Overview & Reviews

The enthusiast-oriented Dodge Caliber SRT4 makes its debut this year, bringing with it a turbocharged 285-horsepower engine. The rest of the 2008 lineup is pretty much unchanged. Caliber SXT and R/T models have some additional standard equipment this year, and all Calibers get new chrome accents within their cabins.

• Versatile interior, available all-wheel drive, wide range of engine choices.

• Sluggish acceleration from CVT-equipped models, low-quality interior materials, unimpressive build quality, several important safety features are optional rather than standard.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 115.00

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  Most Ridiculous Car Ever Made - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By Neal Buck - August 3 - 2:10 pm

  I cant believe this car was ever made. Its utterly ridiculous. First and foremost, the acceleration is practically non existent. The harder you push down the acceleration pedal, the slower the car accelerates. I think the issue is more with the automatic transmission than the actual torque, though, because it often feels like the car is starting from second gear and then realizes its not supposed to do that and jerkily downshifts to first. The suspension is a sort of princess and the pea situation with every little bump in the road translating into a spleen-rattling affair. From the outside, the Caliber looks like a spacious family car, but the inside is fully taken up with the dashboard, which is roughly the size of an eight-seat dining room table. The front seats have a fair amount of leg room underneath the dashboard, but any backseat passengers dont fare as well. And good luck fitting more than one kids car seat back there. You would think they could have taken a couple of feet out of the dash to provide more room for the back seats. I can only assume the engineer responsible for the Calibers design envisioned serving a large meal on the dashboard. There can be no other reason for that design. I have only two good things to say about this car. First, we have had to do no major repairs on it since we got it. But I think thats about to change. I believe the suspension and transmission will be requiring repairs before long. Second, the storage space is pretty decent, especially when you lay down the back seats. Overall, I wouldnt wish this car on anyone. Its two small perks do not compensate for a host of design failures and automotive mishaps. This car is actually really funny when you give it much thought. Its like the engineers planned it as a practical joke.