Spy Shots: Dodge Caliber gets reworked interior for 2010?
According to a post on Caliber Forums, Dodge's hatchback is finally getting some love from the Pentastar in the form of a revised interior. Since it first went on sale in 2006, one of the biggest complaints from owners and reviewers alike has been the expansive black plastic surfaces covering every square inch of the car's dash, center console, armrest and door panels. Having spent plenty of time in a multitude of Calibers over the years, we can say with confidence that its interior has a decidedly low-rent look and is thoroughly uncomfortable to the touch – especially the bits where elbows often come into contact with hard plastic.
Included in the 2010 Caliber interior refresh are a new instrument panel, soft-touch center armrest, restyled vinyl-wrapped door panels and revised HVAC controls. It also appears that the A/C vents have been relocated to the upper dash panel and are now round. Click here for a glimpse at the current interior. Overall, this upgrade looks to be quite an improvement, and one sorely needed if Chrysler expects the Caliber to last for a few more years on the market before its (likely Fiat-based) replacement is ready. Thanks for the tip, Glenn!
[Source: Caliber Forums]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Jason 11:04AM (7/15/2009)
No matter how much they "rework" the interior, its not going to change the fact that the car is obviously outclassed in every sense by every other car on the market, including cars that are a couple thousand dollars cheaper. I drove the Caliber once and am happy to say I will NEVER drive that car again. It is hideous, the engine is terrible, the transmission is terrible, the brakes are terrible, the interior was designed by a bunch of accountants. Overall, it should be completely redone into a completely new car. This is a major example of why Chrysler when into bankruptcy.
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Jared 11:09AM (7/15/2009)
A new interior in the Caliber is just lipstick on a pig. The car is simply not competitive in any way.
Mr.Oak 12:13PM (7/15/2009)
Well there you have it a polished turd,
Galley 12:30PM (7/15/2009)
Even a self-proclaimed Chrysler fanboy like myself agrees with you completely.
PJ 12:35PM (7/15/2009)
If it's anything like the interior refresh that the related Patriot/Compass got for MY2009, don't expect much improvement. The plastics are still hard--they're just molded in round shapes, so they don't *look* as hard. The horrendously flimsy console appears unchanged, just as in its cute-'ute siblings.
I completely agree regarding this car's symbolism of everything that was wrong with Chrysler. They took a reasonably competitive car (Neon), cut costs and corners at every conceivable juncture, and dangled big-n'-tough styling and silly gimmicks (tailgate boombox?) in front of the customer, expecting them to be too dumb to see past either. Hopefully the new Chrysler thinks a little more highly of the people who keep its lights on.
Jei 12:41PM (7/15/2009)
Hell, it needs a "reworked" exterior foremost. I guess if consumers will enjoy the new interior and can stomach the exterior, it'll get a few more buyers.
Frank 1:09PM (7/15/2009)
Dodge Caliber -
Autoblog comments before interior improvement:
"The interior is crap", "The plastics are hard", "The shapes are too cubist", "They have to improve the interior!".
Autoblog comments after interior improvement:
"The car still sucks", "You can't polish a turd", "I had this for a rental, and it was (pick one) a POS, horrible, worst car I ever drove, etc."
Maybe it's just me, but somehow I get the feeling that even if you stuffed a Hemi motor in it, redesigned the exterior by Pinifarina, and got it to run on Nancy Pelosi's farts instead of gasoline you would still hate it.
Other Man 1:56PM (7/15/2009)
Couldn't agree more. I saw this headline and rolled my eyes.
Bring that new Milano over as a Dodge!
Rev 1:54PM (7/15/2009)
Frank, regarding this statement: "Maybe it's just me, but somehow I get the feeling that even if you stuffed a Hemi motor in it, redesigned the exterior by Pinifarina, and got it to run on Nancy Pelosi's farts instead of gasoline you would still hate it."
Please refer to the previous, "you can't polish a turd" for your answer.
Hope that helps!
