Dodge: Caliber news **Gas Pedal Issue (page 5)**
#121
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It makes 70 more ponies than the 2005 SRT4 (and 85 more than the first 2003 model).
#122
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“With 300 horsepower under the hood, the Dodge Caliber SRT4 will dominate the sport-compact market,”
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#124
Its a pretty cool idea for someone looking for a more versatile vehicle while still having performance. Would hold out for a turbo mazda 3 hatch though cause I think it has a cleaner look to it
#126
Originally Posted by DownUnder
I like it, it looks better then the Matrix/Vibe.
#131
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I went to the Chicago Auto Show yesterday and I wanted to share with you that this was probably my biggest disappointment. The Caliber. So much is expected from this car, yet I saw nothing to be excited about. The exterior styling is its best trait. The interior is lower than average in quality and built at best and there is not enough room in there even when you consider the category.
I have no idea how will this thing drives but I am very pesimistic about its potential here and even more in Europe.
I have no idea how will this thing drives but I am very pesimistic about its potential here and even more in Europe.
#134
I like the extrerior but not the interior, however it isn't too bad at the price point. Although it beats them in "style" IMHO, the finacially sound decision would be a Fit or Yaris for the price. They both will probably be equally as functional, hold a higher resell and far cheaper to own. The only problem is the lack of power.
#135
Fahrvergnügen'd
I saw one yesterday. It's about 5-10% bigger than my Mazda3. It's not nearly as big as it looks though. It has a very high beltline and very small side windows (it seemed). I don't think I would buy one because I don't really dig the styling but it looked like it was well put together. I'm still surprised that Dodge would dump a small sedan for a crossover.
It's not bad at $14k but I'd still get my Mazda
It's not bad at $14k but I'd still get my Mazda
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#136
We dont love these hoes
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Never been a fan of the neon srt, but i love every other SRT and i'm really feeling this new one. i read about it in the new car and driver. i never have been a fan of hatchbacks either but if this car was out on the streets right now, id be driving one
#137
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![Yawn](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/yawn.gif)
Sidenote: Wife's aunt just purchased a non-SRT4 Caliber (R/T I think); so I'll be checking it out this weekend, though I'm not expecting much.
#138
Outnumbered at home
300hp on that thing :wow: for 22k that is just a steal and a half.
I will probably like the Mazdaspeed 3 better once I see both in real life but man on paper that is tempting
I will probably like the Mazdaspeed 3 better once I see both in real life but man on paper that is tempting
#140
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Originally Posted by iNteGraz92
i saw this thing in person. it looks like a toy. a cheap toy. i'm sure it's plenty fast, but it's still ugly.
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Last edited by F23A4; 04-04-2006 at 03:24 PM.
#142
_____ like a rabbit
Originally Posted by F23A4
Seriously,
. It has a 'Honey I Shrunk the Aztec' profile and have you guys seen the Navigation system?? Click Interior Features
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#144
The sizzle in the Steak
Looks like a car designed by committee. Horrible design.
#145
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Its ugly.
I just worked on an HP commercial with the people who will be shooting the Caliber commercial.
I just worked on an HP commercial with the people who will be shooting the Caliber commercial.
#146
Senior Moderator
I had one pass me on the hwy a few weeks ago while I was coming back from a day of skiing. I accelerated to get out of its way (was passing other traffic when I saw it coming), as it was coming up on me quickly in the fast lane. Must have been doing 170kph or so. Looked odd from the back,...........dont really like it.
#147
GEEZER
Why is it everything has to have 4 doors and sit up so high? What ever happened to sleak, low and fast?
#149
Team Owner
Originally Posted by 1killercls
Why is it everything has to have 4 doors and sit up so high? What ever happened to sleak, low and fast?
#150
The sizzle in the Steak
Originally Posted by 1killercls
Why is it everything has to have 4 doors and sit up so high? What ever happened to sleak, low and fast?
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#152
'Big Daddy Diggler'
Originally Posted by Moog-Type-S
You can thank the SUV craze for killing 4 door sleak low and fast. ![2 Cents](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/2cents.gif)
![2 Cents](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/2cents.gif)
#153
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Dodge dealers can't keep the Caliber in stock - - By BRADFORD WERNLE | AUTOMOTIVE NEWS - - Source: Autoweek
DETROIT -- The Dodge Caliber small car presents the kind of problem that Chrysler group CEO Tom LaSorda enjoys having. Dealers are selling Calibers as fast as the Chrysler factory at Belvidere, Ill., can crank them out.
"I really like having issues like this - having demand greater than supply," LaSorda said during a recent interview at Chrysler group headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich.
Tom Libby, an analyst for the Power Information Network, says it's still too early to call the Caliber an unqualified success.
But early signals are positive, based on thousands of transactions the network records.
"That indicates a particularly strong launch and potentially a very strong product - a combination of a new product with a trend in the industry that's playing right into it," he said.
Truck-heavy mix
That trend is an industrywide swing toward smaller cars - a trend that Chrysler, with its truck-heavy sales mix, desperately needs.
The challenge for Chrysler will be maintaining its early momentum.
With fuel prices near $3 a gallon in many parts of the country, small cars have blossomed into big sellers. Chrysler views vehicles such as the Pontiac Vibe, Ford Focus ZX5, five-door Mazda3 and Hyundai Elantra GT5 as primary competitors.
