I am sure you'll 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 SX's comfortable low-back bucket seats. For a mere $795 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 it's 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 SX's 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 Chrysler's 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 it's got pep and pizzazz, it really goes. What's more, it's fairly fuel efficient and therefore reasonably easy on the wallet. To be exact it uses 8.8 liters of gas per 100 km when city driving, and 6.7 liters per 100 km on the highway. The estimated annual fuel cost is a low $1,053, but of course the total can go up or down depending on how much and how aggressively you drive. Also important, the SX 2.0 is deemed a Low Emission Vehicle (LEV), so it's 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 SX machine up the Sea-To-Sky highway, a sinuous road that snakes from West Vancouver to Whistler, B.C., to test its maneuverability. I was actually quite surprised with its performance. Dodge has done a good job with the suspension. It's 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.