I will give the Dodge Caliber one thing, it is leaps and bounds ahead of the Neon! But let's be honest, it is still has a long way to go to be at the same level as any one of the Japanese brands. Even Kia is has passed DCX latley in terms of reliability and fit & finish.

In Canada they stopped calling it a Neon all together because it has such a bad reputation. Not a single reference to "Neon" on any of the 2nd gen's up here. It was called only the Dodge SX 2.0, lol. :D

 

Hi sugarphreak...Yes, I see the bad repair statistics for the Dodge Neon. However, this thread is for the Dodge Caliber. I know the repair statistics are better for Honda cars. But the statistics that Michael Kiresh is compiling for many vehicles, is initially indicating that the Caliber is a fine product of quality. As mentioned in earlier posts, my Caliber is 100% functioning & squeak-free, overall averaging 30.6MPG, & of such a sweetly smooth ride as not to be compared with any non-CVT vehicle of ANY SIZE. The Caliber loves the mountains, the CVT always seeking the most efficient gear, so the engine is always at its least stress. That is why my Caliber AVERAGES well OVER 10% higher in highway MPG going over 4000 foot mountain passes from sea level than the EPA highway MPG. Yes, I stated that correctly. Not only is my Caliber's highway MPG way over 10% higher than EPA's Caliber highway MPG...my Caliber's highway average while going OVER 4000 foot mountain passes is OVER 10% higher than the EPA's Caliber highway MPG! I would find it hard to believe if my Caliber highway mountain pass MPG is NOT very close to Honda Fit's 4000 foot mountain pass highway MPG. I have tried hard to keep my Caliber miles low, but after 8 months, the Caliber has 11,200 miles. With numerous months of $3.50 a gallon gasoline & my 50 MPG Ford Festiva readily available to me, I still end up driving my Caliber that enhances all my driving pleasures.

Others on this website have wondered WHY Caliber & Fit are being compared. I wonder the same. The Fit CANNOT HAVE such a restful, elegant ride of pleasantness as the Caliber gives to me daily.

 

my friend has a caliber (rental) because his civic was totaled. it's not as bad as i thought it would be, but his mileage has been pretty dismal. a couple of times he's touched 20 mpg and normally hovers around 23. the other problem really is the noise inside. there's a lot of interior thrash even during city driving and ESPECIALLY during highway driving.

 

I only brough up the Neon in my previous post because the Caliber is supposed to be replacing it, like I said the Caliber is a major step forward both in reliability and overall quality for DCX :) Like any car, if you look after it reliability shouldn't be a major issue.

I would say the two are being compared because of their similar price and more obviously the hatchback utility class they fall into. But you are correct, the ride between the two are much different and each will appeal to different folks.

lol, sorry I am not a big fan of CVT's in general :rolleyes: Too disconnected and strange for me. I like a solid connection... and a clutch:D

When it comes to the Fit VS the Caliber I guess it really comes down to what people are looking for. Back when I was still hunting I test drove an SE and it was ok. I found it much nicer than the Versa (sorry Nissan guys). I liked the exterior styling and the suspension wasn't too bad either. But for a car that is supposed to have 150hp(ish) it sure didn't feel like it, the throttle felt very mushy. The other turn off for me was the interior. It felt a little cheap in comparison despite all the unique features. At the end of the day it didn't have the solid feel and eagerness of the Honda. Not to mention the interior of the Honda feels more like an Acura inside than a budget car!

Anyway, that is my 2 cents :D I don't fault people for buying the Caliber if it suits them better. But Honda said it best; "The Fit is Fun!"

 

japanese made vs american made

need i say more? :rolleyes:

 

Yes, I always had a clutch too...for the better MPG. You should approach the CVT driven car as if it were a propellor airplane. Set your tranny to Drive. Set your rpms & away you go. Like an airplane the rpms don't change much. Like an airplane propellor pulling you along, the CVT connected to the front wheels draws you forward without any shifting.

