On Wheels by Brooks Peterson

Saturday, April 7, 2001

Sporty with substance

How about we skip the preliminaries here and jump head first into the heart of the matter?
   First: The 2001 Dodge Neon R/T is without question the best Neon I've ever driven.
   Second: The 2001 Dodge Neon R/T had darned well better be the best Neon I've ever driven: With a sticker price (admittedly, on a liberally optioned tester) of $18,885, anything less than conspicuous excellence is going to leave Mr. and Mrs./Ms. Consumer feeling more than a little peckish.
   Truth to tell, this little machine has come a long, long way since it first toddled down the runway back in the early '90s, sporting an endearing grin (remember the "Hi" p.r. blitz?) and a price in the four-figure range. Amazin' how time flies, no?
   In doing the exhaustive research for this piece (thank you, Internet; thank you), I was mildly startled to learn that, as of 2001, there are four Neons from which to choose: SE and the ES, the price leader and the one-step-up model, respectively, both of which get through life with the base 2-liter, 132-horsepower four; and then there are the R/T, the sportin' variant, and the ACR (standing, perhaps, for Awfully Cushy Ride?), which is the luxo model. (Both of these get the 150-hp engine.)
   For its midlife re-do, the Neon got pretty thoroughly slicked up - albeit at the expense of using some of its coltish, wide-eyed appeal. The sharply truncated derriere looks downright odd from certain angles, but on the whole it’s a presentable package.
   More important than the look, though, is the feel. The second-generation Neon has a far more substantial persona than its predecessor. You’ll never mistake it for one of its Mercedes-Benz corporate cousins, but it does convey an impression of solidity - save perhaps for the trunk lid, which seems a shade tinny.
   The R/T projects sportiness both via substance - the high-vitamin engine, the 16-inch wheels with aggressive rubber - and cosmetics. On our tester, the latter included eye-searing (and well-applied) Flame Red clear coat paint (good) and a rear spoiler that was . . . uh . . . debatable. I guess you’ve got to have a spoiler on a little sedan with sporting pretensions - but why did they use the awful excrescence on the current Pontiac Grand Am as their target?
   (And another thing: The spoiler is so configured that overhead expressway lights are reflected on its upper surface, creating in the rear-view mirror an effect that suggests the vehicle is being pursued by tiny UFOs. Is this trip really necessary?)
   ‘2.0 magnum’ engine?
   A couple of other points: First, the two chrome-tipped exhaust pipes - one on either side - look pretty tough. Turns out, though, they emerge, like twin tributaries, from one big muffler. (And, as more and more seems to be the case, there just isn’t much in the way of an exhaust note. My mechanic/sensei suggests catalytic converters are to blame. Dang shame, whatever the explanation.)
   And what the heck gives with the chrome ``2.0 magnum'' badge on the trailing edge of the trunk lid? This is a perfectly decent little engine, but come on. I’ve been disappointed to see Dodge putting ``Magnum V6'' badges on its big pickups, but this . . . is . . . is . . . well, it’s inappropriate. 427 Hemis are Magnums. Virtuous little four-bangers are not.
   The capable car
   Having dealt with these issues, I can report to you that, aesthetics aside, the Neon R/T is a very capable little sedan. The hi-po engine (which, alas, prefers to drink premium) seems notably smoother than previous Neon fours and can fling you to speed briskly enough - albeit without posing a threat of nosebleed.
   High marks, too, for the five-speed manual box. It’s free of the vagueness and slop that plagued such transmissions in all too many early-generation front-drivers. Shifts are not razor-precise, but unless you just get completely carried away by the mighty 2.0 Magnum, you shouldn’t find yourself landing in second instead of fourth.
   (Whichever Neon you like, in fact, you should try to get it with the manual. The only available automatic box is still an antediluvian three-speed.)
   Well-handled vehicle
   Handling is also pretty impressive: Even in the R/T, Dodge has put ride quality pretty high on its’ To Do list, but the ride-handling tradeoff is managed quite neatly. Basically, the car just goes where you point it - not with the berserk fixity of, say, a Lotus 7, but with utter predictability. Torque steer puts in an appearance only if you pour on the coals in the middle of a turn and even then it’s eminently manageable.
   There is of course plenty of competition out there, foreign and domestic. The newly grown-up, slicked-up Neon, however, wades into the fray pretty well-armed - and with the distinction of being rated a Compact by the feds rather than a subcompact. Its combination of room, comfort (nicely shaped, albeit non-aromatic, leather seats), utility (big trunk, fold-forward rear seats) and, in the R/T, brisk performance make it solid contender. So the old ``Hi!'' is gone; there’s something to be said for a confident ``Hello,'' accompanied by a firm handshake.
  

---

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

---

  © 2000 Corpus Christi Caller Times, a Scripps Howard newspaper. All rights reserved.