A higher Caliber for Dodge’s hatchback crossover.

by Dan Weil

Take a previously functional, somewhat bland performance car, hand it over to Dodge’s Street and Racing Technologies (SRT) performance development group, and the result delivers serious rubber rash to the pavement with aggressive “get out of my way–now!” styling. That’s the backstory behind the Dodge Caliber’s transformation into the SRT4.

The complete engine makeover does wonders to the Caliber’s drivetrain. Around town the gas pedal requires a light touch to avoid spinning the Goodyears into uselessness. The aluminum 2.4-liter, 285-horsepower turbo four and Getrag six-speed tranny readily deliver an impressive 265 lb-ft of torque to the front wheels. Crammed inside the SRT4’s rims are very healthy-sized four-wheel disc brakes, including vented rotors and twin-piston aluminum calipers, with anti-lock control. Combine the hardware with software like Brake Assist, which senses panic stops and applies maximum braking pressure, and it’s almost certain you can stop the SRT4 as quickly as you can rev it up.

Coiled to spring, the SRT4 crouches closer to the ground than the straight-up Caliber by 1.1 inches in the front and 0.87 inches in the rear. Unique SRT tuning and calibration is evident in every element of the SRT4 – from its skin, through its engine design to the suspension. The ride is comfortable and appropriately firm, and the Caliber’s functional five-door design makes the SRT4 a capable daily driver, including moments of headstrong, torque-filled glee.

The hot-blooded racing design is obvious inside too. Performance seats hold you with deep bolsters and a leather- and carbon-fiber steering wheel fits satisfyingly inside your grip. A large, racing-appropriate tachometer sits in the center of the cluster with ancillary gauges like speedometer, temperature and fuel flanking either side. Integrated to the left of the main cluster sits the turbo boost gauge. For sportsters looking to keep track of their SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) weekend activities, the optional Reconfigurable Display (RCD) lets you record stats like 0-60 times and provides how-hard-you-can-squish-your-face-against-the-side-windows bragging rights via a longitudinal G-force meter.
Tire pressure monitoring, seat-belt pretensioners, supplemental side-curtain, advanced multi-stage airbags and stability control are a few of the long inventory of safety features.
So, okay, I get it. Street AND Racing Technology=SRT. Leave it to the speed freaks to totally change the more mundane Caliber into something with a real performance edge. On second thought, leave to us, okay?

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