GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Wow, this is the fastest/cheapest car i have ever test driven. I can't even believe how fast this thing is. It finally arrived at the dealership yesterday for the first time, and i got to take the first test drive. The car makes my Vibe GT feel sooooo slow. I was going to get it, before i bought the Vibe, but no one was sure when it would be released and i did not feel like waiting.

It is fast, but one thing you said stands out. Cheapest! I don't know if I could handle driving a cheap Dodge even if it is fast. That and I bought the Vibe for cargo capacity and the speed was just a pleasant side.

It is actually really nice. The seats are unreal. And the trunk has tons of room. I will say the stereo is very lacking, but with the sound of the no muffler exhaust, I would not be listening to much music.

I saw a couple the other day. I didn't have a chance to drive one but I was not impressed with the looks. It's a Neon with a bigger engine and a spoiler that's way too big for it. The only thing that impressed me is the power and torque that the enigine puts out. Would love to have that much power in my Vibe but I would still select the Vibe over the SRT any day.

Go test drive one. The power makes you forgot it is just a Neon. I mean this thing can smoke a WRX, and runs right with the new EVO

quote:Go test drive one. The power makes you forgot it is just a Neon. I mean this thing can smoke a WRX, and runs right with the new EVOIncorrect. The SRT will get smoked by both the WRX STi and the EVO. The SRT runs 14.1 while the EVO is 13.6 and the STi 13.2. It's not even close.

First off, i said WRX, i think you added the Sti part. Second, i siad it would be close with the EVO. Anyways, Dodge already has to power packages to give the SRT-4 270hp and another 310hp. The dealership actually installs them. They are made by Mopar

quote:First off, i said WRX, i think you added the Sti part. Second, i siad it would be close with the EVO.OK, you're right. You didn't say the STi however you did say the EVO. The EVO's competition is the STI, not the base WRX. Regardless, the non-STi WRX also runs 14.1 just like the SRT so the SRT still won't beat it. And no, at 14.1, the SRT is not close to the 13.6 EVO. Half a second slower is not close when it comes to racing.quote:Anyways, Dodge already has to power packages to give the SRT-4 270hp and another 310hp. The dealership actually installs them. They are made by MoparWhere's documentation on that claim?

saw a girl at orlando run 13.9 in the quarter in a stock SRT-4 no extras, and evo does not run 13.6's. acording to car and driver all they got out of it was 14.2 in a standing quarter mile. http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp ... e_number=2 All the WRX's that i have seen at the track that are bone stock, run mid to low 14's @ around 94mph. These are not just blind claims, this is from all of the magazine articles that i have read, and also the cars that i have SEEN with my eyes at the track.yogi

quote:Where's documentation on that claim?I have none, except when i was the Dodge dealership yesterday test driving the SRT-4, they told me that was a option.

I couldn't find the exact #'s, but if you goto http://www.4adodge.com and check the flashsite of the SRT-4, click on Performance and then Parts. It says Mopar will have stuff by late spring. The guy at the dealership said they already got the parts in, when they got the car in.

If it were all about the power, I'd be on my way to the dealer to put my name on the list for my beloved GTO...

quote:http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp ... e_number=2 That's old news and info about is a preproduction test back in March. The currect issue of C&D (June 2003; not up on the website yet) compares the two actual production cars and said the STi = 13.2, the EVO = 13.6 and the previous issure of C&D (May 2003) said the SRT = 14.1.May 2003 story: http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp ... 5quote:All the WRX's that i have seen at the track that are bone stock, run mid to low 14's @ around 94mph. These are not just blind claims, this is from all of the magazine articles that i have read, and also the cars that i have SEEN with my eyes at the track.You need to catch up on your reading.

FYI: the hoods replacement cost is wellover 2000! for that kinda dinero it should at least be functionaly (the sccop).Also: I dorve an EVO this weekend! and me likey! acept for the nasty poster paint blue. I gotta say it my subie loyalty is weakening!Oh! Im a newbie (to vibe) I had to loose my WRX due to its effect on my left foot!

Here a pic of the Mopar Stage 2 turbo upgrade for the SRT-4. It's about halfway down the page. http://www.cardomain.com/member_pages/v ... 522&page=6

Just wait till you see the June issue of R&T, Nova. Then you'll be all caught up on your reading. There's a great piece in there on how great and under-rated the SRT-4s really are. There's really no reason that a 2900 lb fwd car with a turbo 2.4 should be slower than a 3100 lb car with awd and a turbo2.0 . The acceleration chart shows a VERY SMALL advantage for the WRX till ~ 55 mph and then the Dodge takes over. By 60 mph, it has reversed the small advantage the Subie enjoyed. By the end of the 1/4, the Dodge is going 101.5 and the WRX is going 95.4mph. Since the Evo and the STi are both at exactly 103.0 mph in the same issue, what this tells me is that in some gears at some speeds, in some conditions, the SRT will be close. Most of the STi and EVO's advantage over the SRT4 is gained in the initial launch - both are at least 1 second faster to 40 and stay 1 second faster through the quarter-mile. It is definitely faster and cheaper than a WRX, which is still $5000 more expensive, heavier, worse gas mileage, smaller, etc. I'm a huge fan of the WRX, but you gotta give the Dodge its due. To modify it would uncover how traction limited it really is, but it is a fun ride. There's probably not much reason to compare it to the EVO, nobody who is seriously considering the EVO or the STI would want to settle for the Dodge. But then again - it IS $10,000 dollars cheaper, has a better interior, and looks less goofy than the EVO. If it were my money, I think I might just get the Dodge and blow the rest on a liter-bike... but for now I'll just lay low in my GT and not try to race any of these cars

BTW - I just went back and checked the C&D article and I forgot to mention that the EVO in June C&D went 0-60 in 5.0 and did street start 5-60 in 6.7 SECONDS. That seems like a lot of clutch dump. I've also been reading that the EVO has pretty bad turbo lag compared to the STi and the WRX, which are both bad when compared to the SRT4. So it is entirely posslble that a few SRT owners will be surprising some EVO owners. Also, the June C&D lists the EVO's 1/4 mile time at 13.6 at 101 mph. I know it's not right to compare 1/4 mile trap speeds from 2 different magazines, I'm just pointing out that there are a lot of different numbers out there - and trying to reinforce my point that the AWD cars' real advantage is the launch. I can't wait till one magazine takes these three out to a race track or does some sort of multi-event comparison test of these 3 cars.

I don't get "Road & Track" anymore. I find "Car and Driver" and "Motor Trend" to be more accurate.

quote:I don't get "Road & Track" anymore. I find "Car and Driver" and "Motor Trend" to be more accurate.I have two subscriptions. Car Craft and Chevy H.P.

ha ha - I'm a "Better Homes and Gardens" man myself...Weren't we talking about insanely fast cars a couple of posts ago or something?

quote:I have two subscriptions. Car Craft and Chevy H.P.My subscription list includes:National Dragster (weekly)Super ChevyChevy High PerformanceHot RodCar CraftMusclecar ReviewThe Nova TimesMotor TrendCar and Driver

Yeah, but.....Put a year or two of use on a neon (any model) and see what you have then (a plasitc'y, rattle trap). I'd go w/ the subie, the build quality is far superior. then again I'm kinda bias to scoob's.