After test driving the Matrix, Vibe, Scion and Saturn Vue, the Caliber was a pleasant surprise. It was fast, smooth, well equipped for the price and has the advantage of Chrysler reliability (our last Dodge went a quarter million miles with no problems!!). I'm definitely impressed with the Caliber.
The CVT transmission sounds so new, yet it isn't. Back in the sixties DAF (Dutch Auto Fabricator) used such a design. Then it had all kinds of problems with slipping belts. Later Volvo bought DAF and equiped a small Volvo with an improved version. I believe Honda experimented with this design as well. I suppose the Chrysler design is improved yet. It has never been used in conjunction with engines this strong.
I am looking forward to see more reviews by users with high mileage CVT cars.
Took a 2 liter Dodge Caliber CVT test drive twice now.
Found out something the second time that I hadn't figured out in the first drive, that may help some questioners to this column.
First, from a "quick" standing start the CVT is very slow from 0mph to say, 15mph, especially if you are starting up a hill, & even if you push the accelerator very hard. Actually, this fact may be nice on a slippery hill, but usually will badly hurt fast acceleration to merge onto a freeway.
Now here is what I didn't figure out during the first test drive. If you push on the accelerator fairly hard, you can get ho-hum to moderate acceleration from the CVT (in this non-thrashy mode) & you sense no gear-shifting as you accelerate from low speeds (say, 15mph) to as high as you want to speed. So the first test drive was not too exciting as far as acceleration (I'm a feather-foot, getting 50+mpg on 2 cars I've owned in the past).
However, on my second test drive, I really pressed very hard on the gas pedal at about 30mph. Suddenly, the gears must have "splayed open", the CVT did seem to shift down like a regular automatic, the engine rpms really went up (showing the engine to be pretty noisy, buzzy, thrashy & not sophisticated), & the acceleration become a bit to somewhat greater than just the moderate acceleration of the "non-thrashy" mode.
Hope this helps for the differing reports on the Caliber's acceleration. As for me (a manual shifter all my life), I like the CVT (if it will give close to the mpg of a manual). If I purchase a Caliber, I will use the CVT almost universally in its "non-thrashy" mode & featherfooting to gain its highest mileage (hope into the moderate 30mpg range). It'll be hard to give up 50mpg tho.
P.S. December 15,2006...Bought an SE Caliber 2 days after this comment. It is the report headed with "Too big & not enough MPG, but CVT is wonderful". At 3000+ miles, I did featherfoot my sweet Caliber to 34.9mpg.
Purchased a Caliber on July 29, 2006; it is now September 30, 2006 and the dealer indicated that there is no sign yet that the car will be delivered. I hope this is a car worth waiting for because some reviews about performance and the CVT are cause for concern. All Caliber owners let me know what you think about this vehicle.
The CVT is deceptively smooth and gives the impression that the Caliber is actually slower than it really is. I test drove two 2.0 litre CVT Calibers, and did an acceleration test up a freeway entry ramp. I floored the Calibers at the start of the ramp and checked to see what my speed was at the point where the merge line ended on the freeway. Both Calibers hit exactly 70mph at that point from a dead stop. I then took my 2006 V-6 Ford Ranger, which has been very slightly modified with a K&N high performance air filter and Flowmaster exhaust. it reached EXACTLY the same speed (70mph) on the ramp as the Calibers did. I consider that very respectable performance. The Calibers FELT slower, but my test showed they were just as fast as my V-6 pickup. I did the same test with my 4-cylinder Pontiac Grand Am and found it to be 5mph faster than either the Caliber or my truck, but it is an older model with the very powerful "Quad 4" and will outrun most V-6's and some V-8's (including our 275hp mid-sized SUV). In all I am VERY impressed with the Caliber and plan to buy one AFTER one year. I am weary of any first-year model due to the problems one encounters in all first-year models of any car. I'll be looking for updates on here from Caliber owners. I think Dodge has a winner here!!
I drove a Caliber on a lunch break from work because my dealership buddy said it was a slow day. I drove a 2007 VW GTi with the DSG transmission right before this, so it probably didn't leave me with a good subjective basis for comparison. It's hard to describe how I thought about it. I've owned used BMWs, Saabs, Audis, Porsches, and have driven tons of cars because of my desire to see how every car in the world drives.
This was my first experience with a CVT, so I was a bit curious to see how it functioned. This car was not only the worst representation of a CVT, but also about the worst example of a car I've seen the modern auto industry produce.
The engine was horribly weak, and the drivetrain lashed and bucked in every which direction, more so than in a manual transmission fwd car with torn motor mounts! The CVT, though I'm sure it improves performance by keeping this thing in it's "power band," actually gives the impression that you're accelerating slower than you actually are. In fact, it might be true, as the CVT took longer than most automatics I've driven to respond to a jab of the accelerator. I wasn't around my favorite on-ramp to see the exit velocity (this is my benchmark for an acceleration test), but I'm sure this would probably be the only car since my Subaru Loyale failing to make 65 mph by the end of the ramp.
The car was absurdly noisy inside from both the road and drivetrain, and this baby had a mere 50 miles on it.
When pushed in a corner it wallowed worse than my mother's Honda Element, with understeer that made feel as if I was plowing snow.
