The 5-speed shifter knob is leather-wrapped too, and gated nicely enough to cause random up and downshifting just for the fun of it. By the way, no automatic is available in R/T trim showing just how seriously performance-oriented the little Dodge is. That said 135 lb-ft of torque makes it easy to set the front wheels spinning, despite the P195/50R16 tire's larger footprint. The tires sit on 16-inch 5-spoke alloy rims, an inch larger in diameter than the stock SX.
Going fast is hardly important when the need to slow down is the immediate concern, but Dodge has this area covered too. The R/T gets 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS applied at all corners, ample to slow it down in a hurry. Even after applying the brakes aggressively over and over again I noticed little fade.
Want to haul people or stuff? While its seating capacity is five, rear accommodations are best kept to two, like all sedans in this compact category, with fairly decent leg and headroom unless passengers are unusually large. Also the trunk offers 371 L (13.1 cu ft), more cargo room than both the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla.