[Ironside]

well to me 14.6 sounds pretty darn quick for a Caliber. That thing would keep up with my 89 Formula Firebird at the strip. And prolly at the road course too. I don't know what you all expected for a vehicle near the $20k range. If it was $30k and 13.6 do you think MORE people would buy them?

We were at LEAST expecting it to maintain the same performance numbers as the original SRT-4. This is just crap...

What really urks me is the fact that when they announced it they were like "oh yeah, we can sum it up in 3 numbers... 85, 120something, and 300" or whatever. The first number was how many MORE horsepower it has over the out-going Neon SRT...

If the thing is so much slower than the neon, why did they announce it by putting down the Neon so much... ****... if my SRT could talk it would be laughing at this stooopid hatch right now.

Not to mention they tried building all this "300hp hype"... then did a bellyflop by having to reduce it to 280hp. If you ask me, this vehicle is going to be ho-hum.

 

[Ironside]

I have a feeling it will do better than their posted numbers. Also im sure it wont be too hard to get the horsepower numbers back to 300 and beyond. The only real concern is the lack of a LSD. Hopefully it will be offered eventually. Seems its just cost cutting for now and may just be the base model they are hyping to keep the sub $20,000 price point. I personally wont even be tempted unless i see it with a dual clutch auto and AWD.

I wouldn't say that is the ONLY problem... there is OBVIOUSLY a problem with this vehicle handling any more horsepower than 280hp. Otherwise, why would they reduce it from 300hp?

I still wonder how many of those rumours were true about the frames bending and the torque steer/wheelhop being so bad the car was undriveable.

Guess we'll have to wait and see, but I wonder why Dodge has been so tight lipped this whole time. It seems as though they were TRYING to do a good thing with this car, but things weren't going as they expected, so rather than delay further they just spit it out as is.

Maybe the 2009 will yield improvements? That is, if there IS an '09 after this thing makes them ZERO profit.

One last thought... if Dodge deliberately reduced the stock horsepower to make it easier for them to sell Stage upgrades with huge markups in order to make a larger profit, i'm going to be RIGHT pissed off...

 

[Ironside]

280 hp for a sub $20k. I'll take it. My 06 Stang cost $32k w/ 280hp to the rear wheels. If people are not happy with those Caliber numbers then spend 30k+ and buy an STi.

All we are saying is that we bought our neon SRT4's for 20k US and it puts down numbers a lot better than the Caliber's... I do not understand how/why Dodge cannot at least MATCH the performance from our cars.

Here is the slightly better pic of the interior by the way...

 

[Ironside]

Don't take what we're saying the wrong way, this car will still be awesome. It will be a huge step up from the regular Calibers and it WILL be a quick car. I just think Dodge over-hyped the car and it will not live up to the 'legend' that the first gen SRT4 has become.

Most importantly, like most of you are saying, there are many other options out there that will probably make more sense or give you more speed for the buck... that just wasn't the case in the Neon's hayday.

I think I for one was just waiting for an unbelievable Dodge SRT vehicle that would absolutely blow away it's competition, not just sink into being 'another choice' among many similar choices.

If anything, it just made MY car more valuable when I resell it... Just think... an "ORIGINAL SRT-4"... with all the speed and performance you've heard of with half the price and more speed than the NEW SRT4 model! LOL... I can have a field day with this.

 

[Ironside]

What "many more choices" offering "more speed for the buck" are you referring to? The closest form factor I can think of is the MS3 and I think you will find the apples to apples pricing far in favour of the Caliber. The other puddle jumper choices out there should not be compared head to head. How can you be so disappointed in a Caliber that will equal or outperform more expensive choices in a much better all around utility 5 dr hatch. With all due respect to the original SRT4, its still a Neon.

I am simply disappointed in the fact that Dodge could have done a lot more with the Caliber. It really was the perfect opportunity to come out swinging and prove that they still have what it takes to blow away every other car manufacturer... a reputation that defintely wouldn't hurt them right about now with the way the automotive industry is going.

I guess I dont see why Dodge has to be the 'best bang for the buck'... why not put a little more money into the car, make it a little pricier but make it an unbelievable vehicle. Sure they want the base model to be around $20,000, but there really aren't that many great options to chose from for those of us willing to pay for them.

Why is it they reduced the 300hp? I HOPE the car does better than 14.6 in the quarter mile and I guess we'll find out soon enough, why is there no MyGIG? Why can't they put heated seats in the car?

Did any of you guys read that whole big press release for the Concept Caliber in detail? They even said it was going to have power adjustable pedals for God's sake.... it's like they totally abandoned their original plans and 'settled for less'.