If I'm going to say something nice, I'll probably say that it rides fairly smooth over road imperfections and if you arn't pushing it or trying to evade a potential accident (pretty important), it isn't so bad.
I opened AutoWeek, arguably the auto magazine with the highest objective, journalistic standards, about a month later and read this review of the Jeep Compass, which shares the engine, transmission, basic suspension and unibody structure, design, and materials with the Caliber. It was striking how closely it reflected my observations:
"It has become cliche amoung automotive journalists in the 21st century to note that there are no truly bad cars anymore--nothing so dimly regressive as the unreliable Yugos and Peugeots on which many of us sharpened our fangs 20-odd years ago. For the most part, that's true, but if this particular compass was representative, it's the exception that proves the rule."
"If the ratios (in the CVT) are 'continuously variable,' one has to wonder how it can be engineered to deliver such jarring and jolting through the entire driveline when it decides to shift down."
"Then there's that engine--with peak torque at 4400 rpm, it seems strained. The CVT seeks to maximize time at the torque peak under acceleration, emphasizing the droning, groaning nature of this beast, but it's a coarse bit of machinery regardless."
My point here: Do yourself a favor and drive some other cars before you even get into this one for a test drive. Or you could drive this one first, and with that you may feel compelled to buy the very next car you drive.
Besides the fact the Caliber is without a doubt the ugliest car on the road today, it is also built to "American standards" which means the accountants took over and built it to be as cheap as possible.
If you want quality in a compact, look to Honda, Toyota, and even Hyundai.
But, of course, Chrysler is going to shake things up with the SRT Caliber, which again will be a piece of gas guzzling crap that will only give its owner stop light bragging rights. Heaven forbid they build quality into the vehicle.
Speaking of ugly crap, check out any Toyota four-door! The Caliber has to be one of the coolest and most distinctive compacts on the road today. I am very interested in them. Congratulations to Dodge for building something outside of the boring Japanese sedan mold.
Yes, those Scion xBs are sooooooo boring looking.
And if you want to know about the future of the Caliber just check out the Neon reviews on this site. Just more American lame attempts to build a "competitor" at the lowest cost possible. Caveat emptor is the American manufacturer's motto.
And Japanese aside, you cannot possibly tell me that the Caliber is in any way "cool looking" compared to, say, a Chrysler 300.
"Just more American lame attempts to build a "competitor""
First off, I wish you people would just can the anti-American crap!
And secondly, I wouldn't say the X-box is "boring", but it is definitely THE UGLIEST new car out there since the Aztek is no longer made. I wouldn't drive that underpowered, sad excuse for a vehicle if they paid me. 1.5L?? is that a joke?! Now the Dodge Caliber, I haven't made up my mind about that one yet, from some angles it looks pretty good, but other times I don't really like it. I probably wouldn't buy it unless it came with at least a V6, it sounds too underpowered. However, the new Dodge Nitro is really cool looking, although I don't think it will be offered with a Hemi, a shame really.
I agree with the previous commenter on at least two points: 1) yes, the Scion is boring; 2) yes, the Chrysler 300 is cool. I also like the way the Caliber looks.
I can't imagine where anyone comes up with the idea that Chrysler products are unreliable. We've owned 3. One (an Omni) made it to 240,000 miles with nothing but routine maintenance. When I sold it it still ran perfectly and didn't use a drop of oil. We also put 100,000 miles on a Daytona with not one problem. It was traded in perfect running condition because we wanted something newer. We were shooting for a quarter million miles from our Dakota pickup, but unfortunately it was totalled at only 50,000 miles by a careless driver. One of my co-workers put an incredible 410,000 miles on an old '64 Plymouth with no major problems. A handicapped friend of ours, who HAS to have reliable transportation, bought a new 2001 Neon based on my recommendation and he is still driving it. He has never had one single problem with anything on the car. The ONLY vehicles that have totally disintegrated before 100,000 miles in our household have been a Honda, a Mazda and a Volkswagen. I expect the new Caliber to be as reliable as most Dodges, which is very good. I like the look much better than any of the competition, and after our experience with imports you couldn't GIVE me another one.
The Dodge Nitro is by far the ugliest piece of crap released this year. The thing looks like an anarexic dodge durango. The Caliber looks a whole lot better then the neon (that is not saying much though) but for the price of a fairly equipped caliber you can get something much much better.
The Scion xB has a hit or miss style, but the car has great reliability and is one of the best buys when it comes to practicality and MPG.
I test drove the Scion. It was nowhere near as smooth as the Calibre, and in view of Toyota's recent disastrous run of recalls and major safety issues I'd opt for something more reliable. Since the Calibre is brand new I am not sure about its reliability, though we've never owned a Chrysler product that ever had any problems. I'm going to wait a year before I buy one, but so far I'm very impressed with them. I also drove a Matrix (cheap, slow, and noisy) and a Saturn Vue (OK, but boring).
What are you talking about? I had a Scion xB for three years and it was very smooth, and had 2 minor issues (radio problems which weren't Toyota's fault per se given it was a Pioneer and a faulty maintenance light). That's IT. Also keep in mind this was one of the first Scions in America, so truly a first year model.
Let's see how many wonderful Calibers have the same reliability.
I will say the two Scion dealers I took the cars to for maintenance were complete idiots, and Toyota should do more to screen their dealers.