new srt-4

[ch77]

I like the fact that the wheels on the SRT-4 have a simple, 5-spoke design. Aside from that, it looks awful to my tastes..

My MS3 looks great to me, from every angle except the front. But, I wanted a fast Mazda, and I love hatches, so there you go. Eventually I'll have some front end work done, when I have the whole car repainted in a sort of gunmetal gray..

 

[Kosh]

I really just started the tread to see how the srt will stack up to the speed so the comparison is there (performance) i don't really care about how ugly it is . its still a beast no matter what it looks like.

If you get beat it doesn't matter how pretty/ugly the car is. A win is a win.

 

[Stu C]

There's a lot of things that are subjective but I don't know where you get the idea that an 8000 RPM is important to anyone. The ONLY reason that an 8000 RPM is nice is that it allows the car to have dual personality, daily commuter below VTEC cutover, and high end engine after. That's it. Same powerband (roughly - I think the MS3's is a bit broader) so you're talking about shift points that are different.

So by all means, argue the SI can do both chores, but to say that an 8000 RPM redline vs a 6700 RPM redlide is a selling point is just stupid. All things being equal, it makes no difference - it's all about the powerband.

 

[misbehave]

If you get beat it doesn't matter how pretty/ugly the car is. A win is a win.

It does, when it sit inside my garage and I will have to look at it everyday.
And you don't need to race everyday I guess, and if you do, I think neither the SRT-4 nor the MS3 would be your choice. Go get a EVO/M3 CSL/CLK-AMG-DTM/Lotus Elise/Saturn Sky Redline.

 

[Babyface13]

personally I like it, does that mean I will trade my MS3 for it? Hell No but I think it is a nice car and that it will grow on people in the long run. Its still new and after a while I think there will be alot of them sold and we will be competing with them wether we want to or not. I bet alot of us will be suprised with some of the things that people can do with those cars.

 

[Betelgeuse]

1) It has everything to do with the SI / cobalt / GTI / Redline, etc etc. I'm simply pointing out how this thread is nothing but a bash against anything that isn't a mazdapseed3. As I said before, how can you declare the speed a winner when it has a lot of things people HATE? As I pointed out, in my brother's eyes ( a potential buyer) the MS3 was a loser, so he didn't buy it. You get my point?


2) As for the looks of the MS3, again i say "Lets not kid ourseves". Some people think the mazdaspeed3 is down-right ugly, just like you think the new SRT-4 is. So.. I don't undersatnd that point.

And yes, the SI is weak, but in certain aspects, it's stronger than the MS3. For example, your MS3 would fall on its face at 8000 RPMs where mine will keep going. I'm not saying the SI is better, nor am I saying it's worse. It all depends on the buyer, which is something you guys can't seem to figure out. Tons of people hate turbo lag, the hatch body style, and the low redline. So how is the MS3 a winner to them? Explain.. please.

Wow, you really have no idea what you're talking about. I'm not gonna waste the time. You'll fit like a glove in ClubSI and ClubRSX.

 

[Young Roids]

Ok let's not mention looks interior and exterior. Let's talk about advantages mechanicaly. Here is how I see it.

Caliber pros:
Front mount IC

Mazdaspeed3 pros:
direct injection
limited slip diferrential
mechanical shifter not a cable shifter.

On top of that I would tend to believe that the Mazda will be more reliable than the Dodge allthough that is a bit subjective.

 

[Falconx84]

I'm shocked an appalled!! (wow)

someone thinks we're biased towards the MS3 on a mazda board

what is the world coming to??

 

[CHICO2003]

haha touche!

 

[I vtec do you?]

There's a lot of things that are subjective but I don't know where you get the idea that an 8000 RPM is important to anyone. The ONLY reason that an 8000 RPM is nice is that it allows the car to have dual personality, daily commuter below VTEC cutover, and high end engine after. That's it. Same powerband (roughly - I think the MS3's is a bit broader) so you're talking about shift points that are different.

So by all means, argue the SI can do both chores, but to say that an 8000 RPM redline vs a 6700 RPM redlide is a selling point is just stupid. All things being equal, it makes no difference - it's all about the powerband.

Hmm man.. I dont' think you know much about Honda then (uhm) That IS one of the selling points - a high revving n/a motor. Do you honestly think honda would sell a lot of SI's if it redlined at 6500 or so? Of course not.. 95% of the fun is winding the engine up. I would hate the SI if it only went to 6500 RPMS.

I'm with you in that the MS3s powerband is better, dont' get me wrong. I would much rather have power down low instead of waiting for the engine to wind up. My point is, though, that others like it the opposite way of that.. power up high. That's all I'm getting at.

I'm shocked an appalled!! (wow)

someone thinks we're biased towards the MS3 on a mazda board

what is the world coming to??

That's not what I was saying. I was saying how lame it is that some of you act like there is no other car that can compete with the MS3, when that's simply not true. It seems like a lot of you can only look at raw horsepower and torque numbers and absolutely nothing else.. which is, again, a narrow-minded view. How can you argue that?...

I just think you guys need to appreciate some of the aspects of the new SRT-4.. sure it's an ugly mutt of a car (imo), but it has some serious numbers and its after market will put most to shame (as you've all said).

