Here's what I drove and my comments.
Dodge Nitro- Steaming pile. This vehicle has an interior on par with a 1982 Celebrity and it rides and drives like a heavy truck (yes, I know its a truck). The Liberty on which it is based must be a horrible drive. The exterior style is nice but the interior is dismal and ruins it. Why folks bitch about the H3 interior or Chevy Blazer and Trailblazer interiors is beyond me when you look at this in comparison. An Equinox interior is almost Audilike in comparison. An original S10 Blazer looks like gold in comparison to this thing. Lumpy seats. Seat levers and controls felt junky. Leather, plastic, cloth, its all cheap. In dark gray and black its horrible. No real seating or cargo advantages. D+, the decent looks keep it from an F.
An explorer will seem like a Mercedes compared to this thing. No need to go on.
There were no Calibers to drive, but I drove the Compass. Steaming pile number 2. Coarse engine and powertrain. CHEAP interior. Rear cargo area is small and is very high up. I wouldn't sign a one year loan on this thing. I've driven the Vibe (which I am lukewarm on) and the HHR and can say get either of those before a Compass. Even the PT Cruiser is a much better ride than the Compass.
F.
Chrysler 300 SRT-8. There was no opportunity to really drive this thing. The top speed I was able to get in the size of track was maybe 45-50. But let me say this. The steering was great, the Hemi sound was great, The handling and feel were very good. I like the cabin (even with the cheap dismal plastic) because the seats were comfortable yet supportive enough. The size of the car was good and even though it felt heavy, it was not unbearable. I don't care for all the high cowls we have nowadays but other than that it felt good to view out of. I like the center stack. Needless to say, it would be a great car to own if you can live with the cheap plastics and porky weight. Great car. B+
Grand Cherokee SRT-8. Same Hemi burst and decent handling but not the same cabin sophistication or overall refinement as the 300. Looks cool outside. Interior is cheap (its a Chrylser after all). No wonder the Trailblazer SS gets rated higher. C
Chrysler Aspen- I was impressed. The interior was good, the best of the Chryslers. Not stellar, just good. What I really liked was the handling. This thing had good steering and good power and turned and handled well. I like the light steering feel, it wasn't mush, just easy with good feel and such. It was very easy to drive and the turning radius seemed smaller than you would expect. It was quiet inside. It looks nice also. I would recommend this vehicle to anyone who wants a larger midsize SUV. B
2007 Pacifica. I've always liked the Pacifica from an interior plastics quality standpoint. Its been one of the best Chryslers in that regard. And the door mounted power seats and dual source dvd is way cool. What surprised me was how mcuh GRUNT the new 4.0L/6 speed powertrain has. WOW. It takes off from a dead stop! Aside from being impressed with that...I was NOT impressed with the flimsy steering, limp seats and some other sloppy trim. IMHO, the trunk is not big enough in this vehicle compared to others (Freestyle), especially with the 3rd row down. If you can live with slightly sloppy and flimsy steering and some tactile cheapness in the controls, there is a good way to justify the purchase of a 2007....the extra grunt for this size of vehicle and the nice interior plastics still make it a very good choice. C+
2007 Jeep Wrangler 4 door- there is something appealing about this thing. Yes, its crude, but its a true Jeep meant for off roading. The power was probably best described as adequate, it wasn't terribly coarse compared to past Jeeps. My major reservation about this thing was that even though I liked the dash layout and I felt the plastics were appropriate for this vehicle.....the ergonomic relationships all seemed very messed up to me. The shifter, steering wheel, dahs and pedal relationships seemed very hosed up. If this vehicle fits you, you like its concept, and you don't need 300hp, I would recommend this. And I am not usually a Jeep or off road SUV fan. That said, I would make sure to drive an Xterra, H3, and FJ cruiser first to see if you'd prefer something more refined and carlike. If you are a Jeep fan, this is a watermark vehicle. I thought it had good seating room in back, BTW. It looks SHARP. B-
2007 Chrysler Sebring. When I first saw it intially, I was actually quite impressed. This is one of those cars that looks worse in pictures than in person.
That said, its not stunning, just pleasant.
I think the styling will please many. I am not crazy about the ribbed hood. But otherwise it looked nice. The interior design I have liked but wanted to see the execution. It comes off pretty good, but again we are dealing with a LOT of cheap plastic here. The trick that minimizes the effect of the hard, cheap plastic on the lower dash and doors is the sweeping design and nice soft dash top and dash upper face. Those two elements are squishy and nicely patterned and textured. Also, the faux metal on the dash and radio itself looks nice. They have done well making gaps VERY small. Assembly quality is top notch, except for the flimsiness of the cheap climate controls. The seat cloth is good knit but feels a bit cheap, it must be that coating on it that makes it feel scratchy.
I'd say its a hare less roomy than an Accord and maybe in front about the size of an Aura but has less leg room than the Aura in back. It sits a bit higher than the Aura...but the roof is low here and the cowl is high again so it feels constricted. The armrest is small and cheap. The door panels are nice with the accents even if the bulk of the doors has hard cheap plastic.
The trunk is tiny. Inexcusable really.
It drove ok. Nothing awesome, almost competent, but rental echoes continue. The epsilons drive better.
C+
well that's about it. I am left with the impression of how HORRIBLY cheap chryslers interiors are overall and wonder why they get such a pass from the press when GM gets crucified for it and GM's interiors are way better.
And overall, I'm not impressed, but its not all junk. Chrysler has work to do but has a few nice things. The SRT-8 300 is pretty cool.
Any questions, let me know.