Dodge Caliber SRT4, we hardly knew ye?
Dodge Caliber SRT4 - Click above for high-res image gallery
Today, we mourn the passing of a fallen pint-sized performer. If reports from Inside Line's Straightline blog are accurate, it seems that the Dodge Caliber SRT4 will no longer be offered after the 2009 model year draws to a close, and that's something of a shame.
As we've already covered, the 2010 Caliber is blessed with a significantly improved interior that brings the car much closer to its intended competition, a development that could have put the SRT4 on a few more shopping lists. Plus, if the Caliber is going to be filling Dodge showrooms anyway, enthusiasts and brand loyalists would surely prefer the option of a performance model. Of course, we're not sure how good a business case the small-volume SRT4 ever made for itself, so perhaps it's been a money loser from the get-go and Dodge didn't want to risk investing in any further model-specific interior updates. We'll probably never know.
Unfortunately, this news means that the 285-horsepower turbocharged engine and six-speed manual transmission from the SRT4 will never be mated up with the interior the Pentastar should have put in the Caliber from the very beginning. Oh well, hot hatch fans still have a few good options to choose from here in the States, including the brand new 263-horsepower 2010 Mazdaspeed3 that we recently sampled for the first time. Rest in peace, SRT4.
Gallery: Dodge Caliber SRT4
[Source: Straightline]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Luis 10:31AM (9/02/2009)
Ciao!
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Sheepszies 10:36AM (9/02/2009)
Hasta Luego! :P - You won't be missed...
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akboss302 10:35AM (9/02/2009)
I don't think I would want to go that fast in a Caliber...at least with other fast cars, there's more than chewing gum holding all the bits together.
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oZ 12:21PM (9/02/2009)
Have you driven a Caliber on a lot, or are you attempting humor?
Ari 2:35PM (9/02/2009)
@oZ
Because after driving such an immaculate vehicle, there is no way someone would gest at its expense, right?
Avinash machado 10:35AM (9/02/2009)
So the Cobalt Coupe SS will be the only domestic car in this category.
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Pokey 10:49AM (9/02/2009)
Nope, it will be dead soon too.
jv2k 11:24AM (9/02/2009)
Inside Line's Straightline blog is the source? Have you people ever read that crap? I wouldn't call straightline a reliable source.
travisty 1:09PM (9/02/2009)
Technically, no. The Cobalt is a coupe, and not a hatchback (hence the "hot hatch" category). So this leaves... nothing from domestic manufacturers in this category unless you somehow count the Mazdaspeed3 (hey, it's kinda owned by Ford).
MazdaMatt 1:12PM (9/02/2009)
Well, the inner bits of the Speed3 have FoMoCo stamped all over them, such as the engine block, brakes, and many others.
Rick C. 10:42AM (9/02/2009)
No lose, really. Another high riding box bites the dust.
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LBuzzer 10:38AM (9/02/2009)
Good riddance.
An engine looking for a chassis, with an interior contracted out to Rubbermaid.
That's what the Caliber SRT-4 was.
My mom has an SXT model. I drove it, and it just sucks. The headrests are the worst ever put into a car, everything feels rock hard, the steering is connected to a vat of lard, and the powertrain lacks refinement that my 2002 Protégé5 has with almost 100,000 miles on it. And Mazdas aren't exactly Lexus, know what I mean?
Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
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akboss302 10:40AM (9/02/2009)
Yeah, P5! wooot! The Mazda 2.0 loves to rev, it ain't quiet but its smooth.
zamafir 10:56AM (9/02/2009)
Well put. Dodge seems to have a hard time understanding there's more to a car than simply hp. With cars like the MS3 and forthcoming MkVI GTI bracketing both ends of the hot hatch segment, there's really no need for something which handles so poorly (like a PT Cruiser for Christ's sakes) and provides such an unrefined, dated, 90s era interior. If it was moving in numbers, I'm sure they'd keep it going, like the even worse PT Cruiser.
tanooki2003 11:58AM (9/02/2009)
LMFAO @ LBuzzer
You definitely are correct about the Caliber's quality and took the words right out of my mouth.
Dan 1:03PM (9/02/2009)
Let's compare the SRT4 to your mom's SXT shall we? Completely different seats, different steering rack, runs 13.9/14.0 stock. Ok, yep, huge pile of crap for $23,000 CAD.
To everyone who hasn't driven one, stop talking out of your asses. I love mine as a daily driver and love beating up on your precious 350Zs and Genesis. Everyone else that I know with one loves theirs.
akboss302 2:47PM (9/02/2009)
lol, Dan, I appreciate that you're sticking up for the car that you love, but have you driven a MS3 or a GTI? Dodge did a lot for the prcie, but there's a lot more to making a good car than the dyno.
Dan 3:00PM (9/02/2009)
@akboss302
No, but I've beaten a GTI at the track by miles. Not interested in the MS3 and I will never own another VW unless it was given to me and had a lifetime warranty.
Tael 10:39AM (9/02/2009)
that's one big hot hatch
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Cincinnati Slim 1:20PM (9/02/2009)
I drove one of these not too long ago and really wanted to like it but...
It was just sort of WEIRD. Sort of a trucklet thing, chunky clumsy styling , big fat A,B and C pillars; it was quite solid feeling yet suprisingly hard to see out of and with less interior volume than expected.(I have to disagree with the other poster, flimsy it certainly wasn't, maybe the quality of the interior plastics were not Germanic enough for that individual) The fat tires, big turning radius and limited suspension travel consipired to make it less nimble and manoverable in urban situations than expected. The engine, gearbox and brakes were all terrific. I found myself wishing for a little mid-engine, two seater with the same drivetrain insted of a chunky little trucklet thingie...
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