2007 Dodge Caliber SXT 1.8 litre from North America

Summary:

A lot of car for the money, feature rich and uber convenient

Faults:

Nothing so far.

General Comments:

I got this car for $50 per week lease 18 months ago.

It's been fantastic; 6 trips, 5hrs + in length. The car is quiet and solid on the highway at 120km's per hour, the seat adjustments suit my 6'2 height, the AC blows cold enough to give me a headache if I set it too low, the gas mileage on the highway has been averaging 7 litres for each 100km's, and in the city I'm getting about 10 litres.

The engine is weak power wise, and that is my only complaint, but then again I didn't expect much from the base 1.8 litre anyway, so I got what I was expecting.

The car is solid on the highway, surprisingly so to be honest, but there is body roll when cornering, the brakes are fantastic - 4 wheel discs and solid.

The base stereo is fine.

The interior plastic looks cheap, but then again for the price I got the car for, I got what I wanted.

I can't say enough good about the chill zone for longer trips, it works great and there is more storage than I thought possible, given the size of the car once the seats are put down.

I really like the car, I may be getting a newer one, not sure, or may move up to a Challenger.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th September, 2009

2007 Dodge Caliber SXT from North America

Summary:

Reliable cheap car

Faults:

Road noise is too much to bear; on the highway or surface streets it's like driving a Jeep with a canvas top.

The car has no pick up, which is good; it's hard to get a speeding ticket with this thing.

AC system has a muskey smell, but otherwise a reliable car.

General Comments:

Hard to keep the rear end of the car clean, it seems like it's a magnet for dust and dirt due to the poor design.

Friends that rode in it felt claustrophobic.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 15th July, 2009

2007 Dodge Caliber SXT 2.0L from North America

Summary:

Way more than you'd expect for your money!

Faults:

Rear dome light needed to be tapped to work. I changed the bulb, and no problems since!

Flaking paint on the front bumper - Dealer's fault. They attempted to cover some rock chips, and didn't prepare the surface or mask anything before spraying it. They promptly replaced the bumper, and any part that had any over-spray on it. They even put me in a rental while they fixed it.

General Comments:

It's been a fantastic car. I love driving it, and it's pretty darn comfortable for being a mid-trim model car. It's been as reliable as my old Toyota so far, and hopefully will be in the future. I have a pretty heavy foot at times, so I'm hard on engines and transmissions. If the powertrain were cheaply built, I would have broken something by now.

The Caliber's performance, for a 2.0L, is fantastic, especially with that CVT keeping the engine where it needs to be for passing power. My only real complaint so far is road noise; it is not the quietest car in the world. I drove an 08' SRT caliber that didn't have the issue, so I'm assuming it's my tires (they're getting close to the end of their life). The 6CD mp3 changer sounds pretty good. It could use a subwoofer, but I wanted a yellow car, so I took what I could get.

The paint is pretty tough, but tends to get some bad chips around the wheel wells.

The handling is not like Audi, but beats the Focus and Cobalt in similar trim levels.

Interior space is amazing for such a small car. I put all the seats down, and hauled home a queen size bed (from Ikea) in it. The hatch closed, with room to spare.

My favorite part is, everyone whom sees it, or gets into it loves it. It's the only car I've ever had that everyone says about, "This car is sweet!" It must be the solar yellow colour!

Don't get the light interior; the plastics get dirty very easily, and are a royal pain to clean!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th November, 2008