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I presently lease a 2002 Liberty Sport optioned near max and have really enjoyed the vehicle. The lease is soon over and I began to look at replacements.
I am an IT tech and need to carry parts bins and misc. gear with me and occasionally pick up larger freight shipments that require extra cargo room. I also wanted available 4WD for those occasional nasty winter days and mountain pass road trips to the Vancouver BC area.
I visited my local DCX dealer and test drove a 300C hemi and Liberty diesel. The one issue I didn't like with my present Liberty was the typical poor SUV fuel economy. The 300C with cylinder deactivation would allow an improvement on overall fuel use as my driving includes significant highway driving but the cargo issue was a nix.
Really loved the car though. Awesome driving experience and power. The diesel Liberty modestly equipped was $35K and offered real world 20% improvement over the gas engine but at the expense of interior noise. Dressing it up would have raised the price even higher.
What to do? One day I came across a newspaper ad briefly announcing the Caliber. Not much info so I began to look for more details. Google found a handful of reviews and this forum. After lurking here and gradually seeing more photos and hands on remarks (thanks SilverFox for the exceptional contributions) I began to see the Caliber as perhaps the perfect new fit for my needs. The cargo room approaches the same as the Liberty. AWD gives me the allweather upside. I wasn't sure about the CVT tranny but after chatting with an aquaintance who has owned a Nissan Murano with the Jatco CVT for two years, I was more assured. Finally, I really like the look and equipment options.
On March 6 I ordered the R/T AWD in Marine Blue optioned almost max including leather and power sunroof. No chrome wheels. Moving to the Caliber will lower lease payments, fuel costs and insurance. FYI I am 46 years old.
If anyone reading this post can help, I'd really like to hear more comments on the sound system as I am an amateur jazz trumpet player with a discerning ear. Is the 9 speaker audio w/sub as good as its specs? Has anyone seen a marine blue Caliber yet? Post a picture if you can.
I am an IT tech and need to carry parts bins and misc. gear with me and occasionally pick up larger freight shipments that require extra cargo room. I also wanted available 4WD for those occasional nasty winter days and mountain pass road trips to the Vancouver BC area.
I visited my local DCX dealer and test drove a 300C hemi and Liberty diesel. The one issue I didn't like with my present Liberty was the typical poor SUV fuel economy. The 300C with cylinder deactivation would allow an improvement on overall fuel use as my driving includes significant highway driving but the cargo issue was a nix.
Really loved the car though. Awesome driving experience and power. The diesel Liberty modestly equipped was $35K and offered real world 20% improvement over the gas engine but at the expense of interior noise. Dressing it up would have raised the price even higher.
What to do? One day I came across a newspaper ad briefly announcing the Caliber. Not much info so I began to look for more details. Google found a handful of reviews and this forum. After lurking here and gradually seeing more photos and hands on remarks (thanks SilverFox for the exceptional contributions) I began to see the Caliber as perhaps the perfect new fit for my needs. The cargo room approaches the same as the Liberty. AWD gives me the allweather upside. I wasn't sure about the CVT tranny but after chatting with an aquaintance who has owned a Nissan Murano with the Jatco CVT for two years, I was more assured. Finally, I really like the look and equipment options.
On March 6 I ordered the R/T AWD in Marine Blue optioned almost max including leather and power sunroof. No chrome wheels. Moving to the Caliber will lower lease payments, fuel costs and insurance. FYI I am 46 years old.
If anyone reading this post can help, I'd really like to hear more comments on the sound system as I am an amateur jazz trumpet player with a discerning ear. Is the 9 speaker audio w/sub as good as its specs? Has anyone seen a marine blue Caliber yet? Post a picture if you can.
I prefer clean and tight.
