2005 Dodge SRT-4

[kodos78]

Pros: Incredible acceleration for an econo-box. Decent handling. Good clutch action. Very roomy. Good trunk space. Good gas mileage for its performance (25mpg combined city/hwy, 32mpg fwy, 20mpg city). Fit and finish is quite good, and no squeaks or rattles of any kind after 11,000 miles and a year. Ergonomics are very good. Everything is in reach. Viper (inspired) seats! Exhaust note (no mufflers stock) sounds like a mini-V8 with burbles and crackles on deacceleration. Front end styling looks like that of an adolescent Viper. Can outrun cars twice as expensive.

Cons: Shifter is crude. Premium gas required. Interior materials are quite subpar. Horrible 'silver plastic' accents on the center console. Boy racer image, and shopping cart handle rear wing. Rear end looks like it is sticking its derriere in the air. The Neon image.

Price Paid: $20k

Options: Sunroof, Kicker Sound System with 6 CD in dash changer.

Background:
I got this car after we decided to get rid of the horrible '99 Honda Accord I was driving after we bought my wife the CTS (had a child on the way). I drove it for about a year, before deciding the thing had to go. It was the first car my wife bought after she graduated college and started working, and therefore I had no input on it as I had not even met her yet :p. We bought her the CTS and traded in my '97 Corvette *sigh*, since we had a child on the way and we were about to buy a house as well.

We went over to the Dodge dealership looking at the Magnums. In person it really didn't do a whole lot for me. This was the beginning of rising gas prices, and I saw a couple of SRT-4s in the lot. My wife had a first generation Neon when she was going to college, and she loved that car and was partial to them. I had always liked the 1st generation R/T Neons, and thought they would have made a good commuter car. I didn't care for the 2nd generation cars, but I loved the first Yellow SRT-4 that I saw in a magazine writeup.

I was impressed by how roomy it was, and the seats were amazing (same design as the Viper's, but in cloth -- and I'm sure the cushioning material is probably different). I only wish the seats in my Vette held you so well! For my frame (5'8) they were very nice and snug. There was actually room in the back for adults! These Neons have tons of space.

Took a test drive and I was hooked. It was the most fun I'd ever had in a compact car. Nothing quite like hearing the turbo 'whoosh' as you entered a freeway onramp at full throttle. To give you a little history, these are the cars performance oriented I've had in the past:

'95 Mustang GT (302 HO)
'97 Pontiac TransAm (LT1)
'97 Chevy Corvette (LS1)

I would put the SRT-4s performance a wee bit better than the LT1. In a lot of ways though, it was almost *more* fun than the Vette. Why? Because you aren't afraid to hurt the SRT-4. It's only a Neon after-all! With the Vette, I was always afraid of hurting $40k worth of car! No such worries on a $20k car!

A word on the build quality: Some people have preconceived notions about the quality of this vehicle. In the year I've had it there have been zero rattles, and everything is put together pretty well from what I can figure. The car is really solid going over bumps, and you never had the feeling that half the car is doing something different from the half you are sitting in. This was a big problem with the Mustang, and to a lesser extent the TransAm that I had. No such issues with the SRT-4.

However, material quality is a separate issue. The materials used in the car are for the most part about as bargain basement as you are going to find. The sheetmetal is thin, and the plastics are hard. In fact, there are more mismatched plastic textures in the interior than I have ever seen before in a vehicle. The interior design is fairly utilitarian (imagine a subcompact pickup truck if such a beast existed) but the ergonomics are good. Not a pretty place to spend your time if that's what you are after. The shifter rides high (again, imagine a pickup truck) and the plastic shifter ball has been known to come off in spirited 1-2 shifts. A $50 shift knob can solve that issue once and for all, and a short throw shifter will run you around $200.

That folks is pretty much the bad. The rest is a ball. Turning the ignition on presents you with probably the most unique stock exhaust on a 4-banger. For starters, there's no muffler in the exhaust system. That's right, the car comes from the factory with no mufflers. What you hear from the tailpipes reminds some of the sounds a baby V8 would make. Put the car in gear, and decelerate down from 2,500 rpms and you are rewarded with a crackling burbling noise from the tailpipes. Pretty neat stuff, this exhaust tune.

Taking off requires judicious use of the clutch and throttle. As a FWD car, you have to be very careful of wheelspin and (in this car) wheelhop. Bringing the revs up to about 2,500rpm and easing out on the clutch while dropping the hammer seems to produce pretty good launches. All 2004 and 2005 SRT-4s come with a LSD, so it is pretty well behaved in the turns at tire shredding accelerations.

Magazine testing times yields a 0-60 time in the upper 5 seconds, and a 1/4 mile time of around 14.0 seconds. Some have been faster, some have been slower.

