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The new SRT4 is a complete unknown at this point, the uproar is about Chrysler giving it 300hp and since we already know Ford is giving us a 250hp ST we know the ST is going to be down on power.

The uproar is simply because we all want Ford to step up this time and actually compete in the small car market instead of their typical "that'll do" attitude.

You know very well that a lot of the buyers only ever look at horsepower numbers, that's one reason the SVT didn't do as well as it should have even though it could run circles around much more powerful cars on a road course or auto-x.

So yes, lets hope that the SRT boys work their magic and beat the ST and at the same time I'm going to be hoping that Ford responds and crushes the SRT with an all new RS. :thumbup:
That makes sense, I guess... but remember, this is 100% specualtion. This new Dart may not have anywhere near 300hp. The Caliber SRT-4's 2.4 turbo was good for 280 crank hp. What if they have a hard time pushing past that from a reliability/effeciency standpoint? There are too many uncertainties for the ST guys to be this worried at this point.

I also really don't think we will ever see an RS on our shores any time soon. From the looks of this, the SRT and the ST will be pretty closely matched.
 
That would really kick ass if this came to fruition. No fancy crap - nothing like revoknuckle to increase cost - just a bulletproof drivetrain and an LSD for another "Neon recipe" SRT4, just a much more comfortable place to spend time than the original SRT-4. Please Dodge, give us another hooliganmobile. :thumbup:
 
That would really kick ass if this came to fruition. No fancy crap - nothing like revoknuckle to increase cost - just a bulletproof drivetrain and an LSD for another "Neon recipe" SRT4, just a much more comfortable place to spend time than the original SRT-4. Please Dodge, give us another hooliganmobile. :thumbup:
It's already got WAY more potential than the Caliber did. The fact that they made the Caliber SRT-4 look as good as it does (I would rock a Caliber SRT-4 in a heartbeat) is a miracle in and of itself. Look how good the Dart looks from pretty much every angle. Look how good the interior looks. Now let the SRT engineers loose on THAT as a starting point :thumbup:

Hopefully they do all the right things with the chassis tuning... INCLUDING a real LSD and not an E-diff...
 
Gilles told me last week at the Washington DC autoshow reception that they had 2 that the SRT team was working on and they would have something out next spring that would make me very happy.
We were talking about racing/time trialing my car, ect.
 
The HP thing scares me though because they really aren't anywhere near the leader in any catagory in HP. The Challanger has always been a disappointment to me. The Viper was basically a race car they tried to sell on the same platform as the Corvette with not nearly as many niceties. The 300 is nice by the Caddys kill it in HP and the Charger is a 4 door pig dressed up to go to a dance no one really wants to go to.
The last nice car they built that was a HP leader was honestly the SRT Neon.
 
The HP thing scares me though because they really aren't anywhere near the leader in any catagory in HP. The Challanger has always been a disappointment to me. The Viper was basically a race car they tried to sell on the same platform as the Corvette with not nearly as many niceties. The 300 is nice by the Caddys kill it in HP and the Charger is a 4 door pig dressed up to go to a dance no one really wants to go to.
The last nice car they built that was a HP leader was honestly the SRT Neon.
That hp number is a big factor... but it's not the only factor. Look how well all those cars you mentioned are selling :thumbup:

If you look at all the other improvements that have been made to these cars, it's easy to see why. Then look at the Dart, and you see that it is the embodiment of the entire synergy of the two companies.

I honestly cannot wait to read the first reviews/comparisons. Whatever happens in these, it'll be better than last place, which is all the last entry from Dodge EVER received.
 
Comparing prices to a Subaru STi? Well if thats the case I hope its going to be AWD. 300hp to the front wheels just doesnt sound right.
STi's are over 30 large, no?

Also, doesn't the EU RS have 300 to the front wheels: :dunno:

EDIT: STi's are $36,790 starting.
 
Let's keep this momentum, yes?

Is Marchionne really that good? Or was Diamler really that bad?
Diamler was a mess with communication and technology. Diamler screwed up the minivans really bad by trying to put lightweight brakes on the fronts. Too light for the US driving and weight of vehicle. Kiling brakes every 12000 miles. The the NAG1 tranny in the 300 and Grand Cherokees is a seive. Leaks all the time. The Crossfire was a joke, some of the SUVs they worked on were garabage.
The Cirrus or whatever took over and killed us bad. They basically wanted to sell off the parts and make money that way.

Marchionne came in with one goal. Build Chrysler back up and get Fiat back in North America. So far so good. He has done wonders for us in fit and finish and build quality. Better product fast and lastly he understands how to sell cars or make them sell anyway.

Best story I heard from him was he came to review the 1st run of new Grand Cherokees. 5,000 of them or something adn a trim piece was misaligned. He said scrap the lot and fix that problem and start over. Someone said "let the dealers deal with it." That person was fired on the spot and 5,000 Grand Cherokees were scrapped due to fit and finish issues and the line was retooled in that area to fix the problem.
 
The craptacular Caliper SRT has 285 to the front wheels and with the Mopar off the shelf stage 3 kit you could see 330 - 340 out of them with nothing else done. 1 guy we deal with here says he is at 380 on his with the help of a tuner
local here in Baltimore.
 
Diamler was a mess with communication and technology. Diamler screwed up the minivans really bad by trying to put lightweight brakes on the fronts. Too light for the US driving and weight of vehicle. Kiling brakes every 12000 miles. The the NAG1 tranny in the 300 and Grand Cherokees is a seive. Leaks all the time. The Crossfire was a joke, some of the SUVs they worked on were garabage.
The Cirrus or whatever took over and killed us bad. They basically wanted to sell off the parts and make money that way.

Marchionne came in with one goal. Build Chrysler back up and get Fiat back in North America. So far so good. He has done wonders for us in fit and finish and build quality. Better product fast and lastly he understands how to sell cars or make them sell anyway.

Best story I heard from him was he came to review the 1st run of new Grand Cherokees. 5,000 of them or something adn a trim piece was misaligned. He said scrap the lot and fix that problem and start over. Someone said "let the dealers deal with it." That person was fired on the spot and 5,000 Grand Cherokees were scrapped due to fit and finish issues and the line was retooled in that area to fix the problem.
You know, I think I have heard that story. I believe every word. That's just the kind of guy Marchionne is. No nonsense. Gets ish done the right way. He knows people wont buy cars unless unless they are what they want. A nicely put-together automobile that looks good.

SRT-4 Calibers were 285 to the ground stock?? I thought they were more like 250-260 out of the box... still not bad. As I've mentioned... I'd rock one :lol:
 
Hmm. Looks good. I'm obviously biased so I would still rather have the Focus ST. I feel like if you're going to go out and purchase a 300hp car, it should be rwd or awd. I like the SVTF because it's powered well for it's chassis. It's a good balance. I hated the MS3 and original SRT4.
 
I like the SVTF because it's powered well for it's chassis. It's a good balance. I hated the MS3 and original SRT4.
Hmm, wondering how those two statements make any sense whatsoever. :lol: If anything, the SVT was underpowered and the MS3 & SRT-4 were ideal.
 
Hmm, wondering how those two statements make any sense whatsoever. :lol: If anything, the SVT was underpowered and the MS3 & SRT-4 were ideal.
I mostly agree, though the SRT-4 was a *huge* turning point from "adequate" to "excess" being the norm in small compacts.

I love surplus horsepower, but the downside to the big power compacts is that manufacturers can't compete with the finesse approach of high revs and peaky power output. There is a beauty to those engines that is lost in the horsepower war.

Which do I prefer? I'd take one of each. :D
 
I mostly agree, though the SRT-4 was a *huge* turning point from "adequate" to "excess" being the norm in small compacts.

I love surplus horsepower, but the downside to the big power compacts is that manufacturers can't compete with the finesse approach of high revs and peaky power output. There is a beauty to those engines that is lost in the horsepower war.

Which do I prefer? I'd take one of each. :D
I know exactly what you're saying. However, over here it seems we have to build that beautiful combo you speak of or hunt down something that's far from today's standard of "modern". With the porky dimensions of current "compacts", I welcome the surplus horsepower in the SRT & MS3 since any potentially beautiful engine sound gets drowned out by 120lbs of sound deadening material. It just seems to me that magical connection between car & driver is harder to come by these days or those cars that do such a good job of it are far out my reach.

I think what make the SRT & MS3 shine (IMO) is that awesome hooligan factor that comes with a great price tag.
 
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