Street Toughs: Dodge Neon SRT-4 vs. Ford SVT Focus vs. MazdaSpeed Protegé

[This story originally appeared in the June 2003 issue of MotorTrend] The streets of America, as it turns out, are an equal-opportunity playground. Show up with the right look and hardware that says you mean business and very cool things are possible.

Nearly a half-century ago, it’s doubtful General Motors could’ ve anticipated the long-running popularity of its ’55-’57 Chevy or Ford Motor Company its ’65-’70 Mustang. But the public embraced these mass-produced fountains of youth, and an aftermarket-parts industry grew up around them. The same thing happened with Honda Civics and Accords in the ’80s and ’90s: Simple, fun-to-drive, volume-manufactured econo-boxes that with a few bolt-on enhancements started the sport-compact-car movement.

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Now other car companies are keeping an eye on the youth market and attempting to tap into that magic, as well. We’re talking about factory tuner cars, offering an inte-grated package of engine, chassis, and body bits with a warranty—all at a friendly, welcome-to-the-brand price. They’ re built in relatively small numbers, a couple thousand here and there. Ford’s Special Vehicle Team builds the SVT Mustang, SVT Lightning, and SVT Focus. Chrysler’s Performance Vehicle Operations brings us the Dodge Viper SRT-10 (Street/ Road/Track/10 cylinders), the Neon-based SRT-4, and soon the Dodge Ram SRT-10 pickup. MazdaSpeed is the new clearing house for such fast and furious Mazdas as the MazdaSpeed Protegé and upcoming MazdaSpeed6—and even a turbocharged Miata.

Don’t for one minute confuse these new offerings with the paint, tape-stripe, and body-cladding specials some automakers have foisted upon an unsuspecting public, often with few or no enhancements to engine or suspension. These sport compacts are the real deal.

Ford SVT Focus Five-Door

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The three-door version of the SVT Focus debuted last year. In a test in our April 2002 issue, it bested a field of four hot sport compacts, including the Honda Civic Si, Nissan Sentra SE-R, and Volkswagen GTI 1.8T, based on superiority in ride, handling, braking, feature content, execution, and value. Now Ford’s Special Vehicle Team has tured its attention to a performance version of the five-door Focus ZX5—one with the same basic formula as the three-door SVT, but with a tad more functionality, courtesy of a pair of doors for rear-seat passengers.

SVT addresses the stock Focus’ major shortcoming—a lack of power—and raises the car’s entertainment value considerably. At 170 horses, the SVT version of the 2.0-liter Zetec twin-cammer, co-developed with renowned race-engine builder Cosworth Technology, increases power some 35 percent over the version in the base Focus ZX3 and ZXS. SVT wrings more horsepower from the base Zetec by moving more air in and out of the engine and spinning it up higher. Lightweight, high-compression pistons add more atmospheric squeeze, while larger intake ports/intake valves and stiffer valve springs let the engine breathe deeper, Intake air velocity is maintained using a dual-stage intake manifold to direct air through long runners below 6000 rpm and short runners at higher revs. Four into two into one headers and a larger 2.25-inch exhaust system help the air find its way out. As with the standard Zetec engine, variable intake-valve timing aids traceability.

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The SVT version is a harder-working Zetec that’s as happy as a hummingbird between 5000 and 7000 rpm. Unfortunately, the SVT Zetec makes only seven percent more peak torque than the base engine—at a lofty 5500 rpm. So, while it’s fun to buzz the SVT to high revs, you really must keep it there to extract sport-compact performance.

SVT also answers another base Focus shortcoming by equipping its version with low-friction, more precise-shifting transmission linkage. The gearbox itself is a six-speed unit—the only one in this test. The extra cog in this Getrag-built box is helpful in keeping the engine in the sweet part of the rev range.

Ford’s factory entry into the sport-compact arena looks decidedly more low-key than the aftermarket-customized Hondas you see on the street. There’s uncommon subtlety woven into the honeycomb grilles in the front and rear fascias, discreet roof spoiler, smoked-glass headlamp covers, standard foglamps, five-spoke 17-inch aluminum wheels, and three-inch chrome exhaust outlet.

