AUBURN HILLS: The big news for the Chrysler Group of DaimlerChrysler AG at this fall's Frankfurt auto show is undoubtedly the reveal of the 2007 Dodge Caliber sedan.It's a world-wide compact with a promising new powertrain for the embattled German firm that was developed in conjunction with Hyundai of
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| 2007 Dodge Caliber Concept (photo: DaimlerChrysler) |
Korea, and it will have to do a lot of heavy lifting in North America as the replacement for the company's aging Neon line. Chrysler showed the Caliber production car off to some auto writers at a program here recently, and it got strong reviews and will likely please anyone (wink-wink, nudge-nudge) who admires the concept version.Too early yet to show off the actual production version of the car to the public, but not too early to talk about Caliber's powertrain for North America, which will include three variations on an inline-four theme (1.8-, 2.0- and 2.4-litres), a continuously variable transmission, and all-wheel-drive.The Caliber will debut on September 12, by the way.DaimlerChrysler officials promise that this new powertrain lineup will "deliver world-class performance, fuel economy and refinement."Chrysler's first continuously-variable transmission will have a lot to do with that, of course, since it directly addresses what Eric Ridenour, the executive vice-president for product development at the Chrysler Groups, called the "hottest issues in the segment -- fuel economy, reliability, performance and value."
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| 2006 Dodge Caliber Concept CVT transmission (photo: DaimlerChrysler) |
Ridenour said "Chrysler Group's CVT2 has been calibrated to delight customers with pleasing engine response, precise ratio control and an AutoStick feature that allows for manual control and the simulation of six stepped gears."In previous CVTs, the original feel of the transmission at work tended to put people off, so DCX has fashioned Caliber's unit to "provide a familiar feel while delivering improved fuel economy," Ridenour said. "For example, drivers will experience an appropriate rise in engine RPM during acceleration rather than an instant rise to the maximum engine RPM."Ridenour explained that Chrysler Group's CVT2 will "contribute six-to-eight percent improvement in fuel economy compared with a traditional four-speed automatic transmission." He said that, "eliminating upshifts allows the transmission to engage the torque converter clutch almost immediately when accelerating and to keep it engaged throughout speed changes. This eliminates torque converter slippage common in stepped transmissions and results in more efficient operation, especially during city driving."Fuel economy's all well and good, but a little zip is always welcome, and Ridenour promised that as well. "Customers will notice that CVT2 also improves vehicle performance compared with a traditional automatic
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| 2006 Dodge Caliber Concept (photo: DaimlerChrysler) |
transmission. Optimized gear ratios, especially in the 50- to 100-kmh range, improve passing maneuvers and contribute to a responsive feel."Not much was said about the three engines supplying that zip beyond the fact that they'll "be targeted to match the best in the segment," which Chrysler puts at 140, 150 and 170 hp, respectively.There was a lot of noise about an engine that Caliber won't get in Canada, but will be a huge deal in Europe. That would be a 2.0-liter turbo diesel engine about which Chrysler is mightily excited, since cars this size make up for a huge percentage of sales on that continent and more than half of them are ordered with diesels.
photo: DaimlerChrysler