2003 Dodge SRT-4 Review

Specifications

2003 Dodge SX 2.0 R/T - A Factory Direct Tuner Car

The 2003 Dodge Neon R/T reminds me of the TV show “Extreme Makeover.” For those of you unfamiliar with the new reality program, it conceptually revolves around personal change via plastic surgery, i.e. a nip or a tuck, perhaps a new nose or mouth, resulting in an aesthetically different and hopefully more attractive person. While the Neon makeover is hardly extreme, like the people in the show the changes are for the better.

To be completely honest I had a love/hate relationship with the sporty four-door. At first, I fell in love with the Blaze Red Crystal Pearl Coat exterior (red being my favourite color), its dual exhaust tips, and 16-inch tires stretched around cast aluminum wheels, but I wasnt too impressed that there was no CD player. I thought to myself, “Theres no way that there wouldnt be a CD player in this totally revamped machine”. And I was right. After about a minute of frantic despair, I found the standard 6-disc in-dash system almost hidden underneath the AM/FM cassette player. As Im sure you can imagine, a big sigh of relief.

Weather-wise, it was a great week in Vancouver. Being warm and sunny all who passed by could hear my tunes blaring with the standard front power windows rolled down, and the optional power sunroof open wide. The window buttons are located on the driver and passenger side doors, not mounted on the middle console like the PT Cruiser and Jeep Liberty I drove recently - a personal preference. Talking about preferences I am not a huge fan of air conditioning, but if you happen to like it, good news, its a standard feature.

I am sure youll agree that rush-hour city traffic is not the best situation to be in, especially in a 5-speed manual transmission vehicle. But I quite enjoyed accelerating, then braking, then clutching and braking again, over and over in the Neons comfortable low-back bucket seats. For a mere $715 a leather upgrade is available but watch out, on those spicy spring days like those I experienced, the Dark Slate Gray seats can get toasty warm if parked in the sun. Still its a small price to pay for the upscale styling, comfort and ease of cleaning the leather delivers. Another way to cool you down on the warm days is by using the Neons multi-faceted cup-holders located in convenient spots throughout the cabin - bringing a chilled beverage along for the ride helps beat the heat.

On the topic of traffic, this is a great city car. It got me from point A to B in style and speed. The R/T is equipped with Dodges 2.0-L 4-cylinder SOHC 16-valve high performance engine. In addition to its 150 horses, 135 lb-ft of torque peaks at a reasonably low 4,800 rpm. Put your foot into it and its got pep and pizzazz, it really goes. Whats more, its fairly fuel efficient and therefore reasonably easy on the wallet. To be exact it uses 29 mpg when city driving and 36 mpg on the highway. Also important, the Neon is deemed a Low Emission Vehicle (LEV), so its reasonably environmentally friendly too.

The R/T performs well away from bumper to bumper traffic too, both on city streets and out on the highway. I took my temporary Neon up a sinuous seaside road that snakes from my home town to a local ski resort, to test its maneuverability. I was actually quite surprised with its performance. Dodge has done a good job with the suspension. Its a smooth ride, absorbing most bumps in the road, while it executes the tight twists and turns with ease. Even when the clouds rolled in and the rain started to grace us with its presence, the SX handled the slippery roads well.

The cabin is relatively small, but rather than claustrophobic I found it quite cozy. Im not what most people classify as “tall,” so a male or female of average height should find it comfortable. But in order to fit my 64″ boyfriend inside I had to open the sunroof. OK, so I am only joking. Its really perfect for those tall people out there who like a snug fit.

Continuing with my love/hate theme, I am a fan of keyless entry systems with two transmitters, standard on the Dodge. It connects through to a power central locking system. I also liked its full length centre console and cup-holder placement. The leather-wrapped shift knob is a nice touch too, while the dual front air bags, bright fog lamps and security alarm helped me feel safe. Whats more the R/Ts trunklid spoiler really added to the Neons sporty looks.

There is plenty of storage space in the trunk, and the back seat is pretty roomy even for three passengers. I did find, however, that the A-pillars in front and C-pillars out back obstructed my vision from the drivers seat. The spoiler also blocked rearward vision when it came to backing out of my parking stall. It caused me to wait a little longer to see if anyone was in my way when reversing, and made me move around in the seat to make sure the coast was clear. I was also not completely satisfied with the cars clutch. It might just be a personal preference thing, but it didnt engage as smoothly as Im used to.

Still, you can get anything you want if you have enough money. I, for one, am not quite in that league. With this in mind I like the conventional but cool Neon R/T. Its miserly on the fuel, offers up a decent amount of power, and zipped me from point A to B quickly and reliably. So what does it cost? The base price of the R/T stands at $17,085, with the fully loaded price, as tested, at $18,530. Thats pretty decent especially when factoring in its 3-year/36,000 mile bumper to bumper and 7-year/70,000 mile powertrain warranty.

After a week of getting to know the R/Ts personality, Im now a fan. We bonded. For a factory direct tuner car, the Neon definitely offers a lot of trick features that would cost a ton of money if purchased on the aftermarket. And while its cool, I dont think it has specific age or gender barriers. Young or old, guy or girl, the Neon R/T is a lot of fun for the money.