New Dodge Caliber interior upgrades for 2010

For 2010, Chrysler is improving the Caliber’s worst feature, its interior. After we originally tested our first Caliber, one of our engineers likened it to sitting in an Igloo cooler.

The revised cabin has a new blue backlit instrument cluster, a center stack with a full-color music screen and brushed aluminum surround, and a new, less-angular console with lighted cupholders. While it is difficult to judge the extent of improvements by pictures, the much-improved interior in our tested 2009 Dodge Ram gives us hope.
 
Last year, Chrysler modestly upgraded the interior of the Caliber’s near-twin, the Jeep Patriot. They also made other improvements that collectively boosted the test score of our 2009 Patriot by 10 points. Even with that considerable increase in score, it falls short of our criteria for recommendation. 

As with the Patriot, a new interior won’t solve many of the Caliber’s fundamental problems, such as a noisy engine, annoying continuously variable transmission, and poor visibility. But Chrysler will build Calibers anyway (it just announced it would double production), and some consumers will buy them. At least those customers will ride in a more inviting cabin.

See our Caliber, Ram, and Patriot videos.

—Eric Evarts

Comments

[Greg]

In the past, Consumer Reports has written favorably about the CVT in these models. From the 2008 annual auto issue, p 51: "The continuously variable transmission works well..."

[Brady Holt]

Even a CVT that's working well produces the annoying result of a steady drone from all but the nicest engines. That's probably the discrepancy here.

[synesthesia]

Don't know why professional reviewers and auto enthusiasts love to hate the Caliber so much... I've owned one for a year now and plan to drive it till the world runs out of oil. True, it is not a sports car, luxury land yacht, or ultra efficient microbox; but it is a remarkably roomy, economical and (dare I say) sharp looking car.

I like driving a car that doesn't look like a rounded jelly bean excreted from the terminal end of some giant automotive alimentary canal.

I like sitting up a bit higher than all the other little cars on the road, and having enough head room so my hair does not brush against the roof. Feels more like the SUV I traded than a compact.

I like the CVT tranny. Smooth as silk... Like a magic carpet ride, and no gear hunting climbing hills with the cruise control on. Speed Racer type auto enthusiasts should avoid the CVT as it seems to disappoint aggressive drivers.

The new 2.0 "world" engine is silent at idle, and consistent and strong under load, and the "hard plastic" interior has been replaced for 2010.

I have always gotten substantially better mileage (27-28 combined) than the EPA estimate. The CVT does allow the engine to rev if you've got a lead foot, which I feel is how the EPA wound up getting low numbers for Cali compared to the (mostly smaller) cars with a traditional automatic.

Most of all... I like having enough money left after making my auto payment, to take my gal out for a nice dinner and night on the town, as Caliber's remarkably low price allows me to do!

Unless you're paying cash for your new car, it might be wise to look at the "total cost of the loan" for Caliber and compare that with the total cost of loan for cars you compare it to. Do this and you may like the Cali even better!

[coolcar]

I tried out a Caliber at a local Auto show back in late 2008, and I was thoroughly unimpressed with it. large pillars and small windows make for terrible visibility, the interior looked bland and low-cost, and when I started looking closely, it seemed like the whole interior started falling apart...

The new interior looks better, but overall, they haven't fixed the car's fundamentals - poor performance, visibility, and nothing that sets it apart from the competition except for its distinctive styling, which leaves me with no reason at all to get a Caliber

[John]

I have been driving a 2007 Caliber with a CVT for 3 years now with 52,000 on it. It has been a pleasure to drive in all kinds of weather including snow. In fact during one snow storm, I drove up a hill around a Toyota Prius that got stuck in the snow.
It has very comfortable seats for short and long trips.
The car does have shortcomings, but ALL cars do so you learn to live with it.

Car has been very reliable and gets great gas mileage.
24/35-city-highway. I hope to buy a 2010 model next year.

[Thomas]

Traded my 2007 caliber last year for a Toyota tundra.The tundra gets better gas mileage than that piece of garbage dodge .Best move i ever made.Will never buy from Chrysler or dodge brand again.Toyota is king.