2007 Dodge Caliber SRT4

• Competes with: Chevrolet Cobalt SS, Honda Civic Si, Subaru Impreza WRX, Volkswagen GTI
• Looks like: A ground-hugging Caliber with a few more nostrils
• Drivetrain: 300-horsepower, supercharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder with six-speed-manual transmission; front-wheel drive
• Hits dealerships: May 2006
• MSRP: As low as $20,000? We can hope

The Dodge Caliber is the latest Chrysler Group vehicle to get the SRT treatment — that's Street and Racing Technology — resulting in the 2007 Dodge Caliber SRT4. Oddly enough, the first SRT model was the 2003 Dodge SRT-4, which had no model name attached to it. Why? Because the base model was a Neon, and Dodge didn't want to remind anyone of that.

As it turned out, they could have called it Neon SRT-4. Heck, they could have called it Monkapotamus SRT-4, and people would have flocked to their dealerships, because the SRT-4 was fabulous. With 215 horsepower in its first iteration, it became the best bang for the buck, priced just under $20,000. It handled nothing like a Neon, and it even sounded great. By the end — the 2005 model year — the SRT-4 boasted 230 hp and could be goosed to 300 horses with Mopar modifications. All told, Dodge sold 25,000 of them, far exceeding expectations.

Now Dodge believes it has something to boast about in its new 2007 Caliber four-door hatchback (covered in a separate report). Hence the Caliber SRT4, endowed with 300 hp, right out of the box, from a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder. Like the current SRT vehicles from Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep, the Caliber SRT4 complements the drivetrain with chassis, exterior and interior upgrades.

Exterior
The SRT4 sits half-an-inch lower than the regular Caliber, and the custom front fascia extends farther down, giving the car a ground-hugging look. The front fascia and grille are actually farther forward on the SRT4 to accommodate the turbo's intercooler. Other visible differences from the regular Caliber are also functional: The front bumper has outboard cooling ducts for the brakes, and the hood has a center hood-scoop inlet and two heat vents further back. These serve to cool the engine compartment. The air cleaner is fed by a duct above the radiator and behind the grille.

The tail features a spoiler that's about 60 percent larger than the standard one, for greater downforce on the rear wheels. The rear fascia drops down to an airfoil with vertical vanes for improved underbody aerodynamics.

Interior
In the SRT tradition, the SRT4's interior has sport seats with prominent side bolsters and fabric panel inserts to hold occupants in place during spirited driving. Also present are an exclusive leather steering wheel, shifter knob and shifter boot. "Alloy silver" trim and power-adjustable aluminum pedals are also unique to the SRT version. Special gauges include a 200-mph speedometer and a turbo boost-pressure gauge.

Under the Hood
The engine compartment is dominated by induction plumbing that rises from the intercooler, located behind the grille, and runs backward like a basket handle over the block and behind the engine. The 2.4-liter inline-four generates 300 hp at 6,000 rpm and 260 pounds-feet of torque from 2,000 to 6,000 rpm, according to Dodge (ratings based on 93-octane premium gasoline). It drives the front wheels through a Getrag six-speed-manual transmission.

The engine itself is beefed up for the increased demands of charging and higher output. The forged connecting rods join cast pistons and the crankshaft by means of tri-metal bearings. An external oil cooler and piston-cooling oil squirters are unique to this model. The exhaust system employs 3-inch-diameter pipes and two catalytic converters in series — the latter being for quicker warmup and better pollution control, not for performance. The car introduced at the Chicago Auto Show had a nice, deep exhaust note — better than the typical buzz of four-cylinder pocket rockets — but it wasn't quite as pleasing as the original SRT-4's exhaust burble. Perhaps this will change before the car hits the market in May.

The Caliber SRT4 is almost 300 pounds heavier than its Neon-based predecessor, which might explain its comparable estimated zero-to-60 mph time of "less than 6.0 seconds." Given the higher power rating, it might not explain it at all.

The four-wheel-independent suspension has different spring and shock absorber rates as well as exclusive, stronger stabilizer bars than those on the regular Caliber. The 19-inch aluminum wheels wear Goodyear performance tires rated P225/45R19. The wheel bearings and half shafts come from the Chrysler Group's midsize cars for greater strength. The front brakes also borrow from larger cars — the much larger Dodge Magnum and Charger. The rear calipers come from the midsize cars. All the calipers are Dodge red. The antilock system with brake assist is calibrated specially for the different hardware and usage.

Safety
Like the regular Caliber, the SRT4 has a standard driver's knee airbag, which helps keep the occupant positioned properly for the primary restraints. What it doesn't have is standard side curtain-type airbags: they're optional. A tire-pressure-monitoring system is standard. Up front are SmartBeam headlights that change their intensity automatically based on the environment and oncoming traffic. Around back are sonar backup sensors that sound a beep tone and illuminate lights on the rearview mirror when approaching an obstacle in Reverse gear.
source : car