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The 2008 Dodge Caliber SRT-4 is the long-awaited follow-on to the Neon-based SRT-4 sedan, which was discontinued in 2005 after a way-too-short production run of just three years. The Caliber SRT-4 follows the same formula, packing a turbocharged and intercooled four-cylinder engine and racy styling into and onto Dodge's compact front-drive Caliber package, this time with even more power and a better transmission. Does the new Caliber SRT-4 live up to the greatness of its predecessor? Read on. $22,995 base, $23,990 as tested, EPA fuel economy 21 MPG city, 26 highway.
First Glance: Old vs. new
The old SRT-4 was one of my favorite sport-compacts. It was very fast (0-60 in under 6 seconds), very cheap ($19,995), and very good to drive, but what I liked best about it was the sound. The SRT-4 had no muffler, relying instead on the turbocharger to keep it just quiet enough to be legal. The exhaust made all sorts of wonderful popping and spitting noises, with the occasional backfire thrown in for good measure.
So when the new Caliber SRT-4 showed up at my house, the first thing I did was to look under the back bumper.
It had a muffler.
Uh-oh, I thought, I think I know where this is going. And as it turns out, I was right.
But before I start the serious complaining, let's talk a bit more about the hardware. The Caliber SRT-4's turbocharged and intercooled 4-cylinder engine (link goes to photo) has the same displacement (2.4 liters) as the old SRT-4 with more power: 285 horsepower (55 more than the old car) and 265 lb-ft of torque (up 15). But just as power is up, so is weight (by about 10%) and price (by 15%). It's still fast and it's still cheap, but not to the degree the old car was.
The Caliber SRT-4 follows the same basic styling theme with an aggressive front end with multiple hood scoops and big grille openings to feed the intercooler. I love the big five-spoke wheels, similar in appearance to those on the Dodge Charger SRT-8, but the Caliber's oversized fender flares make them look a bit small, and the finned rear bumper looks dorky. The Caliber SRT-4 looks great at first glance but a bit cartoonish when you take in the details.
In the Driver's Seat: Great driving position, lousy shifter
The Caliber SRT-4's driving position is tall and upright -- unusual for a sports car -- and I quite liked it. The deeply-bolstered front "sport" seats are comfortable, if a bit short on thigh support, and I liked the relative positions of seat, steering wheel and pedals. Red stitching, a rearranged instrument cluster -- with the tachometer in the center as befits a proper sports car -- and a turbo boost gauge are the primary differences between the SRT-4 and regular Calibers. The SRT-4 shares the good (air conditioned glove box, big cargo bay) and the bad (cheap plastics, five-eighths-scale back seat) with the base Caliber.
The six-speed shifter (that's one more gear than the old SRT-4; the Caliber SRT-4 isn't available with an automatic) is mounted "rally-style" on the dash. Shift quality was one of the biggest problems with the base Caliber, and I was hoping for major improvements in the SRT-4. Alas, my hopes were in vain. The SRT-4's shifter is a bit more precise, but the feel is still pretty lousy -- it's reluctant to change gears and the angle at which its mounted makes movement awkward. If that isn't bad enough, the chrome cap on the shifter kept reflecting sunlight into my eyes, to the point that I avoided driving around in 3rd or 5th.
On the Road: Caliber has the usual front-drive faults...plus a few of its own
There are those who say that "front wheel drive" and "performance" are mutually exclusive. I know that isn't the case, but the Caliber SRT-4 does nothing to bolster my argument. It exhibits the worst front-wheel-drive behavior: Torque steer (the tendancy of a powerful front-driver to pull to one side under hard acceleration) is so bad that it's best to check the side-view mirror before stomping on the gas. And wheelspin when trying to accelerate out of corners is brutal. Rather than go to the expensive of fitting a limited-slip differential to quell the wheelspin problem, the Dodge engineers decided to rely on the SRT-4's traction control system to apply the brake on spinning wheel. Yes, it cuts wheel spin -- eventually -- but it also cuts acceleration. So all that power is pretty much useless in sharp turns.
But the SRT-4's problems go well beyond the usual front-drive bugaboos. The ride is awful -- it's not that it's too firm, it's that it's badly controlled. Even slightly uneven pavement sets the Caliber SRT-4 bouncing on its springs, and something as small as an asphalt patch in the pavement can send the Caliber's suspension to the end of its travel. All that body movement affects the car's directional stability -- it's simply all over the road, and the imprecise steering doesn't help. The Caliber SRT-4 doesn't even make nice noises -- it's loud, coarse and unrefined. Two-thirds of the way through the About.com Cars Top Secret Curvy Test Road, I simply gave up on driving fast -- I wasn't having any fun and I was getting nauseous.
Journey's End: Shattered hopes
I had high hopes for the Caliber SRT-4, and I came away thoroughly disappointed. I suppose if I thought really hard, I could come up with some nice things to say about it. They'd probably revolve around trunk space, driver's seating position, and fuel economy -- I averaged 22 MPG, not bad for a turbocharged car, though I suppose that if the SRT-4 was even remotely enjoyable to drive, I might have ridden it a bit harder and dropped that figure a bit.
$23k doesn't seem like a bad price for what the Caliber gives you -- until you look at what the competition offers. The Mazdaspeed 3 offers a turbocharged engine, hatchback practicality and infinitely better driving dynamics for just about the same price. The Honda Civic Si is much more thrilling and over $1,000 cheaper. It may not have nearly as much power, but unlike the Caliber SRT-4 you can put every last bit of it to good use. For a bit more money you can go German with the Volkswagen GTI and Jetta GLI. If you prefer to buy domestic, Chevrolet's turbocharged 2008 HHR SS offers a steadier, more refined ride, though it's less powerful, not as handsome, and not as thrilling... although considering the kind of thrills the Caliber SRT4 offers, maybe that isn't such a bad thing.
So the answer to the question on whether the Caliber SRT-4 is as good as the original is, obviously, a big fat "no friggin' way" -- and it's going to take a lot more than removing the muffler to make it better. -- Aaron Gold
