Taking Imports Out of the Tuner Equation
Wow! There is no better way to describe the driving experience in the 2004 Dodge SRT-4 other than wow! From the first time the ignition was ignited and the ferocious roar of the beastly engine and snarling exhaust was disturbed from its slumber, to the first time that I sat in the Viper-inspired front bucket racing seats and felt like a racer, to the first time the turbo spun the front wheels as I took off in a flash, it was nothing but wowing.
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| There is no better way to describe the driving experience in the 2004 Dodge SRT-4 other than wow! (Photo: Alexandra Straub, Canadian Auto Press) |
But before I came face to face with the All-American mighty might tuner car, I tested the model it is based on - the 150-hp SX 2.0 R/T. I have to admit to being fairly impressed with the performance it provided, but nothing could have prepared me for the SRT-4.
It started when I first saw it. The "Flame Red" exterior immediately caught my eye, not hard considering red is my favorite color. The exterior displays all the requisite components of legitimate tuner cars: air scoop, high-type rear spoiler, flashy grille, red brake calipers, beefy tires and rims, and a visible intercooler through the front grille, adding sufficient attitude to what started out as an economy car. In the end, the SRT-4 looks menacingly up to no good at all, a far cry from the merely pesky SX 2.0 it is based on.
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| The exterior displays all the requisite components of legitimate tuner cars: air scoop, high-type rear spoiler, beefy tires and rims, and a visible intercooler through the front grille. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, Canadian Auto Press) |
Of course I was even more interested in driving it than looking at it, so off I went. The short-throw shifter and clutch combination works flawlessly, making rowing through the gears a lot of fun. To accomplish this, Dodge laced the SRT-4 with a standard NVG T850 Heavy-Duty 5-speed manual transmission connecting through to a limited slip differential. Despite its "heavy-Duty" badge the clutch is not a chore to depress. Instead it's firm without being overbearing, making stop-and-go traffic hardly more difficult than the SX 2.0. Probably a better comparison would be its high-horsepower competitors, the Subaru Impreza WRX and MazdaSpeed Protegé. The SRT-4's clutch, to me, was the easiest to get the most out of.