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Another Comparison...Another Loss

7K views 63 replies 19 participants last post by  John.G 
#1 ·
#4 ·
mcdonae101 said:
good find, have been waiting for more test to come out, caliber had highest speed and slowest time,lol, but im sure we could have guessed that beforehand
i remember watching a video that my friend made. he was in a neon srt4 and another kid was in a 240sx, and they were racing around a little track with a bunch of twists and turns. the 240 would stay on his ass all through the turns, but once the srt 4 hit the straight road he was gone. when i read this article it just reminded me of that. lol
 
#5 ·
yep, thats exactly like it will be, which is all i care about because i wont go to a track, bit if i can kill on a regular road, i will be happy, also, i thought the price difference between the ms3 was only like 50 bucks or something, that article showed the base price to be another 1500, if thats correct, then i would really rather have the caliber
 
#11 ·
mcdonae101 said:
umm, i dont think i need to start this discussion again, but with any race on a road, the caliber will hold its own to 60 and kill after that
so long as it is in a straightline and you don't have to stop or start from a dig :D I think that is enough terms and conditions to remove the undesirable characteristics and concentrate on its raw power which nobody is arguing it does have
 
#12 · (Edited)
"ruin it" nah just pointing out the facts.. Srt let me down so yea Im a little bitter. I was waiting for the caliber to replace my srt-4 but its turned out to be a bust.. Now I'm pissed so I wanna see it go down in flames.. Since someone didnt like my dyson comparison thread and got it deleted I'll post it up here. Since the Caliber can't beat anything else lets compare it to the dyson, which one sucks more?
 
#15 ·
Its funny because i looked at their numbers and top speed is all i really saw. The majority of owners will never see .8+gs in a turn as road conditions seldom allow it safely.... as well as the law. A little throttle squirt in a straight away is a hell of alot safer and low profile than pushing a car to its handling limits. This just proves that the caliber out muscles its competition and that is really all i have been interested in. Once they hit the streets you will see them modded and improved on by the aftermarket anyway.
 
#16 ·
Fingernipp said:
Its funny because i looked at their numbers and top speed is all i really saw. The majority of owners will never see .8+gs in a turn as road conditions seldom allow it safely.... as well as the law. A little throttle squirt in a straight away is a hell of alot safer and low profile than pushing a car to its handling limits. This just proves that the caliber out muscles its competition and that is really all i have been interested in. Once they hit the streets you will see them modded and improved on by the aftermarket anyway.
You can feel the 0.86MPH difference but not the 2.3 second difference lol?
 
#17 ·
Unoriginalusername said:
You can feel the 0.86MPH difference but not the 2.3 second difference lol?
nah not really... that 2.3 second late finish woulda been ground lost creeping through turns... far from impressive in my book. Just imagine how bad it must have looked before the straights. Then seeing the caliber make up lost ground and catch the pack.
 
#18 ·
times are very close, caliber really didnt lose that bad, is it surprize that gti would beat it in road course? not really, when in turns how much is thet turbo producing, depending on the curves there might not be alot of boost so the base horsepower of the engine would come into play. i'm pleased with the results, the mazda and gti are more expensive, as well as the subaru i believe, corrrect me if i'm wrong. does it surprize u guys that the cheaper car lost? mazda3 has had a year out so in a year lets see what the calisrt4 can do again the present mazda3.
 
#19 · (Edited)
Has the Caliber SRT-4 won a SINGLE competition to its competitors? NO. Did the original SRT-4? You bet! All the time!!! I think it actually won a total of 13 comparisons if I remember correctly. Losing to the GTI is pathetic, really. Just pathetic. I don't think its cool to be driving a car that has a "minivan driving position." If I see a Caliber SRT-4, I'm just going to laugh at them. It also reminds me that Dodge really screwed up not including an LSD EVEN THOUGH they knew they should do it from what happened with the original SRT-4 in the first year of production. Even without the LSD, the original SRT-4 won sport compact car of the year. You honestly think that will happen with this one? No freaking way. This article reminds me of two things:

1. LSD's do make a big difference in handling capability on FWD cars.
2. My car's resale value is going to go up when newcomers realize its the better performer. :) Sorry Caliber fans, but I'm with joeykunz on this one. This new SRT-4 blows and I want it to go down in flames too! So disappointing!
3. The MS3 reminds me of the original SRT-4; it wins almost every comparison it's in. That car gets respect from me.
 
