Dodge Caliber

Vibr8tr · Post by **Vibr8tr** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 8:58 pm

I am not in the market right now, but in the next year or two I will be looking I am sure.... I was wondering what any one thought of the Calibers? I like the way they look. I have never been a Dodge Fan and I love my Vibe, but I have a thing about wanting new cars every 4-5 years. Has any one test drove it, heard anything about it, has opinions on it, or just want to tell me I am stupid for wanting a Dodge, let me know. Anything will be helpful.....

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ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 9:04 pm

Oh, the response you get here will pretty much be that everybody hates that thing. The interior plastics suck, has no power, crappy mileage, blah blah blah blah blah. I like 'em, personally. I would have looked at them when I went to replace the Vibe but they were a bit too pricey at the time given my situation with the upside-down-ness I had going on with the Vibe. My bro-in-law bought a Compass recently, that thing is really cool!

tcam · Post by **tcam** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 9:13 pm

CP, I thought they had a model with some type of forced induction. I remember Car and Driver did an article not too long ago on it, and I'm pretty sure the 0-60 time was well faster than 7sec. And I honestly like the body style a lot. But i haven't seen the interior or anything.

GrayFox · Post by **GrayFox** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 9:30 pm

I didn't really like 'em until I've been seeing them on the roads and they're not all that bad looking.

scherry2 · Post by **scherry2** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 11:37 pm

assembled in America in Belvidere Illinois by the U.A.W. I think you should test drive one out. remember its what you want not what everyone else thinks is good.

CAN-AWD-VIBE · Post by **CAN-AWD-VIBE** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 11:41 pm

they are pretty good so faronly a couple of warranty complaints (all different which is a good sign)otherwise all the owners really like themas for power there is enough on the base to match the vibe and there is a SRT option that whoops it up and is very fun to rip around inas for milage... they are pretty close to what you have now... maybe a little bit thirstier but not much.

mcgusto82 · Post by **mcgusto82** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 12:14 am

The styling is very agressive. nice actually. but like someone else said, the interior leaves MUCH to be desired of. very cheap plastic. AGAIN, VERY cheap plastic. i've sit in one at the NY auto show. I was not inpressed. The vibe has better ergonomics. as far as trhe drive... don't know. check one for yourself.

Vibr8tr · Post by **Vibr8tr** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 1:22 am

I agree the interior needs a bit of work.... like I read it has no Tach... Even the Auto Vibes have that. But I like the way it looks. There was a concept SRT, that had forced induct, but I don't think they produced it, at least they are for sale right now.I red a car and Driver review and they said that they drove "Heavy" and had bad Torque steering (but so does the vibe, and it has no torque). I figure I will wait about another year, maybe year and a half to let them "work out the bugs" and then look at getting one. I guess I can sqeeze a few more miles out of the vibe. What other cars out there are good crossovers right now? I know there is the Fit (God, I hate that thing), the Trix, the Vibe, a few Mazda things, the Caliber.... what else is out there?

Mrizzle05 · Post by **Mrizzle05** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 1:43 am

golf, focus, lancer wagon... those are decent priced autos that are crossovers

GrayFox · Post by **GrayFox** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 1:52 am

lancer wagons are about the ugliest thing i've ever seen IMO Mazda3 wagons are cool (especially the Speed3 )Golfs (or Rabbits now) are neat, too.

Mrizzle05 · Post by **Mrizzle05** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 1:56 am

yeah i know the Lancer wagons are fugly. the backs nasty,but the fronts ok.Speed3 is sexy. or you can get a suzuki aero? haha. like a beer can on wheels. *shivers* ugly car i tell ya.Subie wrx wagon??? Mmmmm turbo!

damronjr · Post by **damronjr** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 2:16 am

I love them, can't wait for the SRT-4 to hit. Saw a couple of them modded at the dub show the other day, I'll post pics today. They were freakin awesome!