Handling wise, the car handles fine. Not as finessed and well controlled as say as the now defunct SVT Focus, but the combination of its raw power and a competent chassis means that you can exit corners much faster than most things this side of AWD.

Gas mileage is pretty good for a car of this performance. 20mpg city and 32mpg hwy observed. I get about 25mpg combined (it is my commuter car). Runs on premium unleaded however (91+ octane). Watch your boost guage (unlike many of its competitors, the SRT-4 has a built in Autometer boost guage) if you are wanting to get the best gas mileage. Stay in the vaccuum side of boost. Many lead foots get atrocious gas mileage in the car, and don't understand why the turbo would eat up so much fuel

Dodge sells stage upgrade kits for the SRT-4. Stage 3 cars run 310hp on 91 octane, and 355hp on 100 octane fuel. It will also run you about $3,000. To read about Automobile magazine's experiences with it:

http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews...n_srt4_stage3/

In addition, there are also stage upgrades for the suspension. Stage 2 and 3 cars also have the optional Turbo Toys accessories which include intercooler sprayers, High Octane Mode and Dial-A-Boost controls.

Overall? The SRT-4 is IMHO only second to the new Corvette Z06 in the bang for the buck quotient. For $20k you get a car that can comfortably seat 4 adults, and take gear in the trunk. In addition, when it came out it could outrun most cars under $35k. If you are into performance modifications, Dodge has a fairly reliable path to get to the upper 300hp levels. In some ways, it is one of the better modern interpretation of the original muscle cars. Take a fairly uninspiring family car, and shove the largest engine you can into it and update the styling.

[ctaylorzl1]

I absolutly LOVE the SRT-4, I test drove one the first day they arrived a dealerships in 2003, I was in awe. I'm a big GM fan but GM needs to take some tips from Dodge, on everything from cars to trucks. As far as the SRT-4, I couldnt imagine anything being such a bargin for less than twice its price. I unfortunatly ended up not buying one, big mistake, I should have jumped on it. then 2004 rolled around and I heard about one of these new Chevy Cobalt SS cars comming out, 2.0 Supercharged, 5-speed manual, leather interior, 2 door and apposed to the 4 door SRT-4. So I waited then they got here and I was ready to buy one, that is until I drove one. It had NOWHERE near the performance of the SRT-4. The only thing I liked better was 2 door and the fact I get a GM discount on it. Other than that I was VERY DISSAPOINTED. I have no desire to own a Cobalt SS after driving a SRT-4. Now the SRT-4 is gone, and I would be kinda worried buying a used one, especially if someone like me owned it. yes the SRT-4 may have had a few cons, but the pros way outweighed it.

[kodos78]

I really wanted to like the Cobalt SS. The interior is more pleasant, and the car does feel a little more modern on the interior, but other than that it just wasn't what I was looking for.

At the time, there were only 3 in my area (Southern California) when I searched local dealers. I don't think I've seen a real SS on the street this entire time either. Maybe we don't get a big allocation down here.

The real big problem was the rear seating for me. I like the 4-doors on the SRT because we have 2 kids and I like being able to take the whole family with me on weekends if I want to drive the 'fun' car . I could live with 2 doors, but the rear legroom was abysmal and car carriers for infants eat up a lot of space.

The supercharged engine in the SS didn't do anything for me. The SRT4 is brutal and the stage upgrades are more powerful than the equivalent Chevy upgrades (currently).

Let's hope that the Turbo'd Ecotec makes its way to the next gen SS!! This is the last car in this class I will be buying however, I will keep this car as my commuter car as long as I can and buy a toy car next time like a Vette or Elise to have fun with!

Originally Posted by ctaylorzl1

I absolutly LOVE the SRT-4, I test drove one the first day they arrived a dealerships in 2003, I was in awe. I'm a big GM fan but GM needs to take some tips from Dodge, on everything from cars to trucks. As far as the SRT-4, I couldnt imagine anything being such a bargin for less than twice its price. I unfortunatly ended up not buying one, big mistake, I should have jumped on it. then 2004 rolled around and I heard about one of these new Chevy Cobalt SS cars comming out, 2.0 Supercharged, 5-speed manual, leather interior, 2 door and apposed to the 4 door SRT-4. So I waited then they got here and I was ready to buy one, that is until I drove one. It had NOWHERE near the performance of the SRT-4. The only thing I liked better was 2 door and the fact I get a GM discount on it. Other than that I was VERY DISSAPOINTED. I have no desire to own a Cobalt SS after driving a SRT-4. Now the SRT-4 is gone, and I would be kinda worried buying a used one, especially if someone like me owned it. yes the SRT-4 may have had a few cons, but the pros way outweighed it.

[kodos78]

I saw an SRT-4 take out a Viper in a video from a dragstrip . Lots of modded SRT-4s, they're so darn cheap to mod.

