When I bought my new Dodge Caliber the sales guy tried to tell me that it was an automatic. Well it is, kind of, but not really, but it is. Confusing huh? Well it still is to me.
"The R/T model has 172 hp (128 kW) 2.4 L version of the GEMA engine, equipped with the CVT2 transmission, and programmed with an 'AutoStick' feature giving six simulated fixed ratios in a clutchless manual mode in addition to the standard CVT 'Drive' mode."
There have been a few cases that remind me of it's manual roots. First is that there is no button to unlock the shifter between gears. The stick moves up and down with no restrictions. It almost got me once when I was trying to do a quick back up then go forward move, and I almost stalled the poor car. Note to self, wait for the full stop and give it a few seconds before switching directions in gears. The second is the backwards roll potential uphill. I have been in a few automatics that would do this on VERY steep hills, but this car it does not take much if going up hill from a stop. The other weird feeling is the initial pause on pushing the go peddle. I am learning how to work the gas to get the power I want when it is needed. Mostly it is just adjusting to a new car that handles differently. The funny part is that I told my brother initially that I did not think the Caliber was not that much more powerful if at all than the Matrix I used to have. Now after driving it for a few weeks, yes the Caliber performs much better than the Matrix. I took a test drive over to Santa Cruz for the fun of it and never once did the Caliber not have power to offer when I asked for it. The only part of the team that was hesitant was me due to not knowing the road, a fair amount of traffic, and not having done a ton of driving for a few years. But the straight aways even going what seemed to be straight up I could power past everyone, even going from a low speed. The next test is the drive up the mountain to Flagstaff.