ToolGuy · Post by **ToolGuy** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 2:31 am

I have the sibling car the Jeep compass 2WD. Like Sherry2 mentioned it is made in Illinois and the engine is made in Dundee Michigan. It is a joint effort between Hyundai, Mitsu and DCX. I have the CVT automatic trans and that is made by JATCO or Japanese Automatic Transmission Company. I also have the 2.4L engine, it was either the 2.0L or the 2.4L for the Jeep version. The 2.4L has 172 HP and the with the CVT has plenty of power. The CVT makes the car pull very nice so much as if it has more than 172HP. I also have the 458 nine speaker Boston Acoustics sound system and it rocks! I have had six guys in it with the AC on and the engine power was just fine. 6 guys because the mini-bus my brother hired for his wedding bailed out so it was pile into the best mans car and go man go!I wanted the Jeep since it has tinted windows and I like the looks better. The Jeep also sits higher but that was not a reason I got it. Mine is also leased... I must drive a DCX product for work, no older than 3 years too. All will or do not like it and that is fine with me, I have one for the reason above! I have heard the Caliber 2.0L with the CVT could use a bit more power.

Mrizzle05 · Post by **Mrizzle05** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 2:34 am

IMO the caliber was beat with an ugly stick!!! for a while!Just dont like it... i mean ive seen the SRT4 version and its better, but still looks like a ugly jeep on roids!

Vibe_dude · Post by **Vibe_dude** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 9:50 am

Dodge could give me one.......then i would sell it and buy a real car.lol

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 9:54 am

If I wanted another kind of that caliber... (pun intended) I would sooner buy a Speed 3.

Vibe_dude · Post by **Vibe_dude** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 10:01 am

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik Â»If I wanted another kind of that caliber... (pun intended) I would sooner buy a Speed 3.good choice

damronjr · Post by **damronjr** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 2:09 pm

Here's the pics I was talking about:Here's the rest of the pics I took at the show. I will post a link to them in a separate thread as well.http://smg.photobucket.com/alb...02006/

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 2:34 pm

I sat in one last year at the auto show, gotta say, was not impressed. It wasn't bad...but it looks so much larger on the outside and you get inside and are like "where'd all that space go???"I dunno. Just MY thoughts.The ipod holder was slick though.

northvibe · Post by **northvibe** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 4:08 pm

i heard lots of people not getting the mileage it was suppose to get. 20's i think. i like the vibe, the caliber has some cool options but room, interior etc. id pick the vibe. just check them out and see how ya like em

Vibr8tr · Post by **Vibr8tr** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 8:59 pm

Yeha, I will go up to the dealer this weekend (which is dangerous when you don't want to buy right now, cuase they will push for you to buy it if you test drive around here) and see about a test drive and what it's all about. I like the "cooler" option in the dash, and the ipop holder.That Black Caliber from the DUB show was nice, the other one was a bit wild for my taste, but to each thier own.I will let you knwo what I think of it. My main concern is the handling, cause I have heard a few times it drives "heavy", and even with the added power, you loose it in the added weight, but I have not looked up the weight to power ratio yet. I will let you all know.

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 11:17 pm

The caliber is likely to get better buy in from the manufacturer. Dodge pushes their cars, Pontiac seems to ignore the Vibe.the Caliber can not possibly have a forum as great as genvibe, so you need to take that into consideration also

GrayFox · Post by **GrayFox** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 12:47 am

Quote, originally posted by joatmon Â»the Caliber can not possibly have a forum as great as genvibe, so you need to take that into consideration also good call joat!

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 1:27 am

Quote, originally posted by joatmon Â»the Caliber can not possibly have a forum as great as genvibe, so you need to take that into consideration also While this is likely true, it shouldn't be a buying factor. After all, I've been out of the vibe over a year now, and I'm still HERE daily, but only on my G6 forums once or twice a week!

GrayFox · Post by **GrayFox** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 3:08 am

lol Pontiac should market the vibe with a free lifetime subscription to genvibe.com in all truthfullness tho out of all the vibe's sold there are only a handful of people that would actually be interested in this site But its quality not quantity that matters right?

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 3:51 am

was just a joke, evidenced by the The last dodge I had was a caravan, had lots of tranny problems in those, i thought that the VIbe having the legendary reliable Toyota powertrain would spare me those issues, but the tranny in my caravan lasted about the same # miles as the tranny in my vibe did, so I guess the last Dodge vehicle I had matched Toyota reliability.

