One of the best parts about the SRT-4 is the near-total absence of torque steer thanks to a limited-slip differential. This way power is always evenly distributed to both front wheels so there is never a fight for traction between them. The tester however, exhibited a lot of differential backlash noise. This was probably due to it being pushed hard, maybe even abused, by previous testers but I could not imagine someone buying this car and not putting it through its paces every chance they got.
The funny and cool thing about the SRT-4 is that the driver always knows that he/she can take on (I am not recommending it though) just about any other car on the road including many recent Porsches. The feeling is quite extraordinary.
Safety
The SRT-4 has standard dual front air bags, ABS brakes coupled with electronic brake force distribution, and seatbelt pre-tensionners. The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration awarded the car 4 out of 5 stars (a good result) for a frontal impact and 3 out of 5 stars in lateral impacts (an average result). The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded the American Dodge Neon a marginal note for overall impact protection. It came in 3rd to last in a line-up of 14 cars in its category.
Conclusion
At one point, I noticed a humming noise when the car was idling, and this, over its loud and burbly exhaust note. I immediately realized what it was. It had been a long time since I had heard such a loud fuel pump. It reminded me of a friend who had a fully Rally race prepared 1990 Eagle Talon TSi AWD. I do not know if DaimlerChrysler purposely wanted to make it sound more like a race car but the effect sure worked on me. All I could think of was that this car has serious potential.
On one hand, I was thinking: "Take away the engine, the seats and the boost gauge and what you have left is still a Neon / SX 2.0, no matter how you look at it." On the other hand, the tuning enthusiast in me admits that, what this car has and is (performance exhaust, engine upgrade, bigger wheels, sport seats, etc...) is exactly what a gearhead would do to improve their car. The best about the SRT-4, then, is that it is a street racer covered by a Chrysler warranty.
Good stuff
Power to spare
A tuner's dream
Loud exhaust
Not so good stuff
Seating position; seat adjustments
Crash test results
Loud exhaust