#21 ·
Fingernipp said:
nah not really... that 2.3 second late finish woulda been ground lost creeping through turns... far from impressive in my book. Just imagine how bad it must have looked before the straights. Then seeing the caliber make up lost ground and catch the pack.
Except you're forgetting one critical thing, it never caught up to the pack. It finished last, meaning the pack was in front of it.

I'll say one thing, if SRT is reading these reviews, and are still happy with the car they built, then there's no point in ever buying another SRT vehicle in the future. They're just another tuner house if that's the case, just barely good enough to ALMOST, but not quite, "keep up with the pack".

Wake me when they release a vehicle that leads the pack on a drag strip, or a race course, or a street. So far it can't beat the MS3 on the drag strip, or a 200HP GTI on a race course... we'll see when they hit the streets.

At least I don't have to worry about any Caliber SRT4 ever beating my SRT-4 around any track, on any street, or any race course. =]
 
#22 ·
joeykunz said:
"ruin it" nah just pointing out the facts.. Srt let me down so yea Im a little bitter. I was waiting for the caliber to replace my srt-4 but its turned out to be a bust.. Now I'm pissed so I wanna see it go down in flames.. Since someone didnt like my dyson comparison thread and got it deleted I'll post it up here. Since the Caliber can't beat anything else lets compare it to the dyson, which one sucks more?
I wonder if you are actually old enough to drive? Your posts ring of a man-cub trying too hard, using foul language to compensate, but fooling no one. None of your posts contain any content indicative of experience. Very telling.
If I'm incorrect, what excuses do you have for your nasty presence here? Surely you are motivated by more than disappointment in the CSRT4. You can't be as miserable a person as you sound if you get to enjoy your Neon SRT4. Surely your life offers more than the miserable online image you project. Do you always act out like this when you get disappointed or don't get your way?

Others here criticize but go about it in a mature, rational, and respectful manner. Your contributions are none of those.
 
#23 ·
srt4evah said:
Except you're forgetting one critical thing, it never caught up to the pack. It finished last, meaning the pack was in front of it.

I'll say one thing, if SRT is reading these reviews, and are still happy with the car they built, then there's no point in ever buying another SRT vehicle in the future. They're just another tuner house if that's the case, just barely good enough to ALMOST, but not quite, "keep up with the pack".

Wake me when they release a vehicle that leads the pack on a drag strip, or a race course, or a street. So far it can't beat the MS3 on the drag strip, or a 200HP GTI on a race course... we'll see when they hit the streets.

At least I don't have to worry about any Caliber SRT4 ever beating my SRT-4 around any track, on any street, or any race course. =]
Comparing power to weight is more appropriate than comparing absolute hp. The GTI is smaller and lighter and therefore has a transition physics advantage. The times were close and the track, depending on turns and straightaway lengths might not play to the Calibers advantages.

I know many will say differently, but I personally do prefer the more upright seating position rather than the legs out, sit on the floor position of a low CG car. That "SUV" upright seating position may not be familiar for others coming from the lounging position they are accustomed to.

So far, in absolute racing terms, it is looking like the CSRT4 is an excellent performer but not living up to the domination history of its predecessor. I appreciate the disappointment here but boy is the playing field different now. The choice of the relatively tall and heavy Caliber chassis is where the small differences are coming from. These results do indicate a fast, robust car. Those of you looking for outright performance domination look like you will have to wait for the mod results or another chassis for SRT to work on.

I find the results so far really compelling. The car looks like a blast to drive, plenty fast, and up to the task of staying reliable. Don't give up on it yet though. We may get some mods or revisions that will eliminate the current small differences. Unfortunately, with the current testers and nothing yet on the street, we have to live with the preliminary results we are getting.
 