Vibr8tr · Post by **Vibr8tr** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 3:59 am

Yeah, I have only driven/owned a few Dodge vehicles, and they have a few problems, but what I like is that I haven't had anything major go wrong with them. Most of the problems are just replacing cables, or wires or such. But all these were years and years ago. I do not know how there cars are over the last 5 or so years.

millster · Post by **millster** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 4:05 am

I just traded off my most recent Chrysler (2004 Sebring sedan). Aside from just being kind of "blah" there really wasn't anything bad about it. The most major problem I ever had with it was when I replaced the spark plugs with platinum tipped plugs and broke on of the wires in the process. The platinum plugs don't work well in that engine add in the broken wire and I couldn't keep the thing running. Didn't cost much to fix that. It was due for some suspension work too but it wasn't anything that it NEEDED, just that I wanted to do to get rid of some squeaks.OK, all that to say that I wouldn't necessarily fear Chrysler/Dodge's products. They're like anyone else. Some good, some bad.

savedbyzero · Post by **savedbyzero** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 4:31 am

The SRT4 is gonna be a hot little ride. Supposedly pushing 300 hp...It's replacing the "Neon" SRT4.We'll see how true it is...

engineertwin2 · Post by **engineertwin2** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 5:45 am

My younger brother has had a Dodge Neon, a Dodge Ram 1500, and now a Dodge Ram 1500 SLT Laramie...ALL of them have had transmission problems...he loves Dodge to death, but I will personally stay away from them given this history...They all crapped out between 70k and 90k miles, so time will tell if they got it fixed, but his Neon and Ram was an issue with cast parts in the tranny...

Katscan · Post by **Katscan** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 6:07 am

I say test drive it yourself and form your own opinion.As for my opinion, I would not buy a Caliber. I drove one for a full week when I went on a buisness trip. First of all the inside feels very, very, very cheap and full of cheap plastic, its everywhere. Im suprised the seats arent plastic as well. Visability out the rear is horrible, for a car of its size they sure did a crappy job of making the rear windows small. The sliding center consol is more of a pain than a conveniance, it kept sliding back and forth when I rested my arm against it . The Caliber seems to suffer from a lack of a good tranny as the 2.0L version I drove did not have any punch to it at all. I often would punch the accelerator and waited....and waited.....still waiting....nothing . I could hear the RPMs go up and the engine growl but the car didnt seem to get up and go After that week of driving the Caliber I am very much glad I went with a Vibe.

engineertwin2 · Post by **engineertwin2** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 6:13 am

Quote, originally posted by Katscan Â»Visability out the rear is horrible, for a car of its size they sure did a crappy job of making the rear windows small.This is seemingly what Dodge is designing these days. I like the Magnum, but it seems that it was built for driving forward and passing everyone in sight, not checking to see who you left in the dust...you aren't the first one to complain of limited rear visibility in the Magnum, the Charger, the Caliber, etc...

savedbyzero · Post by **savedbyzero** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 6:40 am

Quote, originally posted by engineertwin2 Â»This is seemingly what Dodge is designing these days. I like the Magnum, but it seems that it was built for driving forward and passing everyone in sight, not checking to see who you left in the dust...you aren't the first one to complain of limited rear visibility in the Magnum, the Charger, the Caliber, etc...As a Magnum R/T owner, I haven't had any problems seeing out of the rear window. As a matter of fact, the Vibe seems to have worse blindspots than the MagnumI'm curios to see how the partnership with Diamler will affect the durability of certain parts, etc.

keithvibe · Post by **keithvibe** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 6:40 am

I looked at the caliber before deciding on the vibe. I too liked the outstide looks of the car. It does have a few power options in regards to the engine and drivedrain including awd and SVC. The things I didn't like about it was the "Cooled" glove box. (removed). That is pointless. It is suposed to keep drinks cool for a long drive. but not actually cool them if they are warm and it only works off the air conditioning. The radio/cd player isn't too bad, I didn't like the fold down speakers in the rear hatch. I did like the CVT tranny. Smooth power/torque threw out the power band no hunting for gears. I wasn't impressed with the price of the car. Being it's a first year there was no incentives and long waits to get one. Gas milage was about the same.

ToolGuy · Post by **ToolGuy** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 9:01 pm

Quote, originally posted by Katscan Â» The sliding center consol is more of a pain than a conveniance, it kept sliding back and forth when I rested my arm against it .This issue was fixed with a production change and a TSB for already built vehicles.