Inside, the muted subtlety continues in the form of rubber-studded, aluminum-look foot pedals arrayed to ease heel-and-toe downshifting, leather and aluminum-trimmed shifter and handbrake lever, leather and cloth front seats with added foam/wire lateral support, plus titanium-faced electroluminescent gauges. The SVT Focus is built to a higher standard overall than the other two cars in this test. It’s evident in the quality of the materials and switchgear, particularly compared to the SRT-4.

The SVT Focus is feature-rich: It’s the only car in this group with standard cruise control, power driver-seat height adjuster, front-seat lumbar adjustment, oil-temperature/oil-pressure gauges, tilt/telescope steering column, steering-wheel audio controls, rear-seat ventilation ducts, leather-wrapped handbrake lever, or side airbags. And it’s the only one of the three to offer optional HID headlamps, traction control, heated seats, or a power sunroof.

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Civilizing touches notwithstanding, the real acid test of a sport compact is the way it moves when the pressure’s on. SVT has enhanced the Focus’ already capable chassis, opting for slightly stiffer springs and beefier front anti-roll bar, retuned Tokico shocks with reduced impact harshness, and a power-steering gear recurved for a crisper feel. Brakes got a major upgrade to larger four-wheel discs, and meaty 215/45 Continental ContiSport tires were fitted.

During our track testing, Senior Road Test Editor Chris Walton found the SVT Focus’ steering “weighted perfectly, with just the right amount of feedback and control. The balance was spot-on and overall sophistication in the setup was apparent from the get-go.” The only handling concerns were with the car’s greater-than-anticipated body roll and slight tendency toward understeer, but neither seemed to have much effect on the tires’ tenacious grip. Also, a pesky throttle positioner, which kept revs from dropping when the throttle was lifted, frustrated attempts to fully utilize the six-speed transmission for engine braking on downshifts.

Had the SVT Focus been endowed with the same easy torque and turbocharged power of the SRT-4 and MazdaSpeed Protegé, the Ford’s friendly ride and top-notch dynamics may have kept it toward the front of the pack.

Don’t Miss

Slick-shifting Getrag

Bottom Line

Best Focus we can get, but can it stand up to new competition?

MazdaSpeed Protegé

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Using the same formula that other Asian automakers have found successful, MazdaSpeed takes the sensible, thrifty, well-built four-door Protegé subcompact and develops it as a low-cost platform for off-the-shelf aftermarket engine, suspension, body, and sound-system mods. Aside from the much pricier rotary-powered RX-7 and RX-8 coupes and traditionalist Miata roadster, Mazda has had little or no street image in recent years. Last year, Mazda first showed the direction it was moving toward with the MP3, a sport compact that pushed all the buttons except the one on the nitrous bottle.

The new '03 MazdaSpeed Protegé packs the power and torque to back up its sport-compact looks. Courtesy of a Garrett T25 turbocharger and a phone-book-size air-to-air intercooler developed by Callaway Cars, Inc., power jumps 35 percent over the base Protegé and torque gets a 19-percent boost. Racing Beat is the source of the car’s stainless-steel exhaust system with polished oval tip. A heavy-duty clutch disc, Tochigi Fuji Sangyo KK Super limited-slip differential, and extra-large 24mm driveshafts help get the power to the ground. Its 170 horses make it the strongest Mazda four-cylinder car in recent memory.

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Underneath, Racing Beat adds such chassis refinements as low-friction front MacPherson struts with revalved Tokico twin-tube low-pressure gas shocks and stiffer coil springs, a strut-tower brace, plus larger anti-roll bar bushings. In the rear, Racing Beat retunes the struts and substitutes a larger-diameter anti-roll bar. Large-diameter European-specification four-wheel disc brakes and sticky Bridgestone Potenza RE040 215/45ZR17s round out the picture. It appears Mazda shopped wisely.

