Tehachapi News

All > Columns > Auto Q&A
Auto Q & A
Topics:
Posted by editor Mon Dec 11, 2006 10:56:54 PST
Viewed 778 times
0 responses 0 comments Dodges, Altitudes, and Fires

Dear Q & A: I’ve heard the Dodge Caliber is the one to check out if you’re looking for a new car in the entry level class. What are its advantages and disadvantages? I’m looking for just ordinary transportation without big monthly payments.                    
— A Y.

Dear AY: With a base price of about $14K (which may or may not resemble the out-the-door price, depending on options), this four-door is probably going to be considered by buyers also weighing the merits of such vehicles as the Honda Fit ($13,900), Nissan Versa ($12,500), and Suzuki SX4 AWD ($15,000). You can get better gas economy than the Caliber’s 28/32 mpg city/highway numbers (the Fit promises 33/38 and the Versa 30/36). But the expected performance of the 2,970-lb Dodge, with its 1.8-liter 148 hp four, isn’t much different from that of any of this set of rivals: The SX4, at 2,800 lbs, has a 2.0L four with 143 hp, and the 2,500 Versa’s 1.8L four cranks out 122 hp. Reports indicate the Caliber gives the impression of a larger, more substantial car, once you’re riding or carrying people or goods. Esthetics are subjective, of course, but good-looking is the general consensus and seems a fair description of the Caliber. But then some people even like the looks of the relatively awkward Toyota Matrix and Chevrolet HHR, other contenders in this class. Check ’em all out. The pickings are not slim.

Dear Q & A: A few months ago you discussed the loss of battery power as the outside temperature gets lower. We went to Colorado on a recent trip, and crossing over the Berthoud Pass and driving through Estes Park, with four people and luggage in the car, my 250-horsepower V-8 acted like it barely had enough go to make the climbs. I know there’s some loss of engine power with altitude, but is there some table or rule to give an idea of how bad the power loss will be, like per thousand feet above sea level?                               
— Kelly

Dear Kelly: At Berthoud Pass (11,315 feet) your 250 horsepower was reduced to a wimpy 168 or less, depending on the state of engine tune and general condition. If you’d gone up to the to of Pike’s peak (14,110 feet), you would have been down to a mere 145 hp or less. It’s oxygen starvation. The rate of loss looks like this, as you climb:
Sea level             250 Horsepower
2,000 feet           235 hp
4,000                  220
6,000                  205
8,000                  190
10,000                175
12,000                160
14,000                145

Dear Q & A: Some people say the Ford Pinto was the most dangerous fire-crash deadly US car ever made. I had one and a relative had another, and I find it hard to believe. Is this just another story (maybe put out by the makers of its biggest rival, the Chevy Vega)?                        
— Fred G.

Dear Fred: Once reports of fiery crashes hit the news--depending for their emphasis partly on whether they appear on a light news day--a car can get a worse reputation than it deserves. When you consider that more than two million Pintos were produced and only 27 people died in Pinto fires, you realize that its record was no worse than those of many other cars. A few burn victims shown on TV can sometimes outweigh hard facts.

Send to a Friend

Report a Violation