The venomous V10-engined Viper sports car, the monster-sized Ram pickup with its who's-your-daddy styling, the Charger muscle car nicknamed "General Lee" in the Dukes of Hazzard TV series and movie.
Such are the images that flip through our minds when we think of Dodge, the American brand that recently cruised back into South Africa after a nearly three-decade absence.
The Caliber was the first car to reacquaint South Africans with the ram-badged marque when it was launched her in August, and it certainly lives up to that image in the looks department.
It's a hatchback/MPV with aggro styling backed by an advertising campaign that portrays it as something of a rebel.
Trouble is, it's a rebel without a yell. One expects something of a similar nature beneath the bonnet when presented with the Caliber's large, gnashing grille and muscular wheel arches.
This is not the case, unfortunately, so abandon hope, all ye who expect a muscle car.
DaimlerChrysler, which sells Dodge through its Chrysler and Jeep dealerships, chose to endow its ram with sheepish power in the form of 1.8 and two-litre petrol engines and a two-litre turbodiesel.
I haven't had a crack at the 115kW two-litre petrol model yet, but the 1.8-litre petrol Caliber I drove at SA launch came dangerously close to making me fall asleep, battling to maintain a 120km/h cruise despite its decent-sounding 110kW output.
The two-litre CRD (Dodge-speak for turbodiesel) on test here is a much livelier car, and seems to be the Caliber of choice not only for its grunt but also for fuel economy.
Its Volkswagen-built four-cylinder engine packs 103kW of power and, more importantly, a generous 320Nm of torque, enough to cause some torque steer through the front wheels when you boot the throttle.
It's no street racer, but a pleasantly gutsy car with a user-friendly nature. There's no real turbo lag, although there's a more meaningful shove when the revs hit 2000, and it carries on pulling with gusto until just beyond 4000rpm.
It sounds much like any other diesel, flatulently tractor-like at idle but becoming noticeably quieter as the revs climb.
Soggy handling
The Caliber's somewhat soggy handling confirms that it's not intended for the track; it'll get through corners at a decent pace because the tyres have good grip and there's traction control as well, but the tall ride height and softish suspension limit its sharpness in the bends.
Ride comfort clearly takes precedence and indeed the Caliber delivers a smooth ride that filters out bumps very effectively, doing its job well if you ignore the steroid-boosted marketing campaign and accept it as a functional family car.
There's a spacious cabin with decent room for four passengers under those carnivorous curves, with versatile functionality that allows the rear seat backrests to be adjusted or folded completely flat to create a cavernous, 1341-litre cargo hold.
The boot is a decent size (523 litres) to start with and has a conveniently large loading aperture for large objects. The hard, slippery cargo floor will have your shopping sliding around, but it's easy to clean if you throw muddy boots in there.
Solidly built
The Caliber seems solidly built and nary a rattle was heard in our test car. The plastic used on the dash is hard, not the classier-feeling soft type, but it's neatly fitted and doesn't look too cheap. The fascia has a nice clean layout with tight shut lines.
The integrated radio/CD has large, easy-to-use buttons and is mounted conveniently high on the fascia. The air conditioning also has easy twist-style controls.
The flagship SXT Luxury model tested here comes with all the usual bells and whistles but its stering wheel is adjustable for reach only, which doesn't do taller drivers any favours.
Oddments space is generous and the gear lever is mounted partway up the fascia, freeing space between the front seats for cup holders, a lidded storage bin, as well as a handy cellphone holder.
Four-can drinks chiller
That's in addition to three glove compartments, one of which has a four-can drinks chiller. The Caliber has things covered if you're really thirsty.
Another benefit of the gearshift location is its close proximity to the driver; the six-speed manual gearbox shifts smoothly, a pleasant contrast to the notchy five-speed 'box in the 1.8-litre petrol version.
There are two versions of the flagship Caliber SXT, selling for the same R219 900 price. The Sport & Sound version has colourful cabin trimmings and an uprated audio system with a "street party" feature: speakers that flip down from the bottom of the tailgate when it's opened.
The more sober Luxury version has a tyre pressure monitor, auto-dimming rear view mirror and heated leather seats - well, part leather, part plastic, actually.
SUMMARY
It's a sheep in wolf's clothing although this turbodiesel version is at least a fairly well-endowed sheep.
If you can accept that the Dodge Caliber's anything-but-cute-looks come with anything-but-aggro performance - and ignore all the people who will try and race you at traffic lights - it makes a well-specced and competitively priced family car with decent real world pace and good fuel economy.