Cars at a Glance 2009 Dodge Caliber SRT4 by Dave Stall

Cars at a Glance 2009 Dodge Caliber SRT4 If you need a little "ump" in your grocery getter then the Caliber SRT4 may be just what you're looking for.  I got this tester from Dodge direct and have been driving it for a week.  So far the best thing about the Caliber are the seats, they wrap around you like they know you.  Manually adjusted up-down-forward-backwards but very comfortable, the dash is well down as far as keeping you informed.  For added comfort you get a sliding center console armrest, nice.  You even get a rechargeable removable flashlight for those tough nights in the dark.  You get power windows and door locks, tire pressure monitoring system, outside temperature gauge. At night you get a light lime light back ground at the instrument cluster, which is pleasant.  My SRT4 was a six-speed manual (The only way to go).  Very smooth shifting but I felt six speed was a little too tall.  Keep the revs up and the transition to six-speed was responsive but you have to keep your foot in it, which is not a bad thing! You had plenty of storage space in the SRT4 and the only option missing was navigation and funny thing, I didn't miss it! Handling was superb thanks to 4-wheel anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control, and 225/45R19 BSW Performance Tires.  Under the hood you will find a 2.4-liter four cylinder putting out 185 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and a torque reading of 265 pound-foot at 2,000 rpm thanks to a turbocharger that gives you all the performance you need when you need it but still give you decent fuel mileage of 19 in the city and 27 on the open road. Driving the Caliber SRT4 was very enjoyable the outside looks is a little edgy for my taste but behind the wheel all that went away thanks to the under hood performance and the killer sound system.  This SRT4 came with a dream sound system, Dodge calls it the Kicker/SRT Livin' Loud Audio System which consisted of 13-Kicker SRT High Performance Speakers, 200-watt Kicker SRT Subwoofer, 322-watt Kicker SRT Amplifier, and 2 Articulating Liftgate Speakers, Wow, what a sound system. Flip the rear hatch door up and fold down the second row seats and you have plenty of cargo space for the trips to the big box stores. The engine was a little noisy and a better exhaust system would have cured that problem but as a 5-passenger grocery getter you may find it hard to find a better example.  Take a ride out to Carl Burger Dodge in La Mesa and take one for a spin and see if I'm on target.