(...and yes, the current SRT-4 IS still just a neon... which is one of the reasons i'm looking for a change... i've owned a '99 Neon, a 2002 Neon R/T and the 2004 Neon SRT4... i want a CHANGE, and that's probably why i'm SO disappointed with the Caliber SRT4, because I was REALLY banking on it being the change I was looking for...)

 

[Ironside]

Ironside.. you're credited for the leak on autoblog man! you're dealer is gonna get roasted lol, which is too bad since we all appreciate the information

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/23/300hp-no-more-official-specs-for-dodge-caliber-srt-4/

Ah well... I don't think anyone at the dealership would really care... plus, I asked the girl at the front desk if I was allowed to copy the pages and she said yes .

It's not like I snuck in someone's office and stole secret information... Plus, it's Dodge's own damn fault for making this thing such a big secret for almost 2 years... it was bound to happen.

Either way, look on the brightside... i'm freakin' FAMOUS!!! LOL

 

[Ironside]

does any one know if the srt-4 went into production yet? Any ETA build date?

It is suppose to be 'on the lots' some time around September.

 

[Ironside]

I work at a dealership and I know the exact booklet he got the scans from. It has been wrong in the past. Even consumer brochures have wrong information in them from time to time. Well let me rephrase, maybe it's not false information, but it could be dated or no longer correct. Point is don't get too excited yet. This was correct as of the printed date of this document which none of us know.

Clinging onto false hopes is not allowed around here...

Somehow I doubt that this car will redeem itself ALL OF A SUDDEN and be as fast as we want it to be. I think the BEST case scenerio is maybe the auto magazines can squeeze some slightly better numbers out of the car.

I'm still shocked at how many car websites picked up this story, just from a couple stupid photocopies... I made EDMUNDS INSIDE LINE tonight! lol...

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=121821http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=121821

In either case, i'm already eye-balling a used 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 so the Caliber can eat my dust. (Well.. it would already eat my dust with the Neon SRT I have but, you get what i'm trying to say here... )

 

[Ironside]

Anyhoot... The Caliber SRT4 will not be anything like the Neon SRT4... It's a totally different beast and it's aimed at a different market...

Sounds like a more tame 'beast' to me...

I still maintain that it will be plenty fast and relatively nice... but certain aspects of it will still be a little on the cheap side.

It would still be nice if Dodge made this thing the fastest kid on the block for the money... that's what I think of when I think 'SRT'...

This may just be the first mediocre SRT vehicle ever made.

I'm willing to bet they will have a 'stage 1' that will bring it back up to 300hp.. or we'll see the 300hp in the 2nd year or SOME kind of money making scheme.

 

[Ironside]

Thats the thing... it does do more. its a larger and more utilitarian vehicle. It is NOT a neon and only replaces the neon in dodge's compact car segment. I dont think it was ment to take its place outright.

Tell me again about the part where the Caliber is SO MUCH BIGGER than the Neon SRT-4........


It may SEEM like it is bigger and more useful, but it's really not. My trunk can fit more crap in it than this cars 'hatch'.

 

[Ironside]

Then don't buy it. Then stop talking about it if you do not like it. I'm not a Dodge fan but this car looks waaaaaaaaaay better then that neon. And I'm first in line for this one. I may buy 2.

Why is it that some people here seem to feel as though they need to defend the Caliber even though Dodge is screwing us by cheapening the thing... remember... I know this is a Caliber forum, but we don't owe Dodge anything. Just because it says "caliber" on it, does not mean you should be offended if people talk crap about it.

If they produce crap, they should hear the backlash because manufacturing a sub-par vehicle should not be tolerated in today's world with the automotive industry the way it is. The damn japanese are eating us alive as it is.

We don't need anymore mediocre cars... we need something from Dodge that will make the other auto companies crap in their diapers because nothing THEY have can touch it.

...I'm just bitter because that is not happening.

 

[Ironside]

Can't wait to hear what excuses the engineers are going to have on the next chat. They might not be able to talk about it now but once the car is released they are fair game. I hope they make the correct changes for the 09 model etc. This disaster MIGHT be fixable (LSD, 300hp, 4wd). I dont care what they do or what HP they make it but what I do care about is performance, make it a 5 sec 0-60 with a sub 14 quarter and I'm in.

Yeah, but imagine all the poor saps who buy this car in the first year only to have them release it the way it was meant to be in the second model year... AGAIN! At least with the Neon SRT, it was nothing a few injectors and a new PCM couldn't fix... but you were still short an LSD.

'Fixing' the car for the second model year is just a fancy way of delaying the release even further. It is like "well... our customers can't wait any longer so let's just throw them what we have so far, figure the rest out later and release a new and improved model next year"...

