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 Dodge SRT4 2005
By Peter Bleakney
If you're looking for a red-hot sport compact right out of the box, boy, does Dodge have the car for you.
The SRT4 is a Dodge SX200 (nee Neon) that has been heavily breathed upon by the lads in the Dodge SRT (Street and Racing Technology) skunkworks to the tune of 230 hp and 250 lb-ft of torque. This diminutive road rocket is bristling with attitude and is certainly not for the faint-of-heart. Or even those who might like, say, a tad of refinement in their motor vehicle.
The boy-racer rear spoiler, twin exhaust tips, 17� wheels shod with 205/50R performance rubber, and gaping front intakes are the first clues this is not your garden variety Neon.
Inside, the heavily bolstered seat grips you like a pit bull and the short-throw shifter looks all business with its retro round aluminum knob perched on a skinny chromed wand. An aftermarket-looking turbo boost gauge sits conspicuously to the right of the standard instrument cluster.
 Fire up the 2.4 litre turbocharged, intercooled, 16-valve four and your first thought is, "Did someone jump a cub and rip off the muffler"
Ah, no. The coarse idle and barely muffled exhaust are part of the experience, dude.
Out on the road, this car smokes. Once the turbo spools up, the little four-door sedan bolts like a kerosened cat. On over-run there is a glorious racecar-like brap-brap-brap from the tailpipes that signals your every shift.
With an advertised 0-60 time of 5.8 seconds, the SRT4 is second only to the mighty Viper SRT-10 in the Dodge lineup for bragging rights in that measure of performance.
Sure, the SRT4 is in-your-face, raucous and somewhat crude, but this is no parts-bin special. It is a surprisingly well-sorted vehicle.
The shifter works with a pleasing mechanical precision, and clutch take-up is smooth and progressive. Similarly, the steering is nicely weighted and communicative. Best of all, the car attacks the twisties with glee, biting hard and remaining flat and quite neutral. Of course, with all that torque under your right foot, judicious use of the happy pedal is necessary when exit ing a bend in this front-driver. Even the factory-installed Quaife limited slip differential can't keep the front wheels from spinning and running you wide of your intended line.
Too much juice and this puppy pushes like your mother in law at an all-you-can-eat buffet.
I have to admit, when I first picked up the SRT4, I was a little too quick to dismiss it as a crude toy for the PS2 generation. After a week of driving, I began to appreciate this rocket for its singleness of purpose. If you're in the mood for this car, it can be a hoot.
If you're not, the choppy ride and unrelenting exhaust noise is downright tiresome. You wouldn't take an SRT4 on a cross-country journey.
I took this devilish Dodge up to the giant Darknights 7 sport-compact show north of Toronto in July to see what the hard-core tuners thought of it. The speed of SRT4 is a known commodity among this crowd, and its king-of-the-hill status inspired hushed reverence when I visited the Neon tuners tent.
 With a base price of $27,490, the Dodge SRT4 is a pretty good performance deal, especially when you consider what some of these kids sink into their souped up sport compacts. But then again, with this tuner scene, it's all about originality, and most of these cars are works in progress. They buy the mods when they get the paycheck.
Standard with the SRT4 is air conditioning, next-generation front airbags, keyless entry, alarm, leather wrapped steering wheel, ABS braking and a 6-speaker AM/FM/CD system. As a reminder of the SRT4's humble roots, only the front windows are powered.
My "Orange Blast"? tester had the optional $795 power sunroof and $975 Kicker/SRT Livin' Loud Audio System with mega watts and a trunk-mounted subwoofer that gave the exhaust system a serious run for its money.
If you want one of these anti-social hooligans, now is the time to buy. They won't be back for the 2006 model year.
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