On roads that matter, the SRT-4 won't give an inch to cars costing 10 grand more. And it's faster than we expected given its lack of a limited-slip differential. We're not going to tell you the SRT-4 is easy to drive at the limit. It gives up some chassis refinement to cars like the Mazdaspeed Proteg and Ford's SVT Focus, but its lack of chassis refinement is more than made up for in sheer American torque. Put your foot down mid corner and the chassis does a remarkable job of putting 250 lb-ft through relatively small 205/50 Michelin Pilot Sport rubber.
Some may complain about the relatively mild torque steer. But this much power for this little green will always come with a few compromises, and we'll deal with some torque in our steering if it means having this much fun. Deal with it. We give Dodge two thumbs up for having gonads big enough to produce a front-driver with this kind of gusto.
The chassis presented engineers with some serious challenges. First, Dodge designed the Neon chassis with zero camber adjustment. That means factory alignment settings set the tires exactly vertical to the pavement, which is not the best for cornering. Because of this fundamental design issue, the SRT-4 certainly gives up some cornering power to its rivals. Adding adjustable camber plates will go a long way to improve the Neon's lateral grip.
But zero camber does offer some advantages. Keeping the tires vertical helps grip during acceleration and braking. The SRT-4 stops from 60 in a short 119 feet. The sticky Michelins and big 11.0-in. front rotors didn't hurt, either.
The experience from the driver's seat is a good one. There's a boost gauge to keep the geeks happy. There's also a real temperature gauge. By real, we mean the gauge actually reads engine coolant temperature. In most other modern cars, the needle never moves, staying in the middle of the range while coolant temperature rises and falls as much as 40 degrees.
Drive hard and the Neon's temp gauge climbs; cruise, and it falls. Amazing. Bayer says the real gauge is part of Dodge's philosophy to make the driver smarter, not make the car dumber. We like it and and know it will go into production.
The shifter for the five-speed manual is a serious departure from other Neons we've driven. It's relatively short throw and very direct, not unlike the last generation Honda Civic. No slushbox is available.
Then there are the seats, which are deep, supportive buckets with giant bolsters on the side and bottom cushions. Someone on the development team definitely thought about driving the SRT-4 in more than just a straight line as the seats provide serious lateral support.
Other than some interior trim changes, the rest is all Neon. There's no money sunk into huge stereos, speakers and amps that could have been put toward the drivetrain or chassis. Very cool.
Launch the SRT-4 from low rpm with little wheelspin and it almost bogs before immediately coming on boost, thanks to its relatively small turbo. Then it snorts and pops between shifts, sounding more like a high-strung rally car than a production machine before pounding through the traps in 14.2 seconds at 99.5 mph.
During our day of testing, which was at a 1,120-ft track notorious for low grip and high temperatures, the car did manage one pass in 14.1 seconds, but we're using the 14.2-second time because our testing standard is to average the two fastest runs and round to the nearest .1 second.
Grip around the skidpad was respectable but not overwhelming at .85g. Balance through our 700-ft slalom was as manageable, if not as controllable, as Mazdaspeed's Proteg. Regardless, it was still fast at 69 mph.
Nits? The most glaring to pick is the lack of a limited-slip differential, which Bayer and Zweidler say is being looked into, perhaps even for production in a future model. They were tight-lipped about when it might be available, what kind of LSD they might use and how much it might cost if it is to be sold through the MOPAR catalog, which seems like a possibility.
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