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While I'm not a huge FWD sport compact kind of guy, I must admit there's something about these little pocket rockets that has my attention. I honestly don't think I'd mind having one, even if is just a Neon.
Anyone here ever owned/driven an SRT-4? How well do they handle? How well do they accelerate?
They look like they'd make a fun little commuter car!
I test drove one when it was new and know a few people who've owned one. It was pretty fast (its hp was underrated), handing was mediocre, and the interior was really awful (complete with roll up rear windows). Overall a good bit of fun (especially with a few mods) but I don't think I could ever own one. It's pretty darn ugly too. It somehow beats the STi and EVO in looking like a boy racer.
I test drove one when it was new and know a few people who've owned one. It was pretty fast (its hp was underrated), handing was mediocre, and the interior was really awful (complete with roll up rear windows). Overall a good bit of fun (especially with a few mods) but I don't think I could ever own one. It's pretty darn ugly too. It somehow beats the STi and EVO in looking like a boy racer.
I hated hearing the exhaust notes on these things especially when they were modded...people trying to get a muscle sound out of 4 cylinder engines turbocharged or not never sounds good
And any spoiler that is as high as the midpoint of your rear winshield is just plain retarded.
My son has one. I've not driven it, but been out with him many times. I drive an NA Mustang Cobra, and I think his car would equal or perhaps even beat mine in a straight line run.
The interior is spartan, but the seats offer excellent support. His suspension is slightly modified, and the ride would be harsh for going on a date, or driving in the city.
Its basically a FWD hot rod. Great straight line speed, but poor handling. Maybe with a lot of money put into the suspension you can get it to behave better. Overall not a bad car but the rear seats are horrible, and the interior is generally economy car quality.
I'm not into Chrysler products (except for Vipers) so I'd lean toward '08+ Chevy Cobalt SS. Compared to the Neon SRT-4 engine, the Cobalt SS LNF engine is slightly more "sophisticated" with variable valve timing and direct injection. It also comes with Recaro seats and Brembo front brakes. I don't have first-hand driving experience on both, but I like the Cobalt interior better. No idea about handling difference.
Acceleration: they're gutsy little cars. As you'd expect, not great off-the-line diggers -- 0-60 in the upper 5's -- but they turn in 1/4mi runs in the upper 13s to 14-flat at 100+ mph.
I wouldn't say they handle poorly as Sayantsi claims. but they handle pretty much exactly as you'd expect of a tuned FWD econobox: it takes corners fairly well (with predictable understeer at the limits), but at the expense of ride comfort/compliance. For best results, the optional LSD is a must. I can't remember if they came with the manually adjustable shocks like the ACR or not, but with stiff springs the shock adjustments only do so much to aid in daily-driving ride comfort. Also, keep in mind that the SRT-4 has no muffler. Fun little track machine but daily-driving it could get old.
I agree with POS VETT, if I were in the market for something like an SRT-4, I'd look into a turbocharged Cobalt SS. It has more power (more stated power anyway -- the SRT-4 was probably underrated), better fuel economy, and notwithstanding the rental-car interior, is an all-around better package.
Jeez that wing is awful. No way I would drive one. My first choice in the pocket rocket category is a Mazdaspeed3. Much more refined.
You could always take the wing off.
I drove a MS3 recently. For all the power it has, it was a little disappointing. I also wouldn't call it "refined" -- the VW GTI clearly sets that benchmark in the hot-hatch market -- but I wasn't expecting it to be either. Yeah, it's a bit more refined than an SRT-4. But IMO it's a bit closer to the SRT-4 than to the GTI.
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