The Dodge Neon was a car with two faces. One was that of an econobox, with a chintzy interior, poor overall build quality, and frightening safety ratings. However, the other was that of a performance bargain. While it wasn’t universally beloved in America, the Neon received some favorable reviews in other markets, such as Japan. In 1994, Japan’s Best Motoring took the then-new Neon, Honda Accord EX, and Nissan Sunny 1500 Super Saloon to Tsukuba to compare their performance—and the American tourist smoked the local competition.
We aren’t talking about a Neon ACR or even an SRT-4. This was a regular old Dodge Neon, with a two-liter, 132-horsepower four-cylinder engine and a three-speed automatic transmission. There was nothing special about the Neon Best Motoring tested and, yet, out on the track it left the Accord and Sunny far in its rearview mirror. At one point, it seemed like the Neon driver was toying with the others, as he was so far ahead that he started swerving back and forth in a taunting manner.
During a very unscientific practicality test, the Neon was just about as spacious inside as the Accord, too. So here was a sedan that offered interior comfort and trunk space on par with its contemporaries, but a more engaging driving experience. It held plenty of promise, as a June 1996 Bloomberg article on the car’s start of sales in Japan explains. Yet it struggled in the country, perhaps due to its classification as a larger vehicle than its rivals, prompting owners to pay higher road taxes. By December ’96, after five months on the market, Chrysler had shifted only 900 Neons in Japan per Chicago Tribune, and enthusiasm waned in kind.
Still, Chrysler delivered a rocket among sensible sedans. Despite poor international sales and a lack of longevity even here in the States, the Neon has been gaining recognition since its demise as cheap and simple transportation that’s fun to drive, as well as easy and inexpensive to fix. Would those same drivers be better off with a Honda Accord of similar vintage? Probably. But, hey—the Neon is faster.
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