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By
EWAN KENNEDY
8 January 2007
American car maker Dodge arrived back in Australia midway through
2006 after a hiatus of 30 years. The first model to be introduced is the
Dodge Caliber, a car that looks like nothing else on the road.
At first glance it appears to be a 4WD, yet is actually a
front-drive family hatch. With its big guards, square styling and
big details, Caliber is something of a macho machine for the guy
who doesn’t want to be seen to be driving merely a hatchback.
The radical body shape shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone
because Dodge is part of the Chrysler group, which has set the
automotive styling scene on its ear in recent years. First with
the Chrysler PT Cruiser and later with the big-and-bold Chrysler
300C. There are more fascinating shapes to come, just wait until
you see the Dodge Nitro later in 2007.
Caliber's interior has a semi-retro theme that works nicely and
certainly grabs attention, again with big bold shapes and plenty
of squared-off details. However, there's less space inside the
Caliber than you might expect. It’s certainly not cramped in
absolute terms, but this is a quite a large car externally and
that doesn’t translate into cabin space.
Dodge's new Caliber is very much a lifestyle machine and has a
couple of fascinating features for those who like to picnic. The
stereo speakers (two of nine in the quality Boston sound system)
on the inside of the rear hatch fold down and out when the hatch
is open. They let you direct sound to the outside of the car. And,
believe it or not, there's the chilled glovebox that can hold up
to four cans of drink.
Incidentally, There are no fewer than three gloveboxes in the
Caliber so you can load up lots of good stuff to cart around for
when you might just need it.
Luggage space is also pretty good so there's no need to stint
on supplies for the aforementioned picnic outing.
Power for the Caliber that we have just borrowed from Dodge for
a week came from a 2.0-litre 110 kW unit with a CVT (continuously
variable transmission). There are also 1.8-litre and 2.4-litre
petrol engines and a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel will soon join the
Caliber range.
The 2.0-litre engine has a lot more useable torque, and the
almost instantaneous reactions of the CVT work well to get the
best from the powerplant.
That bold frontal area does nothing for the aerodynamics of the
Caliber. A Cd number of 0.38 indicates poor air penetration. On
test our fuel consumption was typically about eight to nine litres
per hundred kilometres in country driving, and climbed to ten to
twelve litres per hundred in the suburbs and city.
The continuously variable transmission aids in keeping the
figures down to compensate for the blunt nose of the car. However
the sound of a CVT isn’t to all tastes and keen drivers may not
like the lack of obvious gear changing with the usual sounds of
sudden changes in engine note.
Ride comfort is good and noise and vibration are generally
nicely subdued. It’s perhaps not quite to the high standards of
Japanese machines in this respect, but the Dodge has far more
personality and character than anything from Asia.
Handling was slightly softer than we like it when Caliber is
fitted with its standard 17-inch wheels we tried a few months ago.
But, when the optional 18-inch wheels fitted to our test car it
really sharpens up considerably. The bigger wheels and tyres
provide more positive steering and help give solid feedback to the
driver nice and quickly.
Some may not like the way the windscreen sits a long way
forward of the driving seat, but we found we soon got accustomed
to this and were happy to put up with a minor inconvenience to
gain the great body shape of the spunky Dodge.
Those of you who have complained in the past that all modern
cars look the same, now have something really different in the
family hatch field. Caliber is already selling up a storm and the
demand shows no signs of abating. Having just enjoyed a week with
one we are not in the least surprised.
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
ST 1.8-litre five-door hatch - $23,990
SX 1.8-litre five-door hatch - $25,990
SX 2.0-litre five-door hatch - $28,490
SXT 1.8-litre five-door hatch - $27,490
SXT 2.0-litre five-door hatch - $29,990
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard on all models
Air Conditioning: Standard on all models
Automatic Transmission: Standard on SX 2.0 and SXT 2.0, not
offered on other models
CD Player: Standard on all models
Central Locking: Standard on all models
Cruise Control: Standard on SXT, not offered on other models
Driver Airbag: Standard on all models
Passenger Airbag: Standard on all models
Front Side Airbags: Standard on all models
SPECIFICATIONS (Dodge Caliber ST 1.8-litre five-door hatch)
ENGINE:
Capacity: 1.798 litres
Configuration: Transverse, four cylinders in line
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 10.5:1
Bore/Stroke: 86.0 x 77.0mm
Maximum Power: 110kW @ 6500rpm
Maximum Torque: 168Nm @ 5200rpm
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Front
Manual Transmission: Five-speed
Automatic Transmission: Not offered in ST
Final Drive Ratio: 4.12:1
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4415mm
Wheelbase: 2635mm
Width: 1800mm
Height: 1535mm
Turning Circle: 10.8 metres
Kerb Mass: 1320kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 51 litres
Towing Ability: 450kg (1200kg with braked trailer)
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Independent, MacPherson strut, coil springs,
anti-roll bar
Rear Suspension: Independent, multi-link, coil springs, anti-roll
bar
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Disc
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 11.9 secs
Standing 400 Metres: 18.1 secs
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Fuel Type: Petrol 91RON
Fuel Consumption - Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): Not rated
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Three years/100,000km
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Marque Publishing Company
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