All I can speak for is the Caliber, but my experience is mostly positive. I've got an '07 R/T model, and it has plenty of room. Driver's seat raises & lowers for decent headroom, and slides back pretty far (yet leaving decent space for a rear passenger). Bolsters are set wide, and as a guy with a small frame I shift a bit - but other people with closer to your build say they're sized really well for them.
Cruise is there, and so are sunroofs on some models. If you live in a warm climate, go with the cloth seats (the upgrade models have a nice sport-style cloth seat available) instead of the leather.
I've been getting about 450km / 280miles on the 55L / 15gallon tank (18mpg-ish) with most of that being city driving. Straight highway driving on a road trip last week, I was getting about 300 miles before dipping below the quarter tank line.
The R/T has the larger engine though; the smaller engine in the lower models does even better if you don't mind losing a few horses.
If you're planning to lease, I'd suggest thinking about a Honda or Toyota hybrid as the extra cost would be buffered by the lease. Even if you're planing to buy, with the amount of commuting you're doing, it would probably pay for itself in gas savings in the first two years.
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