Start with what the Dodge Caliber is: a 5-door hatchback with 1.8 L Global Engine Alliance, built from 2006 to 2011, in the decade of stability control, dual-clutch gearboxes and the first serious hybrids. What it meant takes a little longer. The shape is credited to Mike Nicholas (2005).
The background
The Dodge Caliber is a compact hatchback manufactured and marketed by Chrysler's Dodge division from the 2007 through 2012 model years, replacing the Dodge Neon and Chrysler PT Cruiser.
Following the Caliber concept, which debuted at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show, the pre-production version debuted at the 2006 North American International Auto Show, with a market launch in March 2006. The Caliber was manufactured at the Belvidere Assembly (Illinois) plant, and across its six-year model run, just over 400,000 were produced.
The engineering
The engine is 1.8 L Global Engine Alliance; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. On the scales it comes to 3052 lb. Drive goes through a 5-speed Magna International / Magna T355 manual / 6-speed Aisin BG6 manual / 6-speed Getrag DMT6 manual / Continuously variable transmission / CVT Jatco JF011E automatic. The wheelbase is 2635 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Where it sits
In the Dodge line-up the Dodge Caliber has a clear place: it replaced the Dodge Neon / Dodge Neon SRT-4 (Caliber SRT4) / Chrysler PT Cruiser (Car platform); it handed the line to the Dodge Dart (PF); the factory was Belvidere, Illinois. The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Audi R8, the Nissan Qashqai, the Hyundai i30. Its Dodge stablemates include the Dodge 1500 and the 1955 Dodge.
Owning one today
Buying one now means $9,800–$15,600 for a typical example, and running it — fuel and maintenance at its age — costs about $4,232–$6,181 a year. Insurance sits around $1,120–$1,630 a year. The figures are class-level estimates from the federal record, with the formula on the methodology page; the model-year pages carry complaints, recalls and repair costs year by year.