ToolGuy · Post by **ToolGuy** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 9:04 pm

Quote, originally posted by engineertwin2 Â»My younger brother has had a Dodge Neon, a Dodge Ram 1500, and now a Dodge Ram 1500 SLT Laramie...ALL of them have had transmission problems...he loves Dodge to death, but I will personally stay away from them given this history...They all crapped out between 70k and 90k miles, so time will tell if they got it fixed, but his Neon and Ram was an issue with cast parts in the tranny...These vehicles does not have the typical Chrysler built transmission like the vehicles you stated has. While I do agree with you most people that have owned a DCX product more than 5 years have put a trans in the vehicle. Sad, really sad.On a side note, other DCX vehicles built now utilize a Mercedes Benz trans.

Vibr8tr · Post by **Vibr8tr** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 9:45 pm

Thanks for all the help on thinking about this. I am geting alot of ideas of what to look for, and what not to look for when I check them out. that is why I ask, I don't want someone to decide for me, I just want to know the problem areas and what others have noticed. Just like when people ask me abotu the vibe, I say what I like and don't like about it, and then they can drive it or go to a dealer and know what to look for.

CoolAKid · Post by **CoolAKid** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 2:15 pm

I know I'm several months late to this thread, but I just wanted to voice my thoughts on the Caliber. I test drove one back in October two days before I bought my '06 Vibe. Sporty looking, perhaps more so than the Vibe, though I'm not overly fond of the current Dodge front-end styling. The rear gate is much smaller than the Vibe's, and the interior cargo space is smaller. Since the car is lower, it also seems to have less headroom. In fact, you seem to sit really low in the caliber, much like a sports car. If that's what you like, it's great. Personally, I much prefer the taller seating position of the Vibe. Rear seat legroom is also less than the Vibe. The rear seats don't fold perfectly flat, and have these silly straps instead of latches. Also, rear visibilty isn't as good as that of the Vibe. Driving the Caliber was enjoyable enough. It seemed to have adequate power, but the "no shift" feel of the auto seemed really weird. All in all, not a bad car for the price. If I wanted a low-priced sporty looking CUV that drove like a psuedo-sports car, and didn't care as much about interior room, the caliber might be a good choice. But my Vibe seems to suit me perfectly, and I'm 110% happy I made it my choice!

ToolGuy · Post by **ToolGuy** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 3:40 am

Quote, originally posted by CoolAKid Â» In fact, you seem to sit really low in the caliber, much like a sports car. This is true and it has been noted in mags as "sitting in a bathtub". My Jeep Compass sits higher, lots more headroom and I like that.

ArcsVibe · Post by **ArcsVibe** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 3:47 am

Quote, originally posted by MiVibe-ToolGuy Â»This is true and it has been noted in mags as "sitting in a bathtub". My Jeep Compass sits higher, lots more headroom and I like that. We test drove one recently (the Compass) very nice car I like the look of the Compass.

ToolGuy · Post by **ToolGuy** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 4:18 am

HI Sam! I am back from the NADA Dealer Show in Vegas... No it was not all fun and games either! I wish! Have you seen the Jeep Patroit? Same interior, engine, trans, radio, rims, fold down speakers as the Compass, only it is a little longer and has different sheet metal. I think it will take sales away from the Compass.

n2ho · Post by **n2ho** » Mon Feb 12, 2007 11:01 am

Quote, originally posted by CoolAkid Â»I know I'm several months late to this thread, but I just wanted to voice my thoughts on the Caliber. I test drove one back in October two days before I bought my '06 Vibe. Sporty looking, perhaps more so than the Vibe, though I'm not overly fond of the current Dodge front-end styling. The rear gate is much smaller than the Vibe's, and the interior cargo space is smaller. Since the car is lower, it also seems to have less headroom. In fact, you seem to sit really low in the caliber, much like a sports car. If that's what you like, it's great. Personally, I much prefer the taller seating position of the Vibe. Rear seat legroom is also less than the Vibe. The rear seats don't fold perfectly flat, and have these silly straps instead of latches. Also, rear visibilty isn't as good as that of the Vibe. Driving the Caliber was enjoyable enough. It seemed to have adequate power, but the "no shift" feel of the auto seemed really weird. All in all, not a bad car for the price. If I wanted a low-priced sporty looking CUV that drove like a psuedo-sports car, and didn't care as much about interior room, the caliber might be a good choice. But my Vibe seems to suit me perfectly, and I'm 110% happy I made it my choice!Agreed! I test drove Caliber before buying Vibe. These rear seats, the head rest is not removable and too big limiting visibility, everything inside is made cheap and sloppy, looks like a big car outside but small inside. Runs good though, and the ground clearance is larger than on Vibe, but rear door is narrower.

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