zeriak

Coming soon to a dodge dealership near you. Dodge's second fastest production car (1st = Viper). With 0-60 in 5.9 secs. Turbo that kicks in from 2000 RPMs to 4800 RPMs. Price tag is under $20k. Great, now half of the under 25 population in my city is going to buy one.... Now I need to build my car just so I can stand a chance.

Actually, it is just a Dodge... and ugly too.

ZoomZoomH

an ugly FAST Dodge, and sometimes being fast does make up for ugliness, case in point, see WRX.....

lost_concept

The fact that its ugly wont stop people from getting it like you said. If it picks up that fast i know like most people 25 and under in maryland will get one and smoke my P5 which isnt cool !

Damn ...... I didnt want to do this .... But its time i pull my Nissan Skyline GTR out from the back yard ......... Show them who's BOSS !!!!!!!

Sike i wish hahahahahaha

We must take out or enemies silently and quickly as my ninja master has always told me

Jhatfi

I dunno, I kinda like the ugly bulldog look it has going on. But then again, I dig the WRX as well. My fiance' has a regular neon and they are actually pretty nice little cars. It is not nearly as well put together as my ES, but still it is not to shabby.

Remember, competition is good....it forces manufacturers to build sweet cars for less.

pr5owner

oh SCREW the skyline you need an RS450 Sprint Lancer Evolution!!!! 0-60 in 3.8s oh baby
________
929 COUPE

njaremka

dude, this car has nothing on the wrx. at least the wrx has a reputation as a man's car. the neon, well.....

Tornado

I still think I'll cry when a NEON hands me my *** on a plate... only good part is that I don't many people in my area will be able to buy it... of course leasing may prove me wrong .

zeriak

The 5.9-second 2003 Dodge SRT-4 - - a Sweet Place to Start for Enthusiasts or Everyday Drivers

Los Angeles - - With the ability to accelerate from 0-60 mph in just 5.9 seconds, the 2003 Dodge SRT-4 will be the quickest car in the Dodge brand lineup except for the Dodge Viper, of course.

The Dodge SRT-4 offers the most "as delivered" performance for the dollar of any other production sport compact car available in the United States, foreign or domestic. With more than 200 horses under the hood, it will be one of the most powerful four-cylinder cars on the market. To go with all that horsepower, SRT-4 also features an improved cooling system and high-flow fuel system. Like the Dodge Viper SRT-10, the number four in SRT-4 denotes the number of cylinders in the engine, while SRT is an acronym for Street/Road/Track.

The SRT-4 features a 2.4-liter DOHC turbo-boosted 205 horsepower in-line four-cylinder engine that delivers 220 lb.-ft. of torque available from 2000 to 4800 rpm. And the added boost from the turbo is just the beginning.

"One of the great things about the SRT-4 turbo is that enthusiasts will be able to get extra power out of it later through packages available from our Mopar Performance Parts group," said John Fernandez, Director-Performance Vehicle Operations. However, with performance estimates showing the vehicle is capable of 0-60 mph acceleration times of approximately 5.9 seconds, with a top speed of 148 mph, Dodge SRT-4 is fast just as it is.

"Dodge SRT-4's performance characteristics put it in a league with vehicles priced at more than $30,000," said Marques McCammon, Program Manager-SRT-4. "SRT-4 offers continuous torque peak from 2000 rpm to 4800 rpm."

Paired with SRT-4's turbo-charged powerplant is a high-performance transaxle that features a heavy duty, five-speed manual NVG T850 transaxle and a muffler-less, dual outlet exhaust system with wider, 2.5-inch polished stainless tips. Adding to the performance capability are a larger diameter throttle body and a high flow intake manifold. New equal-length halfshafts, high capacity clutch and drive plate assemblies and unique engine and transaxle mounts round out the Dodge SRT-4 transmission system.

Blending power and control was made possible by the interaction between the Dodge SRT-4 development team and performance operation engineers who cut their teeth in Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) racing. Some of these weekend racers worked closely with the small vehicle team to make sure that their SCCA engineering experience found its way into Dodge SRT-4. "From the onset, employees from these two groups worked together to create a car that reflects our motorsports heritage, both from grassroots Neon ACR racing and the professional success of our Viper program," said Fernandez.


Damn, Mopar is going to make stuff to hop it up as well. Damn you Dodge! I may have to trade in my Protege soon guys.

KrisA

how to skewer a SRT4 in 3 easy steps:

1) purchase Masdaspeed Protege (preferably black for stealth factor)
2) Add full, turbo back 2.5 inch mandrel bent exhaust, no cats please
3) Set boost at 12psi

This should give at least 220 hp, possibly closer to 250, although it may heat soak the intercooler after a couple of hard runs. Hopefully the stock fuel system can handle it, if not a RX-7 pump and some big aftermarket injectors should do the trick.

As a bonus you get a car that looks HOT, handles like a dream (for a FF), brakes very well, is built very well and should actually be reliable.

rodslinger

Of course they are. You must never have seen a Direct Connect catalog at the Chrysler dealer. You should have seen all the stuff they used to make for their past turbo cars. Billet cranks, ported heads, larger turbos, suspension and chassis parts. It was obscene.

rodslinger

What happens when the SRT owner does the same? If history shows correct then the SRT will be able to handle 18 or more pounds of boost on the stock motor.

zeriak

Looks like we have a problem here. With aftermarket support from the manufacturer, bigger engine, and turbo, even Roger Foo couldn't beat an SRT-4 in my car....

Mazda needs to kick it up a notch and put out a better product than the MazdaSpeed Protege. The MSpeed Protege didn't really look all that much like huge improvement to the Protege in the first place. The real kick in the A$$ is the under $20k price tag on the SRT-4.

Possibly the only thing that could be done is to turbo/super charge the new 2.4L S-VT Mazda Engine and cram that into a Protege. I don't know anymore. I feel disappointed now.

Oh and apparently from the article, it looks like the SRT-4 doesn't have a muffler...

rodslinger

I know how you feel Zeriak. I would like to see more manufacturer support for my P5. If Chrysler did anything good it was build one tough *** turbo motor. I hope the new ones are just as good. I've got over 145,000 miles on my 88 CSX-t running 18psi of boost. The only problem I have is with tire smoke.

KrisA

I'd be surprised if these new Dodge 4's are as tough as the 80's Lotus designed engines. So I think it just comes down to the old question, "Speed costs money, how fast do you want to go?"

Personally, I'm sure that other than straight up speed the MS Protege will be supperior in EVERY way. I'm expecting that in the C&D comparison the order will go something like this:
5) Neon SRT4 - crude handling, mad torque steer, but fast
4) Sentra SE-R Spec V - fast, tacky, rough around the edges
3) Civic Si - least power, ugly, but refined
2) Ford Focus SVT - lackluster engine, great handling, great value, great car
1) Mazdaspeed Protege (if they get the engine right, ie good responsiveness, good sound, good pull) - could use 30 more hp, ridiculous stereo, great handling, brakes, responsiveness. The sports car in sedan clothes

arl240

But you forgot one thing.......the TWISTIES! All hail the Mspeed, for it is king of the corner. We shall have a compact buffet fit for such a car. Bring us your finest meats and cheeses!