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Dodge Caliber

I know it's a bit of a "straw man" situation, but I guess I can't help writing about the new Consumer Reports "Buy American" study.

The part of the survey attracting the most attention is the finding that "80 percent of respondents who are in the market to buy a new car are likely to consider a model from a domestic brand." Meanwhile, just 47 percent of the new-car customers would consider an Asian brand, while only 46 percent would consider a European brand.

The Consumer Reports people were also nice enough to break out a few specific factoids. Compared to the same time last year, consideration for Fords among new-car intenders was up 17 percent; for General Motors products, it was up 6 percent; and unsurprisingly, survey respondents were actually 25 percent less likely to consider Chrysler vehicles.

Now, given the overall weakness of the word "consider" — yesterday I "considered" cleaning out the shed, only there was something good on TV — I'm going to say the first bit of the survey is actually informative. There was a time when the domestic OEMs couldn't even get consumers this far into ye olde purchase funnel.

But when you analyze why people don't consider the Detroit automakers, things get murkier. People who wouldn't consider a Ford claimed the company's products were unappealing and they were worried about vehicle quality. For GM, the first two reasons had to do with the economic situation of the company; the third had to do with vehicle appeal. At Chrysler, the un-consideration factors were unappealing vehicles, worries about the economic health of the company and worries about quality.

There's not much I can say about the economic worries. Or the misplaced concern over Ford quality, which, in other recent surveys, continues to be ranked on par if not higher than that of Toyota. But what about vehicle appeal? On one hand, this is another pretty slippery word choice. I mean, are the survey respondents saying they think GM, Ford and Chrysler only make big gas hogs that don't appeal to their newfound sense of environmental responsibility? Or do they just not like the lines on the new Mustang?

On the other hand, well, naturally I have some ideas. Let's start with the Ford Transit Connect, currently aimed primarily at small business owners looking for a fuel-efficient small-ish delivery-type vehicle. This is a truck that's just crying out for a three-row option that would allow it to be used by families as a minivan substitute. Yes, I know Ford has the Flex for that role, but I'm thinking a fair number of people would be willing to trade some Flex style and comfort for the Transit Connect's much better fuel economy. The Flex mpg numbers are 17/20/24 for city/combined/highway mileage; the Transit Connect goes 22/23/25.

For Chrysler, I say it's time to pump up the Dodge Caliber. The current one has the semi-truckish style that continues to attract American customers — witness the fact that Chrysler pretty much sold out of Calibers during Cash for Clunkers. And for 2010, Chrysler is significantly updating the Caliber interior and debuting a new, common-rail diesel model that tops 40 mpg. The problem is, the diesel will be limited to "international markets." Selling that Caliber in the U.S. would instantly give Chrysler a halo model for the high-mpg segment, providing the company with a true competitor/alternative to vehicles like the Honda Fit, Ford Focus, Chevrolet Aveo, etc.

When it comes to General Motors, I'm going the same way as with Chrysler. As long as the General has committed itself to GMC, why not give that division a compact crossover that can get 30+ mpg while still retaining a rugged, truck-like appearance. Something like a more macho GMC version of the Chevrolet HHR, with truly different sheet metal. Perhaps GMC could even convert the HHR's second row of seats and cargo hold into a small pickup bed? Knowing the folks at GM, that could also pave the way for the return of the El Camino.

The tide has turned in the U.S. market, and it's apparent (to me anyway) that American buyers are more interested in truck-ish style than truck-ish substance. The former big three can certainly deliver that.

Since the Dodge Caliber made its debut as a replacement for the Neon sedan back in 2006, much has changed for Chrysler. Then owned by, I mean partnered up with, what is now Daimler AG, Chrysler has since gone through the hands of Cerberus Capital Management and bankruptcy to now be partly controlled by Fiat. Moving forward, one thing Chrysler has to do to avoid utter failure is to offer better execution of interior designs including styling, materials and comfort. On the heels of one of Chrysler’s most impressive interiors, in the all-new Dodge Ram 1500, Detroit’s smallest automaker is now turning its attention to one of the worst vehicle interiors on the market found in the Dodge Caliber. Going up against hatchbacks such as the Mazda MAZDA3, Pontiac Vibe and Nissan Versa, a new interior will definitely help out the 2010 Dodge Caliber.

Not that the Caliber was a bad-looking car outside, but inside it’s easy to see why the car was generally relegated to rental car duty. Just looking at the pictures Chrysler released of the new interior, it’s easy to see that the layout of the 2010 Caliber is much more upscale than the current offering from the coloring to the overall design. The biggest change inside the car is a revised instrument panel design that replaces flat, hard plastic surfaces with a rounder, more stylish layout including a cockpit-themed gauge cluster and center stack design. Even the switch from light, two-tone plastic on the instrument panel with a tacky faux-aluminum center stack to a darker, monotone hue do wonders for the car’s appearance. Dodge now offers a Dark Slate/Medium Graystone interior hue in place of the Pastel Pebble Beige color. In most cars, white-faced instrument gauges give the car a sportier look, but in the Caliber it always made the interior look even cheaper, so Dodge changed the background of the three-pod gauges from white to black and also gave them an improved font.

In addition to a new design with new colors, Chrysler also claims that it will be upgrading all the materials found inside the entry-level hatchback giving it more soft-touch surfaces instead of grainy, hard plastic. Softer materials with extra padding are now used on the door panels and the front center console armrest that adds an extra storage compartment. As for the materials used on the instrument panel, we’ll have to wait to see whether or not it is also uses soft-touch materials like the Ram. Even the layout of the instrument panel has changed dramatically eliminating the storage bin above the glove box which was done to give the overall shape a less boxy design. A smaller storage compartment is now mounted above the center stack, but the lower glove box still offers the Chill Zone™ beverage holder. Finishing off the interior changes for the 2010 Dodge Caliber, all models will now come standard with active front passenger head restraints for added safety.

Available in four trim levels (SE, SXT, R/T and SRT4), all Caliber models continue to use engines derived from the Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance (GEMA), which is a joint venture between Chrysler, Hyundai and Mitsubishi that may be ending soon. Despite the engines and transmission choices staying the same, EPA fuel economy estimates will change from the base 2009 Caliber’s 24 miles per gallon in the city and 30 mpg on the highway to 23 mpg city and 31 mpg highway for the 2010 model year.

Exterior changes for 2010 are limited to a pair of new colors and new 18-inch polished wheels as part of the Sport Appearance package (available on the Caliber SXT). This package also gives the 2010 Caliber SXT the same performance-tuned suspension and steering response that is available on the Caliber R/T. As for exterior colors, the Surf Blue Metallic hue available on the 2009 is replaced by Optic Green Metallic (shown in pictures) for 2010.

While the domestic engine lineup will stay the same, international Dodge Caliber models will come with an all-new 2.2-liter common-rail diesel (CRD). The new engine, replacing a Volkswagen-sourced diesel in previous European Calibers, improves horsepower, torque, fuel economy and towing while reducing harmful CO2 emissions. With 163 horsepower, 236 lb-ft of torque and an estimated 40 miles per gallon, the 2010 Dodge Caliber CRD would be a welcomed addition to the lineup here in the U.S. Pricing for the 2010 Dodge Caliber hasn’t been announced yet.