Neon SRT-4 ACR

[Quiggs]

For an extra $1200, you get a little more suspension tuning- something it was lacking the first time around.

Originally Posted by http://research.cars.com/go/crp/reviews.jsp?makeid=12&modelid=6948&year=2005&revid =46840&revlogtype=20

Steven Cole Smith
Orlando Sentinel
February 17, 2005
Quietly, DaimlerChrysler's SRT group has been trying to take over the performance market. We have the Dodge Viper, a Viper-powered pickup truck, the Chrysler 300 SRT-8, and soon we'll see an SRT version of the new Charger and Jeep Grand Cherokee.

And the group hasn't neglected the entry-level segment. The SRT-4 is a full-out performance version of the Neon, with a turbocharged 2.4-liter, 230-horsepower four-cylinder engine. The SRT-4's base price, before shipping, is $20,650, which gets you the 230-horsepower engine, a beefed-up manual transmission, air conditioning, a good stereo with a CD player, a rear spoiler and big P205/50R-17 tires and alloy wheels.

There's also stuff you can't see, including a taut suspension - the ride can be downright punishing on rough roads - because when you come down to it, the SRT-4 is about as racetrack-ready as any affordable car on the market.

As if that isn't enough, Dodge has just begun offering an even higher-performance package for the SRT-4 called the ACR, or American Club Racer, option group. Dodge offered the ACR package in the mid-1990s for the Neon, making it a very popular vehicle for club racers, who could modify the Neon ACR easily and inexpensively for parking lot-based autocross racing, or for track racing with groups such as the Sports Car Club of America.

The ACR package for the 2005 SRT-4 costs $1,195 - a rather astounding bargain - and it includes different tires, lightweight BBS alloy wheels, adjustable Tokico front and rear shock absorbers, "Viper-inspired" front seats with pass-fè throughs for competition seat belts, and additional suspension-related bits and pieces.

Just the wheels and shocks are worth $1,195, so if you're speed-minded, this ACR package is a no-brainer. I had the opportunity to drive a regular SRT-4 and an ACR version (tiny ACR badges on the sides, plus different wheels, are the only exterior tip-offs) on an autocross course, and while the SRT-4 is undeniably composed, the ACR version is just that much better.

Like the SRT-4, the ACR version can be driven very aggressively with no big surprises, but it especially responds to smoothness. The tires and suspension are astoundingly capable, and lap after lap, don't give up.

Inside, the new front seats are grippy and supportive. Gauges and instruments look upscale. The five-speed manual transmission still isn't quite as smooth-shifting as some of the competition's, but it's more than acceptable.

The SRT-4 can be a bit high-strung for some customers, but driven conservatively, it can be reasonably economical weekday transportation, and on weekends - well, the SRT-4 ACR is ready when you are.

CONSUMER INFORMATION

Base price: $20,650.

Price as tested: $22,390.

EPA rating: 22 mpg city, 30 mpg highway.

Details: Front-engine, front-wheel drive with turbocharged 2.4-liter, 230-horsepower four-cylinder with five-speed, manual transmission.

[PsychoChimp22]

I like it, but i like the ACR vette.... and ACR viper waaaaaay more.

[Egg Nog]

Originally Posted by PsychoChimp22

I like it, but i like the ACR vette.... and ACR viper waaaaaay more.

It's only logical. I like the NSX Type-R more than I like the Civic Type-R. One's slightly less expensive though.

ACR Vette?


On an srt-4 test drive, I noticed that the stock ride height was oddly high up (and it also had a strange factory rake). This ACR version doesn't look much lower. Oh well

[hec16]

I'm convincing my mom to buy me the Neon SRT-4 or the new Charger for my graduation I really like the Neon tough
________
Deealovex live

[shr0olvl]

Originally Posted by hec16

I'm convincing my mom to buy me the Neon SRT-4 or the new Charger for my graduation I really like the Neon tough

get the new mustang instead.

[RS6]

There's a problem, it is still just a Neon.

[cuntukimushroom]

gee wizz, help my eyes O.O, nah not really i hate that car, well to be honest

[spi-ti-tout]

Why couldn't they convert it to Goddam RWD instead and sell it for $25,000?

[SupraMan22]

Thats a really good idea and they probably should have. $5,000 dollars on a brand new car isn't going to make people change thier minds, well atleast not mine. Hey dude that said get a new mustang. WTF are you thinking, those things suck. The srt-4 neon looks better, but it doesn't have as much power.

[Koenigsegg_CC]

Originally Posted by RS6

There's a problem, it is still just a Neon.

Finer words have never been spoken

[Quiggs]

Originally Posted by spi-ti-tout

Why couldn't they convert it to Goddam RWD instead and sell it for $25,000?

Doing that would requre a whole new chassis. There is no path on the frame for a rear driveshaft.