The '03 model is decked out in Racing Hart five-spoke aluminum wheels, deep front air dam, large oval foglamps, pedestal-type mine-is-bigger-than-yours rear wing, and ground-effect side sills and rear apron. On the soon-to-be-released 034 model, large air intakes replace the fascia-mounted foglamps, the rear apron gets fluting along its lower edge, and the new, non-pedestal type wing grows taller and loops wider.

A shortened shift lever with an aluminum shift knob, aftermarket-style aluminum foot pedals, seven-speaker, 450-watt Kenwood KDC-MP919 MP3 audio system with large, trunk-mounted subwoofer, silver-faced analog gauges, and carbon-fiber-look trim on the center stack grace the cabin. This is a pleasant, airy interior with plenty of spread out room and good visibility to all corners.

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The Kenwood radio is prewired to handle Sirius satellite radio, which touts 100 channels of static-free, and mostly commercial-free, listening coast to coast. Its head unit features a faceplate that’s hidden until the ignition is switched on, whereupon it flips 180 degrees to reveal an electric blue Mega-Motion LCD that can provide moving images. In addition to its great sound, this audio unit is an absolute blast to watch! A handy remote-control unit helps drivers who are challenged in using the head unit’s incredibly small and nearly indecipherable control buttons.

With its first offering, MazdaSpeed has achieved near greatness with the Protegé. According to Walton, its “chassis is an inspired piece of work with balance, stiffness, compliance, and precise steering.” Lapping the Streets of Willow Springs, the Protegé exhibited great poise—neutral and confident in all respects. “The Protegé felt as tossable as the Focus, but with an even sharper edge to it,” says Walton. “I could drive it way deeper into the turns and take it much faster through the corners than the Dodge or Focus.” In fact, the Mazda’s chassis was so good that it had us musing about how killer the Protegé would be with just a bit more power.

Don’t Miss

Kenwood audio system does tricks

Bottom Line

Sport-compact champ that puts MazdaSpeed on the map

Dodge SRT-4

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Whatever you do, don’t call the SRT-4 a Neon, unless, of course, you’re filling out one of those friendly auto-insurance questionnaires. Neons are rental cars, slow and thrifty sedans parents buy for their college-bound offspring. The SRT-4 is the second fastest (148 mph) and quickest (5.4 seconds 0-60) Dodge this side of a Viper. It even resembles a Viper from the front—or at least Dodge would like you to think so.

For the SRT-4, Dodge lifted the 2.4-liter DOHC four from the PT Turbo, itself a long-stroke version of the 2.0-liter base Neon engine, and applied considerable squeeze (12psi boost) from a Mitsubishi TDO4LR-16GK turbocharger. Charge heat is dissipated by a huge, boom-box-size seven-row high-flow Valeo air-to-air intercooler. A larger-diameter throttle body and high-flow inlet manifold help feed more air to the engine. Performance is best described as explosive. SRT-4 piles on 63 percent more power (215!) and a rompin’, stompin’ 89 percent more torque (245!) than the base Neon for just 51 percent more dollars. All the while, it delivers fuel mileage in the 20-mpg range, even with plenty of turbo-boosted fun driving thrown in.

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Cog-selection is via a high-torque New Venture T-850 five-speed manual gearbox shared with the V-6 Stratus and Sebring. The shortened Neon shifter isn’t exactly the most substantial instrument ever crafted, betraying its econocar roots. But it is direct, if not particularly satisfying to wield. Also, the SRT-4 shifter is balky when cold. Unlike the rubbery mounts in the PT Cruiser, the SRT-4’s engine and transmission mounts are firm, so the drivetrain doesn’t rock back and forth under hard acceleration. A heavy-duty clutch and special equal-length driveshafts handle the prodigious torque without protest, although a limited-slip differential along the lines of the unit in the MazdaSpeed Protegé would tame wheelspin. Surprisingly, even with all that thrust pulsing through the front wheels, torque steer isn’t much of a problem.

