7/28/2019 This week in 2003: Dodge SRT-4, Chrysler Crossfire and Toyota Sienna XLE driver’s logs

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1 NEWS 1 u o r e u 2 o l 1 I DRIVERS LOG I CH R ~ L E R ROSSFIRE 1OYOTA SIENNA XI& DODGESRT-4,

b iW t t n h l o i ~ 4Md r nfr&rdthslilmddd& 2004 TOTOTASIENNA XIE

~ 7 h o o a n p n g R l db*- arrr iwm~er: une 3-17 ~ ; R ~ O P R U ~

hU.dW( l p l %h a C $38,940aunu 3.3-liter "6. awd, fivs-

Wl*y7-- w e d autmaticnp:230 8 6600 rpm r o ~ u r

242 8 3600 rpm c u ~ l r n i a ~ ~ .365 pounds

HART: I'llsayi gan about th e mintvan You

leatherabound in the cabin and the is about

Warr(CJ.'R*aartJIP&bh as qutet a m i n m as you'll get. Rde is p M ygood, seats are comforlable and you've got all

the @ies CD changer, W D system, aItang

assist, seatwannere

lkrbuikydoy. What more could a soccer m m sk for?

I Wha( moremid beasked of an executive

aLn shuttle, 1007

WILSON: Wwrd as the NU^M s, h s

w e is som a 1 s to be stenle. or w m . 'vereally turned away from pl&~c-coated wood in

shapes that wood does rolachieve mthout

hlgh.pressure mdding, so he 'Lexus-like"ieS~m%mde&~&laid~ nature of the interiorlust looks s~lly nd preten-

B wi%ij m u s o me. Th~s a minivan A really, reallym-"mTzodm i v a n hat h u l d be keep~ng hryalww h s n w l g o r o nmmtmqhdrphahh engineers up nlghtg trylng to defend thew turf

(as d the Odyssey didn't have them dolng that~ h - already), but it doesn't try to liven up the s e g

nehbaihOm ment the way the Nlssan does.

k n b n h o w m ~

'Neon" nowheteand feels like something fromanother continent ahogether. Brakes, shifting,

power and suspensionam as g o d as t getsin this class, and affordable at that. If this is

Auburn Hills' attempt at matching the Japanesein tunerland,the la& hasbeanwell underlaken.

MORRISON: I, too, was pretty impressed with

the SRT-4. Maybe surprised is a better deecriptor; Iwasn't sure they m i l d really turn the Neoninto something Iwanted to drive, m,matter the

power. But il seems Dodge pulled it off. I'm

not sure about the styling, but it I& a million

times better than any other Neon.John's rightabout everythingelse: The engine and suspension feel great, and while the sh'fter is ikda& =

bii notchy, it's not bad.

2004 CHRYSLER CROSSFIREOAlE INN C T : May 12-14~ ~ S R Dala!:

$34.495 pomarww:3.24iter V6; fwd.

six-speed manualUP: 215 @ 6700 rpmroaarr

229 @ 3WO rpm c u a m m i m 3084 pounds

GRITZINGER: Besides being the best

Chrysler-badged vehick I've driven, this is agood car no rnaner what crest adorns it. The

chassis feels solid and refined-it's a pr*

shehered and soft ride,even with the MichelinPilot Sport tires. k goes, turns and slops withaplomb, with its agile steeringbeingthe h i h -

light. The engine is well matched for the car's

sue, and the exhaust tones are ngM.Some.

bmes the gearing aeems a touch of f (secondp e r needs to be longer),but the only real corn-

pbn t Ihave is wfih the polished shlfter, wh~ch8hard to grasp firmly The car eels gwd, like one

could dnvei undreds of miles without (Inng.

STOLL: Is n the beat Chrysler I'VEnven? I4

n d g ~ l h s c o m k l C h r v $ you don't count the Dodge Mper, yes. But how

6 UIWWEEK JUNE 30.2003

1003DODGE SRT-4WRIN RE^ March 24-31 ASR~EDPIOC:

$19,995 wmmn; 2.4,lier turbocharged 14,fwd. fivespeed manualnp:216 @ 5400 rpm- 46 8 3200-4200 rpm cumWm :

2970 pounds

STOU: For under $2OK Idon't know if wecould ask Dodge to do much more than they'vedone here with this WO-tuned Neon. Seemsodd to laud a Neon, though this SRT-4 says

much of the car is Chrysler and how much isM-s? It might be the besl Me& under

$50,000 I've ever driven, to bemore accurate.Acceleration is imprewive, and l's eairernelylight on its feet with a great set of treads.However, visibility from this car is not great

thanks to massive B-pillars. The toque is packed in at the 300Qto5000-rpm sweetapot.

but is late to come on and falls right off. As forthe interior, it is good, and givea Chryder theluxofeel hat will help to taka it 'upmarquet: