Category: Small Family 
Price Range: £12,495 to £16,700
Looks like good value, good ride quality, different
Build not as good as rivals, entry-level petrol too slow
If you're a bit bored with Ford Focus default choice, check this out. Just don't expect it to be as good to drive.
The Caliber has a slightly 'crossover' look to it, where saloon car meets off-roader. It's more than just perception, though, as the Caliber has a higher ride height than the average for the class, and occupants sit some four inches higher than in cars such as the Golf and Focus.
With a higher centre of gravity, you wouldn't expect the Caliber to feel as agile through challenging S-curves as the competition - and it doesn't. The steering, while accurate enough, also lacks positive feedback. The Caliber's handling is best described as safe but entirely uninvolving, with understeer intervening early. The payback is a ride quality that's actually quite good, something we suspect will matter more to Caliber buyers.
The entry level engine is adequate at regular driving speeds, but if you try to press on it reveals itself to be one of the Caliber's weaker points. The 1.8-litre unit simply runs out of steam the nearer you get to the 6,750rpm red line. There's a stickiness to the five-speed manual's gear shift, too, which means swift changes are virtually impossible. That impression of slothfulness is borne out by the figures, too, with 0-62mph coming up in 11.9secs and the 50-70mph sprint in a glacial 9.1secs.
Things improve considerably with the 154bhp 2.0-litre petrol, which has usefully more torque than the 1.8, at 140lb-ft. The official figures are 0-62mph in 10.7secs and a top speed of 125mph. This engine is, though, only offered with a CVT (continuously variable transmission) gearbox. Under full throttle acceleration, the engine screams up the rev range - max torque is at a high 5,100rpm and max power 6,300rpm - and then the performance of the car catches it up. It's not pleasant, but is ameliorated somewhat by the Autostick function, which gives the feeling of six stepped gears. These are sequentially selected by tapping the gear shift left or right, with the shift response more or less instant, giving a sporting feel to progress.
The pick of the range is unquestionably the 140bhp 2.0-litre turbodiesel, which develops 140bhp and a large 229lb-ft of torque at 2,500rpm. That torque is the secret to the diesel's mid-range punch and its relaxed, responsive performance. Unsurprisingly, it's the quickest here by a big margin, with 0-62mph happening in 8.8secs and the real-world 50-70mph sprint in 7.5secs. The diesel is only available with a six-speed manual, which is no hardship, as it's good to use, with sensible gear ratios.
