Neon Replacement Is A Better Caliber

I have a soft spot in my heart for Neons. It revolutionized the US small car market when it came out in 94. It was actually my first choice for a new ride upon graduation, but the lower insurance payments for a single, under 25 male, and slightly lower purchase cost of the Mighty Green Ranger tipped the scales. I'll admit I liked the cute bug eyed look of the original and it was available in what I thought was the perfect shade of green. Sadly a quality control flaw in the engine head gaskets from 94-95 trashed the reputation of these entry level beasts.

Either in 2006 or for model year 2006 (getting conflicting reports on that) Dodge is coming out with a sport-wagon replacement which debuted at the Geneva Auto Show as the concept car Caliber. Whether or not the name stay around for the real intro I don't know, but I gotta admit the Dodge styling crew went gutsy on this one.

My thoughts:
Note the high beltline of the doors allowing minimal glass for the windows. This follows the latest design theme demoed by Chrysler 300, Dodge Magnum, and Dodge Charger. It looks cool, but I am somewhat concerned about visibility issues for the driver. Can I see the vehicle in the other lane? This styling is a result of consumers wanting to feel safe and the illusion of that much sheet metal makes people feel safe.

I guess a psuedo-SUV grill treatment is the new Dodge identity. Reminds me of the Magnum. Good or bad I'm not sure of yet. Still gutsy styling move on their part.

Overall dimensions are similar to the current Neon with the exception of this new sportwagon being about 4.5 inches taller. For the US we'll have 2.0l and 2.4l versions of the New World Engine (NWE) jointly developed by Diamler-Chrysler, Mitsubishi, and Hyundai. The 2.4l promises to be a real screamer from what I've heard. In Europe (hence why the debut was in Geneva) they'll have diesel version (outsourced from VW?) and smaller versions of the NWE. For more pics and info go here.

If the concept holds through to production I'm curious if the Caliber is big enough to outgun my current champ Mazda 3 hatch?

*all photos used under Fair Use doctrine of copyright law. Photos are originally from DCX press release.