by Bob Plunkett

Twisty switchbacks on Route 88 through Arizona's Superstition Mountains fail to impede our momentum due to the sure-footed stance and easy-driving traits of a new small-scale SUV from the Dodge Division of DaimlerChrysler.

This five-door hatchback-styled wagon, sized for the compact class and riding on a car's chassis with front-wheel-drive (FWD) or all-wheel-drive (AWD) traction, goes by the tag of Caliber. It's the best-priced car in Dodge's 2007 line and the one replacing the aged Neon.

Caliber offers a lot more of a car than Neon, in terms of structure and powertrain, safety equipment and cabin content, and for MSRP figures which undercut Neon. But what is Caliber -- sporty little touring car or gear-hauling SUV?

Actually, it's a bit of both.

Caliber defies the traditional body-on-frame organization of a SUV built on a truck chassis by instead using the unified structure of a front-wheel-drive (FWD) car, namely DaimlerChrysler's stiff new global platform. It also employs the independent suspension of a car.

"But what is Caliber -- sporty little touring car or gear-hauling SUV? "

Instead of the solid rear axle of a typical truckish SUV, Caliber gets independent suspension elements for every wheel. This brings more control over the vehicle for a driver and more comfortable ride sensations for riders. With the car-like suspension and quick-to-respond rack and pinion steering aboard, Caliber seems to eliminate all of the effort required to drive a sport-ute, and in urban traffic it's easy to maneuver and behaves like a small sedan rather than a truck.

It looks cool too -- so sleek with the arching roofline of a rakish coupe despite a pair of doors hanging off each side, a powerful in-your-face prow and the crisp tail of a hatchback wagon. The chiseled body features a stepped-hood bulge behind a horse-collar grille thrust forward and marked in shiny cross-hair chrome. Twin headlamp clusters are huge and wrap around the front corners into broad-shouldered fenders. And note the black trim strip extending from the base of a canted windshield over flank doors to an integrated rear-roof spoiler. Front and rear overhangs have been whittled away and wheels on the four corners are proportionally big, conveying an impression of strength and power.

Despite the classification as a compact car, Caliber has a passenger compartment of generous scale with seats for five and ample space in the tail section for stowing gear. Layout of the cabin consists of a pair of contoured buckets up front and followed by a bench broad enough for three but with indents for two. Seatbacks on the second row split in 60/40 sections and fold down to extend the floor of the rear cargo bay, which has 48 cubic feet of room with rear seats flat or 18.5 cubic feet with seatbacks raised. And the deck of the cargo bay is covered in washable and removable vinyl to make cleaning easy.

Clever concepts make life comfortable inside Caliber:

Chill Zone -- a bin below the dashboard to cool four 20-oz. bottles or cans.
Sliding armrest -- to fit a petite driver.
110-volt power outlet -- to juice electronic gear.
Light-ringed cupholders -- the blue-green glow rings are easy to find in the dark.
MusicGate -- a premium sound system by Boston Acoustics with twin speakers on the tailgate that swing down to face rearward for a tailgate party. (CONTINUE...)