When the Neon is replaced by the Caliber hatchback next year, the Chrysler Group will be filling the void of deliciously cheap performance with the 2007 Dodge Caliber SRT-4.
How can Dodge top what was already one of the most fun compact vehicles to begin with?
When Chrysler Group executives admitted during a Caliber briefing in Detroit last month that the "Neon has not been as good as it could have been," we assumed that they probably weren't talking about the SRT-4 version of that reliable economy car.
Regardless of the Neon SRT-4's somewhat outdated looks and unsatisfactory interior, the car delivered behind the wheel. As good as the Neon SRT-4 was, the Caliber SRT is bound to be even better.
The hood scoop visible in these photos distinguishes this 2007 Caliber SRT mule from its standard kin, and this hot hatchback will be powered by a SRT-tuned version of the 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine developed with Hyundai and Mitsubishi. The tweaked version of this new global engine will probably place the Caliber SRT's output in the neighborhood of 235 horsepower.
In addition to the Caliber SRT's expected performance capabilities, the vehicle may also incorporate electronic all-wheel drive. As the first such unit to be used on a Chrysler Group car, the Caliber's AWD will feature an electronically controlled front-rear split, in which the system will primarily make use of the front wheels for the sake of fuel economy, sending extra torque to the rear if slippage is sensed.
Expect the 2007 Caliber SRT to appear some six months after the standard version of the car, most likely toward the end of 2006. As Dodge plans on starting the Caliber in the $15,000 range, expect the SRT version of the hatchback to run along the same lines as the Neon SRT-4 in the low $20,000s.
The Caliber, in all its forms, is bound to be much more of a globally oriented car than the Neon ever was, thanks in part to a platform developed with Mitsubishi. Dodge's intentions to place special marketing emphasis on Europe were clear from the Caliber concept's introduction at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show.
Despite the Caliber's cross-cultural leanings, the SRT version of the vehicle proves that Dodge has not forgotten its home market in the creation of this upcoming budget hatchback.
Given the current state of oil prices and the fact that many American consumers are already running scared from SUVs, the 2007 Caliber SRT — with better performance, space, handling, and possibly even fuel economy than the Neon — is already starting to sound like it could be a real winner for the Chrysler Group — perhaps even more so than the upcoming SRT-tuned versions of the Jeep Commander and Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Source: Autoblog
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94 Civic EX
JDM D15B
14b intercooled
Mods: AEM V2 Intake, Custom Borla Catback Exhaust, 18" Exel DL-46 Rims, Hankook Ventus Tires, Neuspeed Short Shifter, Custom Shortened Shift Lever, 20% Tint All Around, TL Engine Cover, TL Rear Sway Bar, Eibach Sportline Springs, SPC Camber Kit
you will also need to host the images somewhere unless you are linking to a website that has them...like coyping the image location from dogdes webpage....you can't link picutures from your computer...has to be on the web somewhere....
still fugly as hell, and unless this guys pictures are different i still piss on the car and [pussyfrenchaccent/] fart in its general direction[/pussyfrenchaccent]
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music is from the street designed to make you move your feet
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