I think stock to stock though an SRT-4 is slightly slower than an '05 GT, and is harder to launch of course (FWD vs. RWD)

[yassir(snowman)]

man i looke at it on the dodge website and they have a 355hp kit commin up. this car does 0-60 in 5.2 seconds on 230hp that is crazy. the cobalts has a hard time dealin with traction, power is good but cant match the srt and yes that exhaust not is just really sweet. there is always somthin with the car im thinkin of buyin. the srt needs to loose 2drs and both of these cars need a 6spd and optional awd and they will be kings of the street.

[kodos78]

Unfortunately the next SRT-4 is built on the Caliber platform, but has 300hp (but is still a FWD car). Unfortunately the Caliber (to my eyes) looks like crud.

I believe that most Neon SRT-4s dyno around 230hp to the front wheels. Dodge kinda under-rates them from the factory . So they're probably making closer to 250hp at the crank.

Coupled with their fairly low weight (2900lbs) that makes them pretty quick! The Dodge stage upgrades are fairly inexpensive for the amount of HP you get out of them, and the OEM style build quality.

As an aside, an SRT-4 setup for the One Lap of America beat the Evo in the same class last year (and I believe came out 8th overall).

The SRT-4 is a great platform, and the best part was how affordable it was. It was a fitting way to end the Neon's run IMHO.

Originally Posted by yassir(snowman)

man i looke at it on the dodge website and they have a 355hp kit commin up. this car does 0-60 in 5.2 seconds on 230hp that is crazy. the cobalts has a hard time dealin with traction, power is good but cant match the srt and yes that exhaust not is just really sweet. there is always somthin with the car im thinkin of buyin. the srt needs to loose 2drs and both of these cars need a 6spd and optional awd and they will be kings of the street.

[ctaylorzl1]

Originally Posted by kodos78

Unfortunately the next SRT-4 is built on the Caliber platform, but has 300hp (but is still a FWD car). Unfortunately the Caliber (to my eyes) looks like crud.

I totally agree on that one. The Caliber might be 300hp, but atleast the Neon SRT-4 looked really nice. To me the Neon SRT-4 looked like the perfect combination of aftermarket rice style parts & normal nice sedan looks. It wasnt way too ricey. The only thing about it was the rear spoiler, looks pretty nice, but if any of you have driven one you know that is in THE DIRECT MIDDLE of your rear window making rear visibility kinda bad, reminds me of a 63 Vette pplit window coupe, looks awesome but makes it hard as hell to see behind you! anyway, Dodge needs to redux the SRT-4 in a new niced looking car version other than the Caliber, that or GM needs to step up the Cobalt SS bit time, because I'm ready for something new, and I dont really want a used, ragged out SRT-4.

[FightingChance]

That's a good review, Kodos. Thanks for writing it up. I'd like to know more about the transmission feel (clutch depth, how easy it is to get into gears)

[kodos78]

Haha. It took me a few days to get used to that rear spoiler. I don't know how many times I thought there was (what I thought) a red minivan about to hit me :p. In some ways, it reminded me of a dog chasing his own tail. I got used to it eventually.

I wish they had revamped the Neon (they could have named it something else, like Chevy did with the Cobalt). I have no interest in a Matrix or Vibe style vehicle, especially one that is as ugly as the Caliber. The interior is particularly horrendous (and I drive a Neon ). You can hide a lot in darker colors. That new Dodge/Chrysler light gray really shows off how cheap their plastics are!

Originally Posted by ctaylorzl1

I totally agree on that one. The Caliber might be 300hp, but atleast the Neon SRT-4 looked really nice. To me the Neon SRT-4 looked like the perfect combination of aftermarket rice style parts & normal nice sedan looks. It wasnt way too ricey. The only thing about it was the rear spoiler, looks pretty nice, but if any of you have driven one you know that is in THE DIRECT MIDDLE of your rear window making rear visibility kinda bad, reminds me of a 63 Vette pplit window coupe, looks awesome but makes it hard as hell to see behind you! anyway, Dodge needs to redux the SRT-4 in a new niced looking car version other than the Caliber, that or GM needs to step up the Cobalt SS bit time, because I'm ready for something new, and I dont really want a used, ragged out SRT-4.

[kodos78]

Thanks for the kind words FightingChance .

The clutch is really light, and the catch point is about halfway through the travel to the floor. Gear switching is not as light or precise as say an RSX would be, but it is a solid gearbox, and is more satisfying once you get a shift knob with some heft to it. The factory shift knob is one of the weak points to the car. It's a light plastic thing that weighs almost nothing.

