Compact cars are on the move, evolving into more-practical vehicles that make up with versatility what they lack in size.
The new Dodge Caliber exemplifies that trend, replacing the small, aging Neon sedan with an SUV-like runabout. It seems like a strange transition, but Chrysler product planners are experts at reading the market and delivering the goods with distinctive design and content.
Neon will be missed, though, after eight years of providing cheap but stylish transportation.
So Caliber and its sibling, Jeep Compass, become Chrysler’s entry-level vehicles, tuned for economy and practicality. Caliber has a muscular look similar to Dodge Magnum and Challenger, while a liftgate rear and fold-down back seats let it serve as a roomy, family-friendly wagon.
A trio of available four-cylinder engines, engineered with input from Mitsubishi and Hyundai, is coupled with either five-speed manual or continuously variable automatic transmissions, which help provide the economy part of the equation. Caliber comes in four versions: SE, SXT, R/T or the performance-tuned SRT4.
Dodge is hardly the first to create such a vehicle, with Pontiac Vibe, Toyota Matrix, Chevrolet HHR and Chrysler’s own PT Cruiser providing tall, compact wagons that are fun, stylish and versatile. They are similar to the bigger crossover SUVs that soared in popularity in recent years.
Caliber won’t deliver any driving thrills, with mundane performance and drivability that is as chunky as it looks, while thick roof pillars and a high beltline make it feel claustrophobic and impede outward vision.
