Forester XT 5 speed. 0 to 60 in 5.3 seconds, drive it in the winter, carry your kayak with it and laugh at guys driving "pretty cars".

 

the RSX is the best car for under $25,000 MSRP. Nothing can touch it in that price range. The RSX-S 0-60 in 6.7sec, 6speed, leather recaro seats, leather momo steering wheel, 200hp, 142lb-ft, luxury interior, sleek exterior. the only car that comes close to it performance wise is the SRT-4 (yes its faster in a straight line , get in on a track or autoX and its done, and it has ugly styling, and like 1 star crash rating...they look like tuna cans after every accident), Impreza 2.5RS (poor styling, small inside for a sedan, and slower than a base RSX 5MT), and the Celica GT-S (which has decent styling, kinda girly [not that rsx isnt], but cant compete in performance).

the WRX has an MSRP of $26,000 so you cant include it in this. Once you add an option your well above $25K.

and if your going to go over $25K than the 350Z comes into play, as does the Evo RS.

 

Used E36 M3- or Mini Cooper S

 

im very interested in all of your responses...keep em comin!

 

for the record a stock SRT would lay waste to a stock RSX on any track........the handling on the SRT is not that great but the power makes up for it......check out any mag shootouts and you'll see it bests much better handling cars (I know cuz I also have the best handling car under $25k....the MSP)

 

The Miata

 

I post this in about every forum i go to that mentions the SRT-4, but here we go one more time...
"Go around a corner, however, and this beast's chassis shows its vulnerable underbelly. With way more engine then suspension, it takes some work to go around a corner smoothly. Come in too fast and excessive body roll makes it hard to turn in. Get on the gas too soon and, despite its Quaife LSD, the front end wants to push off the outside turn. Modulate the throttle too abruptly during cornering, and the chassis pitches and bucks in response to the turbo kicking in/out. Around town, this behavior requires a little extra thought in the twisties. At the track, it means slower corner speeds than almost everyone else." (Road & Track: Speed Magazine)

a Celica GT-S (0-60 = 7.4), Nissan SE-R Spec V S-Tune (7.3), and Ford Focus SVT (7.4) all had a faster slalom speed and lap time then the Dodge SRT-4 (5.7).

the SRT-4 is a cool car, lot of power, fast in a straight line, but its not really meant for the track, its meant for the drag strip.

and yes the best handling car under $25K is the Miata.

 

Used EVO!!!!! If not that then a WRX, a used 350Z, and then SRT-4.

 

from Car and Driver magazine:

"Inhaling a track or mountain pass, that’s where the SRT-4 wants to be. It resolutely glues all four to the corners, displaying none of the wild tail wagging we noted in the R/T. Choose a line, turn in, squeeze on the power until the Michelins start squawking, and just hold it there.

A lightly weighted wheel demands more path corrections than in the Focus or Mazda, but it does the job. The front end thrusts where you aim it, and the back end follows, doing what it can to help. The brakes can induce bug-eyes, but they never melted, even on long, curving descents. At the track, the SRT-4’s brand of balance and strength brings home prize money."



from Edmunds:

"On the tight Streets of Willow road course, the SRT was flat, fast and a cinch to place in the turns. Previous Neons had a tendency to bring the tail around when you got off the throttle, but the SRT stays put the whole way through. Its steering still can't match the Protegé for precision, and the Focus may have a slight edge in the brake feel department, but when it came to lap times, the SRT came out on top. Its time around the circuit could have been even quicker had it been equipped with a limited-slip differential ('04 models get one as standard equipment), as most of the turbo's power was wasted spinning the inside tire out of the turns."

also from another editor at Edmunds:

"And the Dodge is good for more than just straightline shenanigans. Its lap times were also better than the next fastest car (SVT Focus) by more than a second. The shifter, while not as refined as the Ford's or Mazda's, is still fully functional and far better than the Nissan's. The ABS system provided exceptional stopping force with no discernable noise or vibration. Handling, always a strong point with the base Neon, was similarly up to spec with exceptional steering feedback and body roll control."


and also for the record here's the Road and Track article you referenced:

http://www.roadandtrack.com/article....ber=1&preview=

and like I said, the SRT whipped everything around the track except for the SE-R and the Celica....both of which were special tuned versions

(the SE-R was a special "S tune" version with Nismo cat-back low-restriction exhaust
system, Nismo S-Tune suspension (springs,
shocks, front anti-roll bar, bushings, front
strut tower brace), Nismo 17-in. aluminum
wheels w/45-series performance tires and) and the Celica was a "TRD" tuned version with TRD sport muffler, TRD suspension multistage,
speed-sensitive shocks, springs,
TRD 18-in. aluminum wheels w/40-series
performance tires) and a price tag of $27, 385 per the spec sheet. The SRT was bone stock and cheaper than both (even the $17k SE-R came in at nearly $22k after all the special NISMO stuff was added on.

On top of that they BARELY beat the SRT by tenths of seconds:

SRT-4: 1:23:65
SE-R: 1:23:58
Celica GT-S: 1:23:34
SVT Focus: 1:24:84
Civic SI: 1:25:57
Mazdaspeed Protege: 1:25:25
Mitsu Ralliart: 1:27:48


so I stand by my statement.....you won't find any mags that have the SRT losing out around the track to any of the cars in it's class. The handling isn't the greatest as we know but combined with the engine is enough to own the RSX or any of these other cars on a track or in a straight line.

 

but they did beat the SRT-4, which would mean they are superior in handling. it might not of been by much, but they also dont have anywhere near as powerful engines. give them all the same engine specs and they would still beat the Neon. also, none of them have LSD which should of given the Neon an advantage but wasnt enough to beat them.

like i said its a great car for the $, but its not built for turning. its american, its not a Z06, its a baby muscle car. they go straight, we imports turn.

 

wrong......those were modded cars (with about $4500 worth of factory suspension mods on each) against a stock SRT-4. Basically this comparo showed that the GT-S and the SE-R needed $4500 worth of suspension mods to be able to go as fast on the track as an SRT-4 (we're talking hundredths of seconds here). Let the SRT-4 get a mere $1200 of mods for the Mopar coilovers and it would be a walk. In stock form those cars are not as fast around the track which is why the factories modded them heavily for this competition.

As for "Neons" not handling....the "Neon" has won many SCCA national championships and the SRT-4 has bested even the AWD cars (EVO's and STI's) in SCCA Pro Rally competition in it's first year of running.

 

A conveniently located AutoX or something of the like and a couple of willing competitors with close to stock or lightly modded SRT-4s and RSX-S's would be so nice right now!
It is rare you come across a good argument like this that doesn't have a completely subjective... well subject.

Is it possible? Anyone? It's probably too good to be true.

Anyways, we can always compare times but then driver competency is a factor.

Personally, I see the SRT-4 winning an auto-x course or just about any course for that matter. But I like both cars. RSX is an all around sweet ride for the price. SRT-4 is the closest thing to a production