2009 Dodge Caliber

We leased the 2009 SXT Caliber in october 2008. for starters we got a great deal. We leased it for 14k(only did $500 down) @ 220 mo., 15k mi. a year, with an eight year warranty, and an option to buy at the end. We lived in Portland Oregon and 5 days after we purchased it we drove to Lake Tahoe. After the trip we were SO glad we got this car. Not long after that our Portland winter consisted of this rain, freezing rain, hail, sleet, snow (for a few weeks) icey roads, snow on the ice, mushy snow on ice, and of course more rain (its the Northwest). understand i did not purchase any chains either, and my car handled like a champ. i had to go to work at 3 or 4 in the morning with a freshly fallen foot of snow and i didn't get stuck once or do any slides on the ice. the car proved its worth those mornings. Interior: Is great--very comfortable, cool, functional, the placement of the instruments make sense. I am 6'0 foot tall, and my wife is 5'2" and we still argue on who gets to drive--so the seat adjusts well. i am a surfer and i have successfully fit two 9'0" boards in the car and both of us still had space to ride to the beach. Exterior: we originally were looking at the Fit, Accent, Sonata, Yaris, Rabbit etc., but then we saw the Caliber and like the design and the overall cost for-what-you-get package. The Cons: The rearview visibility is poor--you really have to throw your head around to back up. Your "blind spots" are most evident while driving. the side window design with the location of the passenger/rear seats makes the visibility for parallel parking or backing out of busy parking lot the most difficult. Engine: Good but not great horsepower. The SXT and SE models both have 148 hp while the R/T model jumps up to 172hp. The SE model is the basic, so if they made the SXT with little more...Umpff it would justify the extra cost (along with the features) better. Overall we love this car and are great full every time we take a road trip. Cheers!