end pulls from the magnum, too, with a steeply raked backlight beneath a roof-mounted spoiler and above a mostly upright lower liftgate, employing a hatchback style arguing against any comparisons with a traditional station wagon. A relatively short rear overhang and oversize taillight housings add credence to the argument. the srt4 can be distinguished by several exterior features aimed at both form and function. The ride height is lowered 28 mm in front and 22 mm in the rear. The front end features a functional hood scoop, dual hood vents, a unique front fascia with brake cooling ducts next to the fog lights, and a lower air dam. For 2008, the srt4 is available in only brilliant black, sunburst orange, bright silver and inferno red. interiorstep inside the caliber and the dodge legacy is loud and clear. Gauges are large, round and gleefully legible with black markings on white backgrounds. In the srt4, the central gauge is the tachometer instead of the speedometer, a change dodge says it made because the srt4 is a driver's car. To the left of the steering wheel in the srt4 is a turbo boost gauge; this area serves as a small cubby in other models. the srt4 also has a reconfigurable display with what dodge calls performance pages. This feature can provide readouts of lateral and longitudinal g forces, 1/8- and 1/4-mile time and speed, 0-60 mph time, and braking distance. All of these controls are easy to reach, but the materials are cheaply rendered and lacking in qual.
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