Teh Car Blogz

I recently had the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the new Dodge Caliber SRT-4, the Chrysler group’s latest effort at a performance compact car, and thought I would share some impressions.

The Caliber SRT-4 is the latest in a long line of turbocharged Chrysler compact cars that put a premium on power and shortcut all the other little things like refinement and build quality. It’s the follow-up to the wildly popular Neon SRT-4 which was a muscle-car in the greatest American tradition: a small, cheap car with the largest, most powerful engine that can fit in it and not a whole lot else. Going further into the past, the SRT-4 takes inspiration from some of the Dodge Shelby Turbo cars of the late 80’s/early 90’s such as the Omni GLHS (Goes Like Hell Squared), Spirit R/T and numerous other Turbo Chryslers.

The big difference between the new SRT-4 and the old is size. The Caliber is just a much larger car than the Neon, and it’s basic shape does not lend itself to performance intentions very naturally. It’s very tall and rather narrow, giving it pseudo-SUV dimensions, which really don’t work for me. You sit very high up in this car, with a pretty commanding view of the road ahead. Dodge has tried their best to make the SRT-4 a better looking car than the standard Caliber, and I have to say they’ve done a great job - flared fenders, a myriad of vents and scoops, and huge 19″ chromed 5-spoke SRT-wheels, a bit of bodykit and a cute little spoiler on the back. But it’s still akin to putting lipstick on a pig. The Sunburst Orange Metallic color of the car I tested did it no favors, either.

Inside, the story is the same as every other Chrysler since pretty much forever: an absolute nightmare of cheap, hard plastic, ugly and unergonomic design, and the feeling that the interior designers had a small budget and didn’t really care in the first place. Well, not entirely true- the SRT-4 specific seats are quite nice, with huge thigh, torso and shoulder bolsters. They aren’t as supportive as they look but they’re very comfy, hold you in place well enough, and look great. The boost gauge to the left of the steering wheel is a nice touch, too.

Driving the SRT-4 is pretty hilarious, to be honest. You look out over the road from an unnaturally high vantage point. The shifter is on the dashboard, like a Honda Element, rather than between the seats like a real car. However, the Getrag unit has short throws and very well-defined gates and you get used to it’s strange action very quickly. The clutch take-up on this car is mildly ridiculous, biting about a half-inch off the floor, and hard. In day-to-day traffic it would become annoying after about a week, and makes it somewhat difficult to drive the car smoothly.

In fact, all the controls have a heavy feel to them that feels added on, rather than engineered in. The brakes almost feel unservoed, the steering is meaty and tough, and shift throws require a decent yank to bring home. The ride is remarkably bad as well; you would think for how much fender gap this puppy has it would ride a bit better. It does corner remarkably flat, though.

So in day-to-day driving, I have to say the Caliber SRT-4 is rather unpleasant. It’s nowhere near as nice as, say, a VW Rabbit. But that’s completely missing the point.

Roll onto the throttle hard in first gear. The 2.4L “World Engine” (jointly designed with Mitsubishi) is turbocharged, intercooled, and has dual variable valve timing. Past 3000 rpm or so, the turbo starts to sing and the huge torque output (265lb-ft) shoves you back in your seat. The steering wheel squirms violently, as torque steer tries to rip it from your hands. Punch the clutch, which now feels completely natural, grab second, and the onslaught continues. Second gear requires two firm hands on the wheel to avoid hitting parked cars on the side of the road under acceleration. Torque steer, wheelspin, and ferocious, glorious acceleration. Lots and lots of it. Snatch third and it just… keeps… going.

Make no mistake. While the Caliber might be atrociously ugly, cheaply built and entirely unclassy, it has a completely epic engine. This car will chew up and spit out a Civic Si or a VW GTi without even breaking a sweat. Sentra SE-R’s cower in fear. Mothers, hide your children: the SRT-4 might look like a minivan, but it’s still as ridiculous as ever. And as usual, DCX is just simply lying through their teeth about how much power it really makes. They say 285 horsepower and 265 lb-ft. Edmunds put one on a Dynojet Dynamometer and recorded 281 horsepower at the wheels and 261 lb-ft at the wheels. Sounds more like 310-325 crank horsepower to me. But this is nothing new; the original SRT-4 was supposed to have 215 crank horsepower, but Sport Compact Car tested a stock production model that made 223 at the wheels. Go, Chrysler!

It’s closest competitor is the Mazdaspeed 3, which offers the same alluring huge amount of power for not a lot of money. The Mazda has less horsepower but more torque (263/280 versus 285/265). Oddly, the Dodge manages it’s torque steer a lot better than the Mazda despite the funky fake limited slip differential. The ride is equally awful. The MS3 is a more traditional compact car and the handling is certainly better, but it loses something in transition - it’s a bit too smooth and refined to really be as much fun, even it’s an insane speed demon just like the SRT-4. I would say the Dodge actually has better seats and a much better shifter than the Mazda, minus that tricky clutch. Prices are similar; see which one you like better.

It’s not perfect, though. Not even close. It doesn’t even have a real limited-slip differential like the old Neon SRT-4’s did. It has an electronic brake-lock differential, which basically modulates the brake on the side that is spinning to divert power to the other wheel. Not exactly ideal. The interior is garbage, it’s VERY ugly, the ride is atrocious, you would have muscles in places you didn’t know you could after driving it to work for a week. As a commuter vehicle, it makes no damn sense. But when you put your foot down and spool that turbo, it starts to make a bit more. And to be honest, I really want one. Sod practicality, it’s a hoot to drive!

2008 Dodge Caliber SRT-4
MSRP: $23,015
Engine: 2.4L 16v I4, Turbocharged/Intercooled, 285bhp/265lb-ft
Drivetrain: 6-speed manual, front wheel drive, electronic brake lock differential

Pros: Massive, glorious turbo thrust. Really nice seats. Factory Boost Gauge. Cheap.
Cons: Ugly, uncomfortable, cheaply built, awful ride, heavy controls, turbo lag, EBLD is worthless, 225/35/ZR19’s can’t be cheap to replace once every month or so.
Verdict: Unrefined and uncivilized, but certainly better for it.
Also Try: Mazdaspeed 3, VW GTi, 2.0T, Mini Cooper S JCW, Chevrolet HHR SS, Subaru Impreza WRX

This entry was posted on Saturday, April 12th, 2008 at 4:18 pm and is filed under First Impressions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.