Not THAT Matt 3:21PM (7/15/2009)
Rev,
You strike me as the textbook definition of "douchebag."
Hope that helps!
Aloysius Vampa 11:05AM (7/15/2009)
That's still an ugly steering wheel.
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artso06 11:12AM (7/15/2009)
And.....still looks cheap
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Gary 11:16AM (7/15/2009)
I don't know what the big deal is with hard plastic. Do people constantly rub their hands on the dashboard of their vehicle?
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Jim 11:34AM (7/15/2009)
Hard plastic panels are pretty much a fact of life at anything starting below around $18k. I mean, the Mazda 3 (2009 and earlier) is mostly hard plastic inside yet people think it has a "great interior."
Where DCX-era Chrysler interiors fall down are here:
1) the actual coloring and sheen of the plastic surfaces suck. They're too shiny and have a just barely translucent look that is reminiscent of plastic milk jugs
2) they have an exceptionally harsh and phony-looking grain pattern
3) on the PM/MK cars specifically, the door armrests were minimally padded and the arm pocket area is uncovered, hard plastic. This makes it uncomfortable to, you know, *rest your arm* on the armrest.
Oh, and on the Caliber they obviously cut corners on the tooling, since there is obvious mold flashing on the ends of the trim panels.
why not the LS2LS7? 11:42AM (7/15/2009)
Infiniti made a lot of money off hard plastic too. They had sliver-painted plastic interior on the G35 (when it was car of the year!) and black hard plastic interior on the FX35 and FX45 for many years.
There's a pile of it on Accords too.
I think people mostly just use the term when they just don't like an interior (perhaps rightfully) but don't have the words to describe what they don't like.
Nellydesign 11:53AM (7/15/2009)
Also at issue with "hard plastic appearance" is just the design of the interior. If it's designed to look smooth and inviting that's one thing, but when the surface is designed like a bunch of simple boxes and cubes intersected together with minimal filleting, it LOOKS hard and uninviting even if the materials are soft. This has been the problem on every Chrysler interior of the past 5 years. It's like they rushed through every step of the interior design process with poor support throughout. Like designers did simple napkin sketches and then handed them over to be interpreted by digital modelers and engineers without ever going through a clay phase. Then had the accountants cost analyze the hell out of every material used. If they don't fix that then they will end up going bankrupt AGAIN.
Galley 12:32PM (7/15/2009)
Hey, at least it's better than the sheet metal dashes on the original K-cars.
Jim 12:40PM (7/15/2009)
"... the sheet metal dashes on the original K-cars."
why are you lying?
Jared 1:36PM (7/15/2009)
Go sit in a Golf interior. Yes, the quality of interior plastics is important.
Judy Zik 2:12PM (7/15/2009)
It comes down to a few problems.
1) Durability. The cheap hard plastics on poorly done interiors tend to scratch and scuff easily. Plastics with a bit of give tend to be more durable since they will give instead of scuffing or scratching. I always look at the kick plates and other prime scuff areas at vehicles at the auto show. The poorly done models will look horrible fast with so many people getting in and out. It gives you a good idea what it will look like after a few years driving.
2) Appearance. Some of the Chrysler interiors have poorly moulded and grained plastics that would look at home in my Dad's old 1980's Escort. Plastics have come a long way they don't have to look that bad. They can actually fit together and don't have to show the mold lines and rough edges.
3) Fit and finish. A lot of poorly done plastic interiors have misaligned panels that either don't fit right together, squeak and rattle eventually or have gaps you could lose something through. Some of the worst have enough room between the door and the dash that you could stick your finger in the gap when the door is closed. This doesn't make for a quiet ride.
4) Pleasing to touch. We don't need the velour doors of the 80's but the surfaces you are likely to touch should have some give and smoothness. The armrest shouldn't be so rough that it exfoliates your elbow while you drive.
I think the update to the Calibur interior looks like it could be a huge step forward. This is not going to be an enthusiasts car but with a decent interior and the right price it should finally find some respect with the masses. It already offers a fair amount of utility for the price.