The SRT-4’s front seats feature seriously stiff side bolsters for thighs and shoulders. For those front-seat occupants with more than a 38-inch waistline, the squeeze can be uncomfortable for anything greater than short hops. Getting in and out requires sliding over the big, unyielding wings, but once ensconced, you enjoy race-car-like support from the seats. Opt for the extra-cost side impact airbags, and non-racing-style front buckets from the Neon R/T are substituted.

Other special touches include a carbonfiber-look leather-trimmed steering wheel and shift boot, satin metallic-look center stack, and an Autometer turbo-boost gauge. Still, the ambiance of most interior bits and pieces shout rental car. Rear visibility is impaired by the high rear deck and towering spoiler, unless, as the Italians reason, you figure what’s behind you isn’t important.

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This is a fairly stiff ride, one better suited for prowling than for driving coast to coast. With experience gained in SCCA racing, PVO engineers bolstered the stock Neon chassis with stiffer springs and retuned Tokico shocks. To accommodate larger, 17-inch wheels and the 205/50 Michelin Pilot Sport tires, the front springs were shortened. Reshaping the suspension knuckles allowed space for large-diameter disc brakes all around and, at the rear, gave the trailing arms more clearance for added negative camber. Although the handling limits are high, Walton discovered that the best way to get the SRT-4 around the track was “in slow, measured, fluid inputs.” With the high rear roll center of the Dodge “it felt much like a wagon with a tall, heavy caboose that was threatening to come around,” he says. “Only the engine saved it from coming in third place on the Willow Springs track.”

Squeeze the throttle and all that curmudgeonly quibbling is replaced by a rather broad, fox-in-the-henhouse grin. The streets and most of the other cars on them are at your disposal. To whom shall you dispense turbocharged street justice this time? Other drivers see a Neon and will be totally snookered. Blaaaaaat-ratarata-ratarata there’s also this infectious noisemaker insyne with your right foot courtesy of a muffler dual-outlet exhaust terminating in a pair of chrome-tipped 3.5-inch bazookas. Lock. Load. Squirt.

Don’t Miss

Autometer boost gauge, exhaust note

Bottom Line

Four-door Viper gets 20+ mpg

Conclusion

It’s truly remarkable how much performance and sophistication $20,000 buys these days. Each of these hot sport-compacts offers its buyers mean-streets looks, superlative road-holding, and plenty of power to keep life from getting dull. What we have here is a choice of gnarly, gnarlier, or gnarliest.

The new-for-’03 SVT Focus five-door is just as wonderful as was last year’s three-door version. But the competition’s turned up the wick, especially in the power department. While we still love the SVT’s spirited locomotion, hatchback functionality, world-class handling, and overall integration, newer, turbocharged entries from Mazda and Dodge offer better all-around performance for the same or slightly less money.

Mazda’s first toe dipped into the sport-compact ocean is going to make a big splash and is a great taste of things to come from the talented folks at MazdaSpeed. This Protegé hits a sweet spot in the market, deliver ing fantastic handling, spirited performance, fine balance, great audio, and that signature sport-compact look without compromising the everyday useability of the car. With a few more ponies under its turbocharged hood, the MazdaSpeed Protegé would be the hands-down winner of this contest.

One trip around the block will tell you the SRT-4 is immensely more entertaining to drive than the MazdaSpeed Protegé or SVT Focus. As good as the Mazda and Ford are, this unexpected entry from a car-maker with zero sport-compact presence just delivers maximum grins and giggles for minimum coin. With acceleration, braking, and handling numbers akin to a Nissan 350Z and a price close to a four-cylinder Camry, the SRT-4 brings excitement to the just-under-$20,000 hot sedan segment.

It boils down to this: The world-class at-the-limit handling of the MazdaSpeed Protegé isn’t something you're likely to use often in everyday traffic, while the unexpectedly delicious power of the Dodge SRT-4 is a force you'll have a hard time resisting time and again. Game, point, match; Dodge—at least for now.