How does that make any sense?!?!

And also... I refer to the car being 'cheap' because of the above stated facts: reduced HP, no Limited Slip Diff', slow performance numbers, things like Dodge refusing to put in heated seats or their new fabled 'myGIG'... and what the 'eff is with there being no power lock control on the front passenger door?!???

 

[Ironside]

Hey, your Neon doesn't have power rear windows either! =] Remember, SRT doesn't stand for Stylish/Reclining/Toasty warm, so amenities are not something to rag an SRT vehicle for.

You know, one theory knocking around in the vast space that is my head is that perhaps the Neon SRT-4 was the pinnacle of FWD performance, for a stock vehicle at least, in terms of power and acceleration. Perhaps there's a maximum amount of power that you can't reasonable exceed in a FWD car and still have it be safe and reliable from a manufacturer viewpoint (100,000 mile lifetime). Think about it, the only other FWD car that I know of that has at least 280HP is the Acura TL, and that car is a lot heavier and also has a lot of torquesteer issues of its own, according to the reviews.

Maybe the <3000lb SRT-4 with mad torque was as good as it can possibly get, considering it was underrated and putting out at least 270-280 crank HP (that's 230-240 wheel HP plus 15% for the tranny loss).

Nobody's surpassing it, not from the factory at least. It's easy to mod them up, but they've obviously not been able to get the Caliber to do 300HP and still work out however they wanted it to work out...

Excuse me? No rear power windows in my SRT-4? Speak for yourself...

 

[Ironside]

That would be the boost gauge. I'm not a big fan of where they put it, but that can always be fixed

I wonder why they angled it funny like that... compare it to the pics of the concept model, it just faced straight out... now it's curved inward...

 

[Ironside]

At least we FINALLY get to see the SRT-4 Caliber in SunBurst Orange... I was waiting for that...

Just have to see a clean black one now and we'll be ALL set.

 

[Ironside]

Oh blah . Well they understated the original SRT-4's performance specs somewhat, and unless they're understating the new one's a LOT MORE, it's still less impressive than the original.

I wish they'd just SHIP THE DAMN THING! So these threads could die and the "Where can I get new tires for less than $300 a pop?" threads start.

You know this thing comes with the Goodyear F1's that the SRT-8 has? I got a nail in one a while back and it was over $300 installed... ouch.

http://www.cars.com/go/features/autoshows/vehicle.jsp?autoshow=&vehicletype=production&autoshowyear=2006&vehicle=production_dodge_caliber_srt4

Check it out, they used to claim "under 6 seconds" as well as 300HP for the concept. Maybe they're hedging, just so they can shock people... we'll see.

Funny... the concept doesn't have a muffler.... why would they add one to the production model???

I'm seriously starting to think they detuned and crapified the Caliber on purpose so they can sell more aftermarket crap for it and make more money.

...jerks.

 

[Ironside]

The production model is MUFFLED? I must have missed that! I thought it was just pipes and resonators like the old SRT-4???

Join us in the other thread won't you? lol

http://www.caliberforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4435&page=2

 

[Ironside]

The 2007...err... wait... 2008 Caliber SRT-4 has been PUSHED BACK?!!?!

No waaaaaay....!!!?????111?!?@?##?@?@?ONOz!#@OMGz..!

That's NEVER happened before...

 

[Ironside]

Why jack the price up with all the unneccessary crap??? Heated seats? Adjustable pedals? MyGIG?? Smart beam headlights?

I'm sorry but some of us on 'strict' budgets would much rather have those as OPTIONS rather than on the car, jacking up the price when you don't even need them.

I can't stand the direction car manufacturers are going these days with all the crap they are weighing these cars down with.

I have an 01 Neon R/T which is around 2,750 lbs. My Miata weighs 2,290 FULLY loaded. That's the way it should be!! (and I stripped it even further now)

I'll wait till someone I know (or myself) gets to actually drive one of these things to totally base my opinion of the performance. I don't think it's a huge deal that the hp is less than expected, the aftermarket if not Mopar themselves will take care of that with parts. The 1/4 mile worries me but it could be conservative, and you can always take weight out

I just don't see why they would try to make this car cheap AND include all that stuff. Makes no sense. Just make it affordable and fast, with a manual tranny AND LSD (*cough cough*) and people will buy it--options be damned.

(btw I could have sworn I was registered on this forum before--oh well.)

I don't think you have been reading my posts... because my point is that the options I want are not available whether I want them or not. They should have made them available for people like me who wanted a comfortable car with toys and was willing to spend the $$$ on it.

Then you could just buy a base model and race it until it explodes.