Review of the new Dodge Calibre Range

Sitting somewhere between family hatchback and compact 4x4, the Dodge Caliber is an affordable way to get a distinctive vehicle with family-carrying potential. Equipment levels are high and the prices is right so it's easy to overlook the Caliber's foibles.

It took a long time for car manufacturers to realise that just because you may have a family on the go, it doesn't mean you're resigned to a life without a little style, a certain individuality and a degree of fun. Look at the cars that are churned out for family buyers. By and large they're about as much fun as a thumb in the eye. The day you end up with a bog-standard family hatchback or mini-MPV on your driveway is the day that you've waved the white flag, started getting interested in Marks and Spencer knitwear and wondered why you've never thought of listening to Radio Three before. There is another way and Dodge can offer a family-friendly five-seater that is fun, funky, decidedly unconventional and has more than a spark of charisma. It's called the Caliber.

The success of the Chrysler PT Cruiser showed that funky styling could make inroads into a market obsessed by seats that can flip and tumble like an Olympic gymnast with ADHD. With the Caliber, Dodge thinks that a similar approach will work in the closely fought family hatchback sector. The Caliber is the car tasked with forming a beach head and it's a tough ask. Models like the Vauxhall Astra, the Toyota Auris and the Ford Focus are, on most objective criteria, superior to the Dodge. Where our American friend can score is in offering something with a little more youth appeal at a very attractive price.

The Caliber's petrol engines are a steady bunch with the 1.8-litre unit proving to be the best seller. It'll get the Dodge to 60mph in around 9 seconds and on to a top speed of over 120mph. The 148bhp power output is a decent return and it's needed because the Caliber tips the scales at a hefty 1,345kg. Both the 1.8 and 2.0-litre petrols thrive on revs and while the 1.8 is marshalled by a five-speed gearbox, the 2.0-litre unit gets a CVT automatic. The diesel model is a more relaxed proposition thanks to the 310Nm of torque it has on offer and a power output of 136bhp.

"The Dodge has an endearing personality and a certain rough-hewn charm.."

This 2.0-litre oil-burner is a direct-injection turbo diesel with high-pressure fuel injection, a variable geometry turbocharger and four valves per cylinder. The injectors are electronically controlled, allowing precise management of each combustion cycle with the optimum quantity of fuel. This system can operate at pressures of up to 2000 bar, leading to finer atomization of fuel, high power, more torque, and decent fuel efficiency. Refinement isn't up with the best common-rail diesels but the noise is far from intrusive and the petrol options go about their business in a pleasantly hushed manner.

A good deal of outside help was drafted in to create the Caliber. The 1.8 and 2.0-litre petrol engines have been developed in partnership with Hyundai and Mitsubishi, the 2.0-litre diesel comes courtesy of Volkswagen and the front-wheel drive chassis also relies on the help of Mitsubishi. Such is the face of modern vehicle development where costs are so huge that manufacturers must group together to pool resources. If this rather odd sounding Japanese-Korean-German amalgam fails to appetise, perhaps the Caliber's all-American styling will. The front end looks like something that needs the backdrop of Monument Valley behind it as it appears in your rear view mirror with muscular blistered wheel arches, the big set of crosshairs on the grille and headlights that are so big you're certain Dodge paid the additional 50c to go large. Although it looks like a hefty piece of metalwork, the Caliber isn't as beefy as the macho styling would suggest. At 4,414mm long, it takes up about the same amount of room on the road as a Vauxhall Zafira, so it shouldn't prove a nightmare in town.

If you're the sort of buyer who loves all those clever seating solutions, the Caliber is going to leave you a little underwhelmed. Where it does make a lot of ground back is in the much underestimated area of all round funkiness. The interior colour schemes are more like something from a Soho ad agency's reception and although the materials quality isn't going to give Audi engineers any sleepless nights, there's something fresh about this cabin that other manufacturers would do well to observe. Take for instance the Apple iPod holder that sits on the underside of the centre armrest. Flip the centre portion of the armrest over and your iPod has a place to sit rather than being clonked and scratched by gear in the glove box as you go round every corner. A chilled compartment above the glove box is big enough to store four bottles of water while the front passenger seat can fold flat to get really big items like surfboards or skis inside. The rear seats fold down easily enough to provide a cavernous rear loading bay but with the seats in place, rear knee room isn't hugely generous.

Dodge Caliber customers get to choose between SE and SXT trim levels with even the SE car coming well equipped. There are electric windows, a CD stereo and remote central locking included along with air-conditioning. The cost of buying a Dodge Caliber is low and running costs shouldn't prove extortionate, even if the Caliber's fuel economy is hindered by its portly kerb weight. The 1.8-litre petrol engine can return 36mpg while emitting 174g/km of CO2. The 2.0-litre petrol engine with the CVT gearbox returns 35mpg with 192g/km emissions and the diesel is the best performer with its 46mpg and 161g/km.

The Dodge Caliber has its work cut out but it's possible to see it carving a niche for itself through sheer force of personality. The Dodge has an endearing personality and a certain rough-hewn charm. It's well worth a look if you're after something that's out of the ordinary.

The car isn't lacking in personality and buyers who want so stand out without paying through the nose to do so will understand its appeal. The bold styling and the all-American image will persuade many and the cabin offers plenty of space along with reasonable practicality making the Caliber a viable choice for families.