THE TIDE has turned against gas-guzzling 4x4s and car manufacturers are falling over each other to offer pseudo off-roaders.

The Dodge Caliber (pictured) looks like a 4x4 but the style disguises utterly conventional innards. This car is strictly two-wheel drive.

Dodge certainly needs a headline grabber. It couldn't have chosen a more difficult sector of the market to reintroduce itself to UK drivers.

The American giant has set itself modest sales targets to start with and going so deliberately against the grain will at least give it the advantage of being different in a fairly staid class.

Back in its homeland the folks reckon the Caliber is a small car. Over here it's big n beefy when stacked against the Focus, Astra, Golf etc. Five adults can be accommodated with relative ease and there's a large boot.

Anyone who just wants the maximum metal for their money are the prime targets and with a starting price of just £11,500 the Dodge looks like outstanding value.

With its chunky wheel arches, solid lines, bold headlamps and big bluff nose, the Caliber resembles a grownup Tonka toy. Sadly the hewn from solid' impression falls apart when you climb aboard only to be greeted with too much tacky plastic than is good for a medium segment contender.

There are some thoughtful touches, like the iPod holder built into the armrest and the interior light that doubles up as a rechargeable torch, but overall the Dodge interior fails to make the grade.

At least the interior is fairly colourful thanks to the use of two-tone plastics, a metallic centre console and eye-catching fabric panels in the comfortable seats.

The SXT Sport model has a six-disc CD/tuner as standard, which offers excellent audio quality and is simple to operate. A further option is the Dodge MusicGate Power system, which upgrades the audio and includes a pair of (cheap-looking) boot-mounted speakers which fold down for outdoor use.

The simple-to-operate chunky controls are carried through to the air conditioning and large buttons. The dials are big enough to see at a glance and the back-lit illumination is relaxing.

Overall the Dodge is a doddle to operate and you'll feel at home after a short acclimatisation period.

Every Caliber hits the road with remote central locking, an engine immobiliser and an alarm. That's a good standard level of security.

Although tall rear seat passengers could find the headroom a bit restricted due to the sloping roofline they can have no complaints about the leg and shoulder space and the high ground clearance gives a commanding view of the road ahead.

The chunky looks also help out in tight spots when they make it easy to judge a parking manoeuvre, although the sloping bonnet means the front extremities remain a mystery.

The rear seats recline and fold flat, while the front passenger seat also folds forward so you can take two mountain bikes, or awkward objects like flat-pack furniture.

The well-shaped boot is large enough to swallow a pushchair sideways and the interior glove box can hold four 500ml bottles of pop. It's air conditioned as well.

Refinement is about average but there's a touch too much wind and engine din at higher cruising speeds.

The VW-sourced 2.0-litre diesel is perky enough around town but feels a bit agricultural, a feeling reinforced by the stiff and sticky six-speed gearbox.

If you must have a petrol version there are two: a 1.8- litre with 148bhp and a slightly more powerful (154bhp) 2.0-litre.