Road TestCar reviews - Dodge - Caliber - SX 2.0 5-dr hatchDodge modelsOverviewAmerican style meets four-cylinder power in Dodge's Caliber13 Apr 2007 By LUC BRITTEN DAIMLERCHRYSLER consistently follows the red-blooded American looks of its dazzlingly successful 300C with the Dodge Caliber – the first time the ram-headed brand has been seen here since the Valiant-based Dodge ute expired 30 years ago. It’s a welcome return too, but how the brand has changed since the 1970s. Where Dodges, like everything else under the star-spangled banner, once epitomised a hopelessly out-of-touch car-making ethos, the new four-cylinder hatchback brazenly adopts themes established by the Europeans and Japanese and masks them behind a bold, in-your-face styling job. But while the looks might tug the same emotional strings as the Chrysler 300C, the on-road experience is far from being what you expect of an American brand. Still, the packaging of the Caliber is very good, the pricing competitive and the quality generally without fault. As a saying less familiar today than it was 40 years or so ago enigmatically suggests: “If you can’t afford a Ford, dodge a Dodge.” Model release date: 1 September 2006 to 1 August 2010 All car reviewsAlfa Romeo Abarth Alpine Alpina Audi Aston Martin BMW Bentley Chevrolet Chery Citroen Chrysler Dodge Cupra Ferrari DS Ford Fiat FPV Foton GWM Great Wall Holden Haval HSV Honda Hyundai Hummer Isuzu Infiniti Jeep Jaguar Lamborghini Kia LDV Land Rover Lotus Lexus Maserati Mahindra McLaren Mazda Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-AMG Mini MG Nissan Mitsubishi Peugeot Opel Proton Porsche Renault Ram Rover Rolls-Royce Skoda Saab SsangYong Smart Suzuki Subaru Toyota Tesla Volvo Volkswagen |
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