I'm willing to throw a "most improved player" award to the Dodge Caliber. It's about to be put out to pasture, but this aging small car did a fine job of shuttling me around for an evening. Back-to-back with the Nissan Versa, using a similar four-cylinder/CVT powertrain, it's pretty amazing what a liter of displacement and some transmission programming can do to the experience. The Caliber was significantly nicer to drive with less of the "screaming CVT syndrome" that plagues other users. The interior is vastly improved, with soft curves and pleasant graining on the still-hard plastics, plus a good driving position.
Of course, the price for the larger Dodge engine is paid at the gas pump, with the front-drive Caliber delivering a miserable 22 mpg city/27 mpg highway thanks also to a 3,100-pound curb weight. The as-tested price is also extravagant for a car of this, ahem, caliber, though there's a high likelihood you'll find a friendly Dodge dealer willing to whack $3,000 to $4,000 off that sticker just to get rid of inventory, making the Caliber a more palatable choice when incentives are factored in.
But that's just stacking the deck. The Dodge Caliber is a relic of a bankrupt Chrysler, long eclipsed by the competition. The 2011 model is by far the best Caliber that I've driven, but it's only a small-car contender if brand loyalty and a potential bargain out-the-door price are key factors in your decision.
I had some fun in this 2011 Dodge Caliber Rush, because every now and then, it's fun to take a small car and toss it around a bit. This diminutive Dodge is an agreeable partner and it handles smartly through curves and maintains composure well. On a morning drive into work, I took a corner hard, accelerating and pushing it--and the Caliber responded.
I also enjoyed the slapstick auto/manual feature and I used it to drop from sixth gear to fourth while nearly redlining it to make an energetic pass. It's rather fun and was reminiscent of the Caliber SRT4 that we had a couple of years ago. I'm not a fan of CVTs, but when you can play with the gears and the revs, that helps. The tight chassis and the slight response from the steering were also well-tuned.
Now, this is still a rather old compact and the interior is quite pedestrian. The materials are hard, though the looks are at least somewhat pleasing--it's hard to go wrong with black accented by lighter trim. The seats are comfy and offer a good driving position with a sporty look and feel. The cabin is loud on the expressway, and I would say the Hyundai Elantra and the Chevrolet Cruze far outstrip this interior.
I do think the Dodge cuts a rather athletic profile, with blinged-out wheels beneath prominent curves and wheel arches. The hatch has a nice silhouette, and the headlights offer pleasing accents.
Overall, it was a fun car, with many passé attributes. I can't wait for the Giulietta that's badged as Dodge for the replacement.
I had the Caliber over the weekend and it wasn't a bad driver. It wasn't great, but it wasn't awful. There was decent power from the I4 and I wasn't overly annoyed by the CVT in this car. There was some hesitation off the line and when jumping onto the expressway but otherwise, no major issues.
I've liked the chunky, edgy look of the Caliber's sheetmetal since it debuted, but the interior is too full of hard plastics and such. The seats could have used a bit more bolster, and more isolation from road noise would be good. There was plenty of space, though, for passengers and in the cargo area. But at this price and given the fuel economy, I would look instead to the Chevrolet Cruze, the Hyundai Elantra or the Ford Focus.
As Andy and Greg note, this 2011 Dodge Caliber Rush was a nice surprise relative to its age and underpinnings. I did not get a chance to spend much time with it other than a trip to the airport that limited me mostly to interstate cruising, but I found it pleasant to drive and ride in. You'd never pay sticker price for one at this point. It is relatively loud, and I'd just as soon light my hair on fire as I would own a car with a CVT, though this particular transmission's tuning is nowhere near as maddening as the Versa's, as Andy noted.
Really, it was just interesting to grab a final quick dash in a car that's style and concept, in a way, embodies a particular recent era of American automobiledom that I don't think many people are going to miss. My drive did little to make me think I'd think much about the Journey when it's gone, but rather to put its Italian-based successor square back into my radar's field of vision.
Funny, I didn't get out of this 2011 Dodge Caliber Rush wanting to beat myself over the head with a hammer. The interior facelift did a lot for this car, and the CVT is, well, still a CVT, but not one that drives you absolutely insane.
I ran a couple of errands which had me all over the place on expressways and side streets. It takes strong press of the throttle to get this thing up to speed to merge seamlessly onto the expressway, but it's not terribly underpowered or anything like that. There is a bigger blind stop thanks to the rear pillar and more tire noise than I would like, though.
The Calibers are available with a manual transmission, which could possibly add a little fun into this overall boring equation. But then again, the SRT4 version of this car wasn't exactly great.
It's a good thing that there is a replacement in the works with Fiat-supplied underpinnings. But for now, the Caliber is still a decent ride with some flexibility thanks to the hatchback. I'm also willing to bet you can get a killer deal on these things at your local Dodge dealer.
