2009 Dodge Caliber consumer reviews

I have the SRT4 version of this car.. This car is in the same class as the MazdaSpeed3, the Cobolt SS, Civic Si and such, I researched them all for months before coming to the conclusion that you get more bang for the buck with the SRT4, yeah yeah, I can hear it now, it's an American made piece of junk that will fall apart before you could drive it off the lot, if that worries you then go get a Honda or Toyota, it doesn't worry me, I have had great luck with my American cars, so I'm just a little biased, and don't really like following the crowds. The SRT4 beats all the other cars in it's class for HP, 285 to be exact, and it goes like a scalded dog, and can at the same time make that trip to Wal Mart and have plenty of room for your weekly stash of goods, with the back seats folded down it's really roomy back there, I can put my mountain bike back there with room to spare, with the back seats up my two kids ride comfortably. Speaking of comfort the front seats are amazingly comfortable. It requires at least 91 Octane gas, but I have gotten up to 27mpg in city/highway driving, others in the club...yes there are SRT4 clubs online for that moral support, have gotten over 30mpg on highway trips, this is if you can just stay out of that turbo, which is so hard to do, it's such a blast with this car, I'm not some young punk that picks a street race at every chance I get, I'm 50 years old now, but I tell ya what, your going to get challenged driving this car around, I can imagine people thinking...what was that little minivan thing with big wheels? 19 inch on the SRT4s by the way. I got one that has every option except the leather seats and sun roof, the "MyGig" navigation/CD/DVD/Satellite radio/U-Connect hands free cell phone hook up....you still with me?...thing is one of the best features of the car, And a 13 speaker sound system, very good sounding The car handles great with it's GoodYear F1s, this was an inexpensive option, it's a summer tire but being a front wheel drive car it will still handle ok in colder weather, even snow doesn't seem to be a problem I have heard, haven't experienced any yet to actually comment on this aspect of the car though.

Gets better everyday. Average MPG = 34, combined 40% City/ 60% Hwy. Rides smooth. Road noise is average. Sound system is outstanding. Very few blind spots. Enough room for family of four. Plenty of trunk space. 18" Wheels look great. Air conditioning is nice. Cloth seats are comfy. 2.4L 4cyl manual is quick! Nav & MyGig are great toys to have! UConnect phone sounds great.

I went from a neon to a caliber and have had mine for over a year. Here's what we were looking for: a good-looking American car with a hatchback (because we have a big dog), power everything, adjustable front bucket seats, cruise, dark & durable interior, with good gas mileage that doesn't sit so low to the road. Nice to have the MP3 player jack...also drives great in the rain and I love the fact that I can fold the seats down for tons of storage. Hauled a large grill and had no trouble fitting it in the car still in the box. We got all of these things we NEEDED in this car. Being that I'm 5'2" I have absolutely no trouble seeing and there's no need to have the seat lift feature in the other model. The CVT is difficult for some to get used to and because it doesn't shift like a traditional car, you can easily go over the speed limit. Thank goodness for cruise! Cons: gas peddle is touchy, my model has no overhead lighting in back (this should really be standard), chill-zone not the greatest but storage is nice. I'm not a fan of air conditioning and it has to be on coldest setting to really keep anything "cool", not cold. Cigarette lighter not in best spot (for plugging devices in), and there is a slight blindspot in the back passenger rear. The small windows in back don't provide much visibility, however, the mirrors adjust great - you can actually point them down far enough to see the curb below. Could use just slighly more leg room in the back and wished they had better choice of exterior colors. Overall a great car that handles well; I recommend it to anyone looking for an economical vehicle that looks a feels great to drive. I plan to have this car till the end of its life.

Have had this car in for transmission problems 3 times for a total of 6 weeks. I have owned the car less than a year

We have 3000 Km on our 2009 sxt. We researched it carefully and drove it for a weekend before closing the deal. We are happy with our choice. We checked our mileage carefully from Lindsay Ont. to Port Huron USA and 30 mpg was our end mileage. This was with 4 adults on board and every nook filled with luggage. The main reason we bought it was because of the high seating position. I am arthritic and found it hard to get in and out of our Dodge SX2.0. I have measured the difference. I am sitting 16 inches higher in the Caliber. Although my wife is 6 inches shorter than me, we both like the extra height and only need to move the seat ahead and back to conpensate for our different sizes. It's no luxury vehicle, a bit road noisy but who cares, turn up the radio. We like it a lot. Simon