Dodge Neon

The Neon (also called the Dodge SX 2.0 in Canada) was a compact car built from 1995 through 2005 by DaimlerChrysler's Dodge and Plymouth brands. For a brief time in Canada and export markets outside the United States, it carried Chrysler badges. It was produced as a front wheel drive car to replace the Dodge Shadow and Plymouth Sundance, as well as the Dodge/Plymouth Colt series. The Dodge Neon came in many different versions throught its production, but the most lusted-after model is the Dodge SRT-4, because of its low price and better than average performance.

1995–1999

The first generation Neon was introduced in January 1994 and manufactured for model years 1995 to 1999. It was available as a 4-door sedan or 2-door coupe. It was powered by either a 132hp SAE (98kW) 2.0L SOHC or a 150hp SAE (112kW) 2.0L DOHC 4-cylinder engine. The Neon was available with a 3-speed automatic transmission or a 5-speed manual transmission and was sold as a Dodge and Plymouth in the United States, as a Dodge and Chrysler (also under the name 2.0SX) in Canada, and as the Chrysler Neon outside of North America.

Often neglected in discussions of the Neon is the relative horsepower compared to other cars of the day - the Civic DX at 102, the Civic EX at 125, the Sentra and Sunbird at 110, the Escort at 88, the Corolla at 115, etc. The Neon's torque was also higher than competitors. In addition, the Neon made a sizable profit - the only recent American car in its class to do so.

First-generation Neons are highly competitive in Solo I and Solo II autocross racing. The no-frills SOHC or DOHC-equipped ACR (ACR = American Club Racer, sedans and coupes, respectively) variants are well-known as affordable amateur racing cars. Both the ACR and the more feature-laden R/T (introduced in the 1998 model year) models, each available as either a sedan or a coupe, featured four-wheel disc brakes; performance-oriented suspensions with shorter, stiffer springs, beefier swaybars, and fast-ratio steering; and a 5-speed transmission with a numerically higher 5th gear and final drive ratio for quicker acceleration. The computer-controlled top speed limiter was removed entirely on 1995 ACR models and raised from the standard 190 km/h (118 mph) to 210 km/h (130 mph) on both the ACR and R/T models for subsequent years. Even second generation Neons had a strong racing record.