That means the Caliber has arrived at a fortuitous time to replace the aging Neon.
Gordon Wangers, CEO of AMCI in Marina del Rey, Calif., says the Caliber's dynamic shape "pops on the road."
"It is well-depicted in their advertising," Wangers says. "It's not confusing to consumers the way some of the early crossovers - say, Pacifica - were."
Jim Hall, an analyst for AutoPacific Inc. in Southfield, Mich., says making the Caliber a hatchback and offering all-wheel drive may give dealers a new selling proposition. The Neon sold mostly on price, Hall said.
Wanted: more Calibers
Dealer Herb Chambers can't get his hands on enough Calibers. He says he has a backlog of 60 orders.
"We're getting allocation of five or six or seven a month," says the owner of Herb Chambers Dodge in Danvers, Mass. "We have a 10-month wait to get them. It is the hottest Dodge product we've had in 10 years."
Andy Palmen, chairman of the Dodge National Dealer Council, says fuel prices are driving shoppers away from large SUVs.
That's a problem for Dodge, which had a 142-day supply of Durangos as of June 1.
But the Caliber seems to be hitting a sweet spot, says Palmen, owner of Palmen Dodge-Jeep in Racine, Wis. "I would love to have 50 of these things (Calibers)," he says. "I would sell at least 30 a month."
Palmen says he had to rent a Caliber from Enterprise Rent-A-Car during May to have one to show customers because he couldn't get his hands on any new cars.
According to PIN data:
The average Caliber is taking 10 days to leave the dealer lot, and the number is not going up even though the car is in its fifth month on sale.
The average transaction price, minus cash rebate, has risen steadily and is now $18,100. By comparison, the Chrysler 300's price dropped 2 percent for the first five months.
The average transaction price of the Caliber rose more in its first five months than that of any other domestic model launched during the past 37 months - up 7 percent.
"I really like having issues like this - having demand greater than supply," LaSorda said during a recent interview at Chrysler group headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich.
Tom Libby, an analyst for the Power Information Network, says it's still too early to call the Caliber an unqualified success.
But early signals are positive, based on thousands of transactions the network records.
"That indicates a particularly strong launch and potentially a very strong product - a combination of a new product with a trend in the industry that's playing right into it," he said.
Truck-heavy mix
That trend is an industrywide swing toward smaller cars - a trend that Chrysler, with its truck-heavy sales mix, desperately needs.
The challenge for Chrysler will be maintaining its early momentum.
With fuel prices near $3 a gallon in many parts of the country, small cars have blossomed into big sellers. Chrysler views vehicles such as the Pontiac Vibe, Ford Focus ZX5, five-door Mazda3 and Hyundai Elantra GT5 as primary competitors.
That means the Caliber has arrived at a fortuitous time to replace the aging Neon.
Gordon Wangers, CEO of AMCI in Marina del Rey, Calif., says the Caliber's dynamic shape "pops on the road."
"It is well-depicted in their advertising," Wangers says. "It's not confusing to consumers the way some of the early crossovers - say, Pacifica - were."
Jim Hall, an analyst for AutoPacific Inc. in Southfield, Mich., says making the Caliber a hatchback and offering all-wheel drive may give dealers a new selling proposition. The Neon sold mostly on price, Hall said.
Wanted: more Calibers
Dealer Herb Chambers can't get his hands on enough Calibers. He says he has a backlog of 60 orders.
"We're getting allocation of five or six or seven a month," says the owner of Herb Chambers Dodge in Danvers, Mass. "We have a 10-month wait to get them. It is the hottest Dodge product we've had in 10 years."
Andy Palmen, chairman of the Dodge National Dealer Council, says fuel prices are driving shoppers away from large SUVs.
That's a problem for Dodge, which had a 142-day supply of Durangos as of June 1.
But the Caliber seems to be hitting a sweet spot, says Palmen, owner of Palmen Dodge-Jeep in Racine, Wis. "I would love to have 50 of these things (Calibers)," he says. "I would sell at least 30 a month."
Palmen says he had to rent a Caliber from Enterprise Rent-A-Car during May to have one to show customers because he couldn't get his hands on any new cars.
According to PIN data:
The average Caliber is taking 10 days to leave the dealer lot, and the number is not going up even though the car is in its fifth month on sale.
The average transaction price, minus cash rebate, has risen steadily and is now $18,100. By comparison, the Chrysler 300's price dropped 2 percent for the first five months.
The average transaction price of the Caliber rose more in its first five months than that of any other domestic model launched during the past 37 months - up 7 percent.
#155
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The average transaction price of the Caliber rose more in its first five months than that of any other domestic model launched during the past 37 months - up 7 percent.
#157
The sizzle in the Steak
Originally Posted by biker
So much for people not liking ugly hatch backs.
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#158
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It's got great advertising, reviews are positive enough for what it is, its cheap, and practical.
A new design like it or not, not a trendy throwback to the past (PT Cruiser, Chevy SSR).
Not surprised its selling well.
A new design like it or not, not a trendy throwback to the past (PT Cruiser, Chevy SSR).
Not surprised its selling well.
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Originally Posted by gdubb
Kinda looking forward to the SRT Caliber. IIR it will have 300hp, can someone correct me otherwise