2007 Dodge Caliber Review

The Dodge Caliber was brand new for 2007. To sum the Caliber up, it takes the best elements from hatchback, wagon and minivan designs, and puts them in one to create an innovative design.  Its fuel economy range is estimated at 32 mpg Hwy, and 28 mpg City. A variety of trims were offered in the Caliber's rookie year.   The SE trim offers good, basic transportation, the SXT is fun to drive, and the R/T delivers affordable advanced technology with the assurance of all-wheel drive.  Dodge delivered a vehicle that doesn't truly fit in any existing category but does a lot of things quite well. All three engines delivered their power smoothly, with no disruptive surges or flat spots. Pedal layout is decent, while not quite ideal for heel-and-toe downshifts, and there's a dead pedal where drivers can rest their left foot on long trips.

Caliber Design

On the 2007 Dodge Caliber the automaker's trademark crosshair grille dominates the front end; depending on model, this is either body color or trimmed in chrome. Massive headlights are notched into the leading corners of the front fenders. A pouting lower lip-like bumper separates the grille and headlights from a slimmer, lower air intake and fog lamps. A black rail that runs from the base of the A-pillars and along the roofline to the taillights tricks the eye into seeing a lower, sleeker shape.  Full-round door handles, either chrome-trimmed or body color, bridge scooped-out grip spaces.  The roofline has a clean arc, and topping the arc but stopping at the top of the backlight (rear windscreen) is an unbroken, thick strip of black molding the Caliber's designers say is supposed to work with the arc and the truncated back end to impart a coupe look.  Despite the look, the Caliber actually sits a bit higher than a common compact car. 

Inside the Dodge Caliber

 The Caliber has room for five passengers. The front seats in the 2007 Dodge Caliber are comfortable, with decently bolstered back cushions. The front seats are comfortable, with lots of headroom, and there's a large amount of cargo space here. Packaging is functional, with folding rear seats that have an optional reclining adjustment and an optional fold-flat front passenger seat to make room long items. A couple of innovative options, especially for a car in this price class, are an air conditioned compartment in the glove box to chill water bottles or sodas and a swing-down stereo speaker panel attached to the liftgate that converts the back end to a sound stage for beach parties or tailgating. Front-seat headroom is impressive.  Visibility out the front is good. Designed to compete with some of the nicer compact models on the market, the interior has decent-quality materials, a sophisticated design and two-tone color schemes, even in the base trim level. Be the transmission manual or automatic, the shifter juts out from the dashboard's center control panel. Some do not prefer this location, but it does free up some space by eliminating a floor console.  The instrument cluster and center stack are efficient, and the gauges are large, and simple.  The cargo floor is plastic and easy to clean.  Other stylish features include illuminated cupholder rings, an MP3-player holster and a center armrest that slides forward 3 inches for improved comfort. 

Powering the 2007 Caliber

 The SE comes with the 1.8-liter engine and five-speed manual transmission. The 2.0-liter engine is optional, and both engines are available with the CVT automatic. The SXT also comes standard with the 1.8-liter engine and five-speed manual, with the 2.0-liter engine and CVT optional. The R/T comes standard with the 2.4-liter engine. The 1.8-liter is rated at 148 horsepower, the 2.0 gets 158-hp, and the 2.4 liter comes with a 165-hp. The engines are very modern, with all aluminum with variable valve timing and flow-control valves in the air intake that help ensure complete, clean combustion at all engine speeds. The first two are available with a five-speed manual or an automatic Continuously Variable Transmission.   In addition to increasing with engine size, the torque output also characteristically comes at lower engine speeds.

Dodge Caliber Trim Levels

The SE comes with cloth seats; tilt steering column; an AM/FM/CD stereo with four speakers and an auxiliary input jack; a cell phone/MP3 player holder built into the front center sliding armrest; 60/40-split, folding rear seat; removable and washable vinyl cargo mat; and all-season, P205/70R15 tires on hubcapped, steel wheels. The SE comes with manual roll-up windows and manual outside mirrors.

With the SXT trim the list of standard features expands dramatically. The features in the SE's Power Equipment Group are included, as is air conditioning with the Chill Zone; a 115-volt, AC power outlet; floor mats; a flashlight-like removable lamp that stows and charges in a receptacle in the rear headliner; height-adjustable driver's seat and fold-flat front passenger seat; a reclining, 60/40 split rear seat; and all-season P215/60R17 touring tires on steel wheels with hubcaps. SXT options include the Leather Interior Group, which gets leather seating surfaces, leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated front seats and a manual lumbar adjustment for the driver's seat. Seat heaters can be ordered for the cloth seats.  A Driver Convenience Group adds a compass, an ambient temperature gauge, HomeLink, auto-dimming inside mirror and a tire pressure monitoring system.

The R/T comes standard with the 2.4-liter engine, the CVT, and all-wheel drive. Options include those above with adjustments necessary to accommodate features standard on the R/T; for example, the Leather Interior Group price reflects the fact the leather-wrapped steering wheel is among the. Standard features include the SXT features, the Sport Appearance Interior Group, cruise control, leather-clad steering wheel with audio controls, cargo cover, a sport suspension with performance steering and P215/55R18 all-season performance tires on aluminum wheels.

Summary

The 2007 Dodge Caliber was all new, and is promoted as a replacement for the Neon.  However, the Caliber is nothing like the little Neon in size, it rides more like a wagon/minivan combo.  For a closer look, view of Dodge Caliber photo gallery by Edmund's Inside Line. The 2007 Dodge Caliber is at the same time innovative and retro, a hatchback that's more like a station wagon but with hints of the utility of a minivan. The Caliber design includes the best elements from hatchback, wagon and minivans, delivering a vehicle that doesn't truly fit in any existing category but does a lot of things quite well.  It is a five-passenger, five-door hatchback, with a choice of four-cylinder engines and a choice of front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive.  The Caliber has plenty of cabin space and, for a car in this price class, a lot of amenities.