Cars - Dodge Neon

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	Cars - 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 132 hp SAE (98 kW) 2.0 L SOHC or a 150 hp SAE (112 kW) 2.0 L 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.

Early Neons had from a number of reliability problems, the most famous being head gasket failures. By November 1998, the head gasket had been replaced with a new MLS (Multi Layer Steel) design which proved to be much more reliable and was standard in most 1999 models and was also retrofitted to earlier models. There were also rumors that 1 of the 8 head bolt holes had been drilled slightly too shallow on many of the blocks, so when the bolt was tightened it simply "bottomed out" instead of holding the head to the block with the correct amount of force. Many early Neons suffered from poor paint jobs, where the paint became brittle and peeled off in sheets, partly because of teething problems with a new environmentally-friendly "dry painting" process. Either way, by the end of the first generation, most of the major problems had been sorted out and the Neon proved to be a reliable car. Unfortunately, the Neon's early reputation for poor reliability persists even today, possibly because Chrysler failed to adequately publicize its improvements or proactively reach out to customers who had experienced failures.

Neons also suffered from some interesting design choices, including the impossibility of gaining power windows in the rear doors, and a climate control system which had drivers move the fan knob in one direction for air conditioning and the other for vent. The latter caused less conscious drivers to drive consistently with the air conditioner on, which greatly hurt power and gas mileage, since the unit was quite powerful. Also, the car automatically turned on the air conditioning whenever the defroster was used, regardless of which side the fan control was set own. Owners often would disable the contact on the selector knob allowing them to use the defroster without air conditioning. The air conditioning evaporator proved to be prone to failure after warranties expired (a problem apparently addressed in later years) which is an expensive repair since it is relatively inaccessible.

Certain color Neons, such as red and black, had bumper covers molded in color rather than painted. These covers would not shine like paint, but they absorbed scuffs and scrapes with less notice. The mid-level Highline models were well known for their unique "bubble" hubcap design.

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Cars - Dodge Neon

1995–1999

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