 

[S.A.MSP]

the car is extremely gay, gay, gay.......................................... still gay

 

[Falconx84]

That's not what I was saying. I was saying how lame it is that some of you act like there is no other car that can compete with the MS3, when that's simply not true. It seems like a lot of you can only look at raw horsepower and torque numbers and absolutely nothing else.. which is, again, a narrow-minded view. How can you argue that?...

since we're all about opinions here .... and generally speaking, I'll play devil's advocate

imo, there is no car to compete with the MS3, or I would have purchased something different

power (specifically a fat powerband in the middle where you need it), quality, fit/finish, style, handling, utility -- the MS3 does all of these wonderfully whereas other lesser cars (read- si) must compromise

which brings me to an older quote-- "honda left 2 letters out when spelling Si.... the H and the T" (flame2)

 

[S.A.MSP]

which brings me to an older quote-- "honda left 2 letters out when spelling Si.... the H and the T" (flame2)

HAHAHAHA(lol)(lol2)

 

[Stu C]

Hmm man.. I dont' think you know much about Honda then (uhm) That IS one of the selling points - a high revving n/a motor. Do you honestly think honda would sell a lot of SI's if it redlined at 6500 or so? Of course not.. 95% of the fun is winding the engine up. I would hate the SI if it only went to 6500 RPMS.

Yeah... an owner of a '97 lude for 7 years knows NOTHING about the SI engine. And no - it's not a selling point. Honda would sell lots of SIs if they redlined at 6500 and sacrificed nothing. In fact, I would bet that they'd sell even more since the only way they wouldn't sacrifice anything by lowering the redline would be... wait for it... a fatter power band. The novelty of screaming an engine to 8000 wears off when you realize you HAVE to, rather than you can choose to. You've already come to terms with that. The selling point is EXACTLY what I said (which you somehow completely ignored considering it was the whole point of the post) is you have best (sort of) of both worlds.

 

[tvissues]

Man I've got no beef with you but that comment seems a little ignorant. If someone wants to buy American because they believe in this country and want to support an industry that once helped build this nation, then more power to them. It's their money and they can spend it as they wish!

I for one am really hoping the Pontiac G8 (yes I know its a rebadged holden but Austrailia is a great place and they are an ally so there!) is a huge hit so I can someday own a high quality 400hp rip snortin RWD american sedan!

I love imports, but I think its kinda harsh to use the term "Patriotic s*** head" to describe someone who wants to buy products made in the country where they were born.

some people will only buy imported brands, what does that make them?

People will buy what they want. Period.


I do agree that the HHR is ugly no no amount of SS badging will ever make me want to buy that thing.

I don't mean to start anything here but i just had to let you know that if you ever check out a dodge product you will see majority of its components is manufactured outside of US borders. It may depend on each vehicle but atleast its trucks are made in Canada and Mexico... If somebody is patriotic and wants to support this nation, buy a toyota or honda that actually makes majority or atleast matches "american" vehicles components made in the U.S. (depending on model)

 

[tvissues]

Ok let's not mention looks interior and exterior. Let's talk about advantages mechanicaly. Here is how I see it.

Caliber pros:
Front mount IC

Mazdaspeed3 pros:
direct injection
limited slip diferrential
mechanical shifter not a cable shifter.

On top of that I would tend to believe that the Mazda will be more reliable than the Dodge allthough that is a bit subjective.

I think you can deduct one from the speed pros.... we have a cable shifter... suprized no one corrected you on that. lol

 

[staples187]

Thats patently false. Overrated in what sense?

No one says that it has a nice interior but where it counts (performance) its absolutely not overrated.

You know all those comparison tests the MS3 is winning now, the SRT4 was winning them 4 years ago.

Give credit where credit is due. The MS3 is the undisputed king now but the NEON SRT4 pwned all comers in its class when it came out. Thats a fact.

No ones saying its not a Neon. It is a neon but its a darn quick one.

I agree, I never said I didn't like the SRT4 I'm just saying they're overrated in my area like the WRX/STIs are. Originally that's what I was going to get, but I wanted something different that's unexpected towards a Subaru, Mitsubishi, or Dodge owner. The SRT4s are quick cars but if you lived in my area I'm sure you would agree that purchasing a car that majority tuners already own isn't a head turner. I'm going to give the new SRT4 a test drive and see what I feel about it.

 

[staples187]

I don't mean to start anything here but i just had to let you know that if you ever check out a dodge product you will see majority of its components is manufactured outside of US borders. It may depend on each vehicle but atleast its trucks are made in Canada and Mexico... If somebody is patriotic and wants to support this nation, buy a toyota or honda that actually makes majority or atleast matches "american" vehicles components made in the U.S. (depending on model)

It's the other way around.. Toyota still gets most of their parts from Japan but they're manufactured in Kentucky to save on costs of importing.

 

[CX-7owner]

I wouldn't want to be caught dead in a Dodge, but the name fits, low Caliber of quality, refinement, fit and finish, Dodgey styling, NO LSD??! wtf! And I think they Know its going to be unreliable, they will not offer that awesome sounding lifetime powertrain warranty on it.

 

[andrew.savage]

Excellent post.

I only disagree with one thing:

Was I the only one who actually liked the SRT-4 wheels and the front fascia?

Nope, i def like the wheels.