I'm confused. The Neon SRT-4 guys with 60 less horsepower were claiming to be around 14 flat. Of course when I went to the track I saw at least 5 of them there and each ran several times and not a single one of them did better than a mid 14 and it had a couple of bolt ons at least. The others were high 14s even a couple of low 15 runs.

These specs make me wonder even more how realistic a 14 flat was for a stock Neon SRT-4 if this somewhat similar vehicle with 60 more horses isn't rated any better?

 

I never did see one run, but I know C&D ran a 14.1 with their tester in '03...who knows...

 

The SRT-4 just needs a competent driver familiar with FWD cars. You see crappy times because it's mostly young kids who don't how to drive!

C&D pulled a 13.9@103mph: http://www.caranddriver.com/article....&page_number=2

Caliber weighs a couple hundred pounds more, and Dodge seriously underrated the Neon SRT-4 - hence the similar times.

Neon SRT-4: 250-260 at the crank, ~3000 lbs
Caliber SRT-4: 300 at the crank (underrated?) ~3200 lbs

 

It is a porky little bastard, just 250 lbs shy of F4.

What is probably unheard of is the HP figures for the price. 22K is not too shabby, and my estimates are that the Caliber will see the end of the quarter mile by mid to high 13's. The reported 14.1 appears to be rather conservative, taking into account the weight and the flat torque of turbo engine.

I must admit, I am not a fan of this taller Neon replacement, but i saw some sketches of Mitsu Evo Lancer, reportedly built on the same platform - and it looks a lot more appealing.

And now, for something totally different - saw my first Saturn Sky on the streets today... what a gorgeous car!!! My carpool coworker first asked me if it was the new Viper - the headlights have that agressive look to them, that for the first few seconds I had to think myself about it. Now, THAT is a nice car! Forget the 1/4 mi. Just imagine how the ride is

 

That's what C&D wrote (I think it was them). It makes sense to me. An AWD transmission is quite a bit more complicated than a FWD transaxle.

I would think that DC would be working on a stronger AWD transmission, at least if they have any spare engineers, but I've not heard any news/rumor to that effect.

 

Do not be confused... low 14's and high 13's is what the car can do.

If you were to have seen most of my runs at the track (my first and only time there) you would have seen a plathora of crappy times before I got a feel of what FWD is to hit my 14 flat.

I had a few 14.1's to.

But I did hit a 15 when I riped the shifter ball off of the shifter and had to place it back into place before getting back into it.

 

Now only if they'd make it into a sub 3000lb coupe. Can someone chop a that car into a coupe?

 

1)If the EVO stickers for $28k lets say, theres no way that Dodge would be allowed to sell a rebadged car for less than $27k. If a FWD was $22k (as mentioned) would that many people spend another $5k to get AWD to warrant all the cost?

2)Power isnt the issue. DSM's were holding that power for years made in the 90's.

3)The Evo's center diff and transfer case is very sophisticated - adds cost, so dodge wouldnt use that one to save money.

4)Offering AWD means that the model (I'd bet money on this) would have two seperate floor pans. DSM's had this as well - you couldnt just bolt up the driveline of an AWD to a FWD car.

5)Mitsu would be signing away sales if they allowed Dodge to do this. I dont know who footed what bill for what, but I'd be willing to bet theres enough hand shaking going on that its not likely.



...Though the car looks like a Vibe to me. A vibe with a lot of power. Better than the neon by a mile.

 

Here it, the platform, is as a sedan to give people a place to jump off of.

 

I think it has some potential....Heck, if you make it a coupe, it should cost less than the 4-door. No extra doors, seats, accesories, etc. to pay for. Plus it will make the car lighter...heck, you could even make is just RWD to make it still cheaper. Then that 300hp will really mean something.

heck, if they dropped the 6.1 420hp hemi, it'd be insane.

 

And yet they made a 240hp SRT-4 Neon for 20k with the Evo around.

Price is the issue, you did want a 22k SRT4 right?

Why not? The Evo is a small car, like the old Neon. The Caliber is far from a small car.



...Though the car looks like a Vibe to me. A vibe with a lot of power. Better than the neon by a mile.[/QUOTE]

 

The EVO and SRT4 were not the same car. The SRT4 was FWD. The two are apples to oranges.

If they are built on the same chassis with the same engine, then its a different story.

 

Prices havent been annouced yet have they?

 

So, this thing has the same performance as the Neon SRT-4, but cost $2000 more? Although the 6 speed is nice.

 

Caliber is no more a replacement for the Neon than the Magnum was a replacement for the Intrepid.

Yes, that's a hint.