#24 ·
Fingernipp said:
nah not really... that 2.3 second late finish woulda been ground lost creeping through turns... far from impressive in my book. Just imagine how bad it must have looked before the straights. Then seeing the caliber make up lost ground and catch the pack.
I don't think you can visually see 0.8mph difference; especially what little it gained at the end of the straight it lost in braking and the turns. one small step forward on the straight followed by two or three steps back every else. far from impressive
 
#25 ·
TechMan said:
Comparing power to weight is more appropriate than comparing absolute hp. The GTI is smaller and lighter and therefore has a transition physics advantage. The times were close and the track, depending on turns and straightaway lengths might not play to the Calibers advantages.

I know many will say differently, but I personally do prefer the more upright seating position rather than the legs out, sit on the floor position of a low CG car. That "SUV" upright seating position may not be familiar for others coming from the lounging position they are accustomed to.

So far, in absolute racing terms, it is looking like the CSRT4 is an excellent performer but not living up to the domination history of its predecessor. I appreciate the disappointment here but boy is the playing field different now. The choice of the relatively tall and heavy Caliber chassis is where the small differences are coming from. These results do indicate a fast, robust car. Those of you looking for outright performance domination look like you will have to wait for the mod results or another chassis for SRT to work on.

I find the results so far really compelling. The car looks like a blast to drive, plenty fast, and up to the task of staying reliable. Don't give up on it yet though. We may get some mods or revisions that will eliminate the current small differences. Unfortunately, with the current testers and nothing yet on the street, we have to live with the preliminary results we are getting.
The Golf GTI DSG is 3151lbs... it is nearly the same weight so i don't that sub 100lbs difference is responsible for the results
 
#26 · (Edited)
Techman please.. Ive said all along that the Caliber would be a bust and not be able to compete with the first srt-4. Well look who was right. So while you can say that I'm an idiot moron etc etc. The fact still remains.. More test's come in, same result. Caliber finishes last. Even against a 200hp GTI with a curb weight almost the same.

Yea you bet im happy with my Neon Srt-4. But I'm not going let dodge or the rose colored glasses wearing people like yourself slide. There are still a lot of caliber srt nazi's that still wont accept the truth and admit the obvious. How funny it is that just months ago "someone" was saying stuff like this..
With what we do know and having actual hands on MS3 evaluations available, it is not an unreasonable assumption that the SRT4 will be all over the Mazda. WRONG
Looks self-explanatory to me:) "It's gonna be clobberin time" soon!!!WRONG
On the open road, a future Caliber SRT4 can look forward to meeting any of the cars you mention, and take that single space ahead with dominating open road performance. WRONG The Caliber is a more powerful, faster car in factory trim not to mention the thousands less in purchase cost. We have enough info already, even before general release, to make it a no brainer. SRT stands for affordable speed. The new SRT4 just confirms that. Why not sit back and enjoy it.:) PS. I wonder what the stage kits might bring? Three years from now you may be peeing your pants and still have spent less than the other choices in stock config. Without a doubt, this is the performance hatch which just might pull me in.

The Neon SRT4 is quick for sure. Just way too coarse now. I'd rather drive something quicker, smoother, quieter, more comfortable, better looking, better on gas, WRONG......well you get the picture....I'd prefer something better.
Quote:
Originally Posted by joeykunz
Clearly Dale was driving a pre-production version as I suspected and had said all along.. This thing cant keep up with a neon srt much less a M3. lol DING DING DING WE HAVE A WINNER

Uh huh.:cool: Thanks for your astute and knowledgable insight. The legit content of that post is just overwhelming. I'm in awe.:)

If you must make a reference then please understand that Dale Seely was doing the chasing in a supercharged M3. His own tweaked car. The car he was chasing, to even his surprise, was the Caliber. He could not catch it. He could only make some ground under braking but was outrun otherwise. The Caliber in question was an unmodified production vehicle just as you can purchase shortly. Yikes dude. You didn't get anything right in that post.
 
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