Thumbing through the Chrysler product guide for 2010, we noticed the absence of the SRT4 model in the Dodge Caliber’s powertrain chart. A quick call to the Pentastar’s PR department and it was confirmed: the Caliber SRT4 has been euthanized. Chrysler didn’t attribute its death to a lack of sales, saying instead that it wants to focus on strengthening the higher-volume Caliber models. After the roughest year in company history, one that included filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, we can understand the move.
We can also say we’re not particularly torn up about it, either. The Caliber SRT4 failed to live up to its Neon-based predecessor—a car which we once crowned king of the featherweights in a comparo—much less any of its current competition. Indeed, even brand new, the front-drive hatch found itself last in a four-car comparison test. We noted a very satisfying shifter, but the compliments stopped there. A rock-hard ride, a cheap interior, big-boned styling, and rodeo levels of torque steer left us cold. Beyond the death of the model itself, the decision also means the death of the SRT4’s 285-hp, 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine; the engine survived for just two model years in a Chrysler product.
It’s anyone’s guess if this is the beginning of the end for the high-performance SRT division, but with Chrysler’s newly minted partnership to Fiat, we can only hope the future holds a much-improved Caliber replacement and maybe—just maybe—a worthy SRT4 successor.
Thanks to: Car and Driver