A front view of the Dodge Caliber shows off its crossover good looks in Inferno Red Crystal Pearl finish.
Long hours behind the wheel gave us plenty of time to check out all the cool interior features of the Caliber. On top of the list is the sweet sounding stereo with an input jack for portable music and/or other audio devices. There's even a flip down speaker on the back deck for tailgating. The somewhat annoying, perpetually sliding-to-and-fro center console armrest flips up to hold your iPod in style. We opted to jack in a portable Sirius satellite radio unit to the stereo, and affixed it to the front window with a suction cup, as the unit was a bit large for the iPod slot.
Where the glove box is on other cars resides the Chill Zone® in the Caliber. This space stays cool thanks to reverse-engineered captured alien technology of some sort, and can keep sodas, water, and even special edition Danica Patrick Twinkies cool under pressure.
 click images to enlarge |
 |
| The center console armrest contains a flip-up spot for iPod action. |
The Caliber interior, gauges, and features are a step above the usual economy expectations.
We torture tested the Caliber under city street, highway, scorching desert, and even high altitude conditions and it never whined, not even once. The SXT version with the 2.0L engine scoots right along, and even with the AC on full blast, a ton of gear, and booking through the long up hills of Utah's volcano country we still managed a respectable 24 mpg.
The Dodge Caliber stands apart from the usual crowd when it comes to econoboxes. Unique design, practical functionality, and a more than acceptable level of fun make the Caliber a worthy successor to the outgoing Neon.
Nonetheless, we here at MoparMax are performance junkies. Like you, we can't wait to row thorough the gears on the Caliber after the SRT (Street and Racing Technology) labs anoints the platform with their own unique brand of performance engineering. 300hp? Yes indeed.
