Caliber + 1000 Miles
Or 'How I Love My CVT'.
So I've driven my Caliber 1000 miles. Overall I'm satisfied with the experience. What I really appreciate most about it is the peace of mind it gives me knowing that it is under warranty. I was constantly worried about the skylark blowing a head gasket, throwing a rod or losing the torque converter. Caliber is tight, strong like bull.
The feature of the car that I am most impressed with is the transmission. As I have mentioned before, it’s not a standard manual or automatic, it’s a completely different animal. The CVT allows ‘fire and forget’ capability for cruise control. What I mean is that you can set the cruise for a certain speed and the transmission will find the best fuel/RPM/torque for any driving condition. You may be confused and say ‘My car does that.’ Cars with conventional transmissions will maintain speed by regulating fuel, but the only changes in RPM or torque come from shifting gears. This causes periods of inefficiency as driving conditions change. I used to have to change in and out of overdrive on the skylark while I was driving down the highway – trying to maintain a higher level of efficiency. Now all I have to do is poke the button and forget about it. No lugging on hills or explosive downshifts on steep grades.
One downside I've found with Caliber is that you have to lay the back seat down to accomodate a set of golf clubs.
So I've driven my Caliber 1000 miles. Overall I'm satisfied with the experience. What I really appreciate most about it is the peace of mind it gives me knowing that it is under warranty. I was constantly worried about the skylark blowing a head gasket, throwing a rod or losing the torque converter. Caliber is tight, strong like bull.
The feature of the car that I am most impressed with is the transmission. As I have mentioned before, it’s not a standard manual or automatic, it’s a completely different animal. The CVT allows ‘fire and forget’ capability for cruise control. What I mean is that you can set the cruise for a certain speed and the transmission will find the best fuel/RPM/torque for any driving condition. You may be confused and say ‘My car does that.’ Cars with conventional transmissions will maintain speed by regulating fuel, but the only changes in RPM or torque come from shifting gears. This causes periods of inefficiency as driving conditions change. I used to have to change in and out of overdrive on the skylark while I was driving down the highway – trying to maintain a higher level of efficiency. Now all I have to do is poke the button and forget about it. No lugging on hills or explosive downshifts on steep grades.
One downside I've found with Caliber is that you have to lay the back seat down to accomodate a set of golf clubs.
1 Comments:
Is a glove box "fridge" a useful device in a car?
Yes
1 (16 %)
No
0 (0 %)
You mean the beer cooler is BUILT IN?
5 (83 %)
Total votes: 6
Has an automobile warranty ever paid off for you?
Yes
2 (50 %)
No
2 (50 %)
I slept better, for a while
0 (0 %)
Total votes: 4
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