I drive the car on the 405 during stop and go traffic up the Sepulveda pass. The 2nd week I had it I had a 5 hour commute because a big-rig had toppled over and caused a fatality, and I was stuck on the freeway inching along up-hill . Other than my left leg being slightly numb , it went well

Originally Posted by FightingChance

That's a good review, Kodos. Thanks for writing it up. I'd like to know more about the transmission feel (clutch depth, how easy it is to get into gears)

[boston boy]

good write up

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[ctaylorzl1]

Originally Posted by FightingChance

That's a good review, Kodos. Thanks for writing it up. I'd like to know more about the transmission feel (clutch depth, how easy it is to get into gears)

When I test drove the SRT-4 back a few years ago, I was really imperssed with the tranny! Clutch depth is really good, the pedal had just the right amount of travel in my opinion. The shifter felt really good also, I somehow expected it to shift like a 4WD Dakota, but it did not. It reminded me of shifting a T56 tranny from a F-Body, but with shorter throws. Really good, but not near perfect like what youd get from a Civic Si, or a VW GTI. When I drove it it was BRAND NEW, first one the dealer had & I was the first to test drive it so it had under 10 miles & a EXTREMELY tight clutch, unlike what youd get from test driving a used SRT-4. Overall GREAT drivetrain, except the 03 I drove didnt have the front limited slip differential so putting the pedal all the way down made some hellacious smoke(which the salesman demanded I do, repetedly), It did need a front limited slip differential to even it out, plus a 6th gear wouldnt have hurt, but for the price & performance you get I wouldnt complain. The only thing I HATED about the car was that only the front windows were power, the rear windows are manual crank. That seemed extra cheap to me, but hey $21,000 to smoke a V8 Mustang GT & in my opinion look better doing it, not to mention a bitchin' exhaust sound. I guess beggars cant be chosers. ****************, talking about all this makes me want to get a SRT-4, I should have gotten one when I had the chance. Sorry about the long post, nobody probably wants to listen to me ramble on!

[CobaltSScrazy]

Originally Posted by kodos78

I really wanted to like the Cobalt SS. The interior is more pleasant, and the car does feel a little more modern on the interior, but other than that it just wasn't what I was looking for.

At the time, there were only 3 in my area (Southern California) when I searched local dealers. I don't think I've seen a real SS on the street this entire time either. Maybe we don't get a big allocation down here.

The real big problem was the rear seating for me. I like the 4-doors on the SRT because we have 2 kids and I like being able to take the whole family with me on weekends if I want to drive the 'fun' car . I could live with 2 doors, but the rear legroom was abysmal and car carriers for infants eat up a lot of space.

The supercharged engine in the SS didn't do anything for me. The SRT4 is brutal and the stage upgrades are more powerful than the equivalent Chevy upgrades (currently).

Let's hope that the Turbo'd Ecotec makes its way to the next gen SS!! This is the last car in this class I will be buying however, I will keep this car as my commuter car as long as I can and buy a toy car next time like a Vette or Elise to have fun with!

if you have driven both cars, the cobalt ss is a MUCH more substantial and solid car as compared to the NEON! The engine is quality and reliable as all ecotecs are and I have the official buildbook to make the engine run upwards of 1000bhp. There are upgrades coming out for the cobalt ss-s/c i believe around june-august of this year. If you replace the pulley with a smaller version, put an intake/exhaust and reflash your ecm, then the cobalt will do about 270 WHEEL hp. It'll run with just about any neon srt4 out there and it does NOT require premium fuel. As a car, the cobalt ss may not have the heart stopping perforamnce but overall for a fun fast boy-racer car, you cannot beat it.

BTW- did I mention that car in the review is a NEON at the end of the day no matter what anyone says. LMFAO b/c if you want to make your cobalt faster, there are ways to do it. Yeah cobalt-ss-s/c

[FightingChance]

Originally Posted by CobaltSScrazy

if you have driven both cars, the cobalt ss is a MUCH more substantial and solid car as compared to the NEON!

Well, he did drive both cars, and it doesn't appear he came to the same conclusions as you did. Have you driven an SRT-4?

Originally Posted by CobaltSScrazy

BTW- did I mention that car in the review is a NEON at the end of the day no matter what anyone says. LMFAO b/c if you want to make your cobalt faster, there are ways to do it. Yeah cobalt-ss-s/c

The Cobalt is a premier nameplate all of a sudden? And the SRT-4 has just as many upgrade path options as the SS-S/C (why the hell are these car performance suffixes getting so stupid! SRT-#? SS-S/C? just awful.)

Now, my best friend back home just got an '05 yellow SS-S/C, and I was really impressed by it. Dash materials were really good, I really like the gauges, doors closed rattle-free. I didn't get to drive it though.

[tuxmelvin]

I gotta say, my 95 Neon still is rattle free! It seems a lot of the Neon-haters are just ignorant. As for the engine... I've had all sorts of things break on my Neon, but the engine has taken my abuse without complaint. And I do abuse that poor thing.