You state the CVT is too disconnected. In reality it is your manual tranny & engine that is disconnected from the wheels everytime you shift. It is the disengaging & engaging that gives the jerkiness & what you sense as connectedness. The CVT set in Drive always keeps the engine connected to the wheels. What you think is disconnected, isn't, & what you think is connected, isn't. All in all, you think wrongly twice.

What you really like being connected to is the process of mechanical manipulation. You must see that every time you shift a manual tranny, your engine is disconnected from the wheels. The CVT stops the disconnectiveness. Because the CVT is always connected to the wheels is why the CVT will out accelerate all similar 4 speed automatic tranny driven cars in the 45 to 65MPG range.

 

lol, you have me there, all valid points:) Just not really my cup of tea.... regardless of when you shift or how accurate your shift is it, is the person controlling the shift rather than a computer micro-managing everything. The feeling of being involved is a truly great, and no doubt it takes some skill to get good at it. Sure propeller planes drone on, and I supposed technically you are in control because you purchased a ticket from point A to point B. But really you just sit there while everything goes on around you until you land. Most people fall asleep on the plane :)

Think back to when you were a kid; when you made engine sounds for your toy cars... did they make a dull droning noise or did they shift gears? That really is the essence of what people want to capture. The excitment and fun involved in actually driving! I shudder when I think about the day they introduce cars that totally drive themselves while we sit there... maybe sleeping :)

Anyway, just my point. Preference is going to be the decider for this one ;)

 

You make airplanes(& by inference, the CVT) sound so boring. Your bias is too obvious. Test pilots Chuck Yeager, Joe Walker(dead), & Neil Armstrong(ya remember him don't ya), & all war pilots will take you to task for your airplane description. Not only is your bias showing but so is your ego. But your brains are not showing well. The CVT has potential to let cars outrace manual tranny cars...& do it smoother than any manual tranny will.

You say preference is going to be the decider. I say the master over new technology will be the decider. The racing CVT will eventually beat a manual tranny. & a good electric engine already has beaten a reciprocating engine. Some electric engines don't even have a transmission. So our argument over transmissions is eventually superfluous.

 

My applogies to others, this thread is starting to get a bit off topic :rolleyes:

I can assure you both my Ego and my brains are well in check, there is no need for personal attacks here. Not once did I say that the CVT couldn't be used in race applications or that it wasn't more efficient.

I just don't enjoy them. The disconnected feeling comes from the fact that the engine makes all kinds of weird noises that don't match up with what is actually going on. No doubt the CVT's quest for the perfect gear ratio. Seriously, lets face facts here; it is boring and not engaging!!

It doesn't surprise me that with your choice of transmission you also chose the Caliber over the Fit. Please don't take that the wrong way, that isn't an insult. There nothing wrong with that at all. Just your preference.

One last thing, I highly doubt you will see the end of manual tranny's in our lifetime. There is a reason companies like Porsche and BMW continue to offer them on the most technological vehicles on the planet despite the obvious benefits of the CVT.

Keep in mind that somebody who is skilled at driving a manual tranny can shift as smoothly as any CVT or automatic (or maybe even smoother).

 

I drove a Caliber for a week last week because my Fit was getting the bumper paint problem fixed. At first, I enjoyed it because I like driving different cars. Plus it was sort of nice to drive a bigger car after driving my little roller skate for the past 6 months. After a couple of day, I was ready for my Fit to come back home. Not that the Caliber is a bad car. I think it looks great, has some nice storage compartments, and the height-adjustable seat is something the Fit is sorely lacking. But it just felt like I was driving a barge. When I went to park, I couldn't whip into an empty space between two cars like the Fit. The steering just isn't as *tight*. Plus, the interior is just plain depressing. I like the gauges though, that's the one bright spot.

If you're used to driving bigger American cars though, the Caliber is nice. Just not my cup o' tea.