Nuts and Bolts
If there’s a reason to criticize the 2007 Dodge Caliber, it’s in regard to the powertrain choices. None are particularly powerful or refined, and the most horsepower you can get right now is 172 ponies in the pricey Caliber R/T.
Whatever its hopes for the North American market, Dodge is counting on the 2007 Caliber to help the brand gain a toe-hold in both Europe and Asia. At the heart of this international push is a new family of four-cylinder engines developed as part of a cooperative effort between DaimlerChrysler, Mitsubishi, and Hyundai. The Caliber is the first vehicle to get these so-called “world engines” which are produced at the joint venture’s manufacturing plant in Dundee, Michigan. The three gasoline engines offered in North American markets (a 2.0-liter turbodiesel will be available elsewhere) feature a number of advancements including dual variable valve timing. This technology, which varies the opening and closing of both intake and exhaust valves, is said to result in more power, smoother operation, and a five percent fuel economy improvement compared to the outgoing four-cylinders. The Caliber is also the first compact car in Daimler Chrysler’s line-up to use a continuously variable transmission. From a driver’s perspective, this transmission, widely referred to as a CVT, operates like an ordinary automatic. Inside, however, its system of tapered pulleys and belts provide an infinitely variable selection of gear ratios that allow the engine to spend more time operating in its most efficient rpm range, thereby improving fuel economy by as much as eight percent compared to a traditional four-speed automatic. The 2007 Dodge Caliber SE and SXT both get a 148-horsepower, 1.8-liter four-cylinder version of these engines as standard equipment, along with a five-speed manual transmission and front-wheel drive. A 158-horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder/CVT combo is available as an option on both models. The sportier R/T gets a sizeable bump in the powertrain department with a 172-horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder. For now all R/T models come equipped with the CVT automatic and all-wheel drive. A front-wheel drive Caliber R/T equipped with a five-speed manual transmission should be along later this year. A compact car’s ability to squeeze maximum mileage out of a gallon of pricey petrol is one of the category’s prime attractions and the Caliber does reasonably well in this regard. Final EPA figures aren’t available yet, but predicted fuel economy numbers for the trio of engines range from excellent (28 city/32 highway for the 1.8-liter) to merely respectable (23 city/26 highway for the 2.4-liter).
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