I was talking to a friend yesterday and he was telling me that he had seen a Caliber on the road already. I was certainly surprised that they were on dealer lots already. So I went to my local Dodge Dealer today, and they only have one left, the others had all been sold. Now the one they had was a base model in white, so it didn't really apeal to me, but it gave me an opportunity to get a feel for the size and utility of the car. And it's small, but has a nice solid feel to it. The unit on the showroom floor had a sticker price of $16,500 with the 2.0L I4 and CVT "AutoStick" transmission. It had the "ChillZone" storage compartment, Ipod holder and cup holders that are lit from beneath ( I guess so you can find them at night. Powerwindows, a single CD player stereo and a fairly nice cloth interior were also featured. I haven't had an oportunity to test drive it yet, but have been talking to a salesperson who will call me when more come in stock.
I inquired about a manual transmission, and was told it would have to be ordered, so that's disapointing. And the manual only seems to be available with the base 1.8L rated at 148 hp and 125 lb ft of torque. While that's not going to win many drag races, it does indicate milage of 28 city/ 32 highway, and is more power than a Scion Xb for similar money.
I priced on on Dodge's website, with what I consider must have options in the SXT trim levle and it came out to $18,500. Not bad for a leather interior and moonroof equiped car. I'm seriously considering it, an amazing thing considering that I've not been a Mopar fan in recent years. But the value looks good and the styling isn't as emasculated as a Scion.
3 comments:
Yeah, local dearships up here in Massachusetts do have a couple of them for sale. However if you want to All-wheel-drive verison, I have not seen one, the AWD is only in R/T trim with a 2.4l at $20,000 . This caliber reminds me of a Pontiac Vibe and its simpling Toyota Matrics. I will be interesting in seeing one and if anyone in the family gets one.
Good replacement to the Neon.
Hey Brian, the Caliber is nice when you see it in person. I'm not looking for AWD, I have a 4x4 pickup, so don't need it.
But I've been playing with the configurations and find that An STX with base 1.8 4 cyl can be had with a manual shift which is mandatory for me, and with mucho options can be had for about $19k.
I of course would prefer to buy a Ford, but the Focus is lack luster and I'm disappointed with the Mustang V6.
How about a mazda3... you can get the 5door and the 2.3l with 5speed (actually next year also with 6speed)..you get the Ford riding C1 Chasis and the 160hp engine (which might get Direct injection next year) already gets better mileage than the 1.8l Caliber.. (26/32)
I have the 2.3 w/ 5speed in my 04 Mazda3 sedan and I beat the EPA HWY estimate by 3 mpg, and match it regularly..
I think Dodge will do well with the Caliber.. it is well proportioned, and Dodge situated it in a market that is not that crowded in the US.. after all the only compeition to it is Mazda5, HHR, PT and Vibe/Matrix.... it is not much of a fight.
I saw one in person, and the lines are not that offensive, but I saw some design elements that make me worried about design and engineering shortcuts taken for example NO (none at all) weather stripping around the trunk)..
I have yet to drive one, so I cannot judge there, but while I can see the car's merits, as a diehard FoMoCo fan I cannot buy a DCX - and am physically repulsed by the Dodge brand identity.
Do yourself a favor - buy a Mazda3 .. tried and true and 3 years into production still leader without a match or even a close follower.
Igor
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