Remember the Dodge Neon SRT-4? While it was only manufactured for three years, it remains fairly popular among many enthusiasts and Doug DeMuro recently had the opportunity to drive one.
The particular model reviewed by DeMuro is the Neon SRT-4 ACR. This model came outfitted with a number of upgrades distinguishing it from lesser variants, most notably new 16-inch BBS wheels, lowered suspension include adjustable performance Tokico Illumina dampers, a thicker rear stabilizer bar, and some visual tweaks. Just 1,175 examples of the ACR were built with just 225 of them painted in Flame Red like this example.
Read Also: A Neon SRT-4-Powered 1972 Dodge Demon Needs To Happen
Powering the compact sedan is a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing a claimed 230 hp in 2004 guise but independent testing has shown the powertrain pumps out a touch more than that.
While people typically associate American performance cars with rear-wheel drive, the Neon SRT-4 was front-wheel drive and came standard with a 5-speed manual transmission. At the time of its introduction, it was the second-fastest production vehicle in the Chrysler and Dodge family, only behind the mighty Viper.
Driving the sedan seems to be quite a thrill. On one than one occasion, the YouTuber is taken aback by just how quick it feels in a straight line. As you’d imagine, it does suffer from a bit of torque steer, as most powerful front wheel drive cars do. Not everything is so positive, however, as DeMuro says it feels very cheap and simply doesn’t feel as premium or refined as some of the competition from the day such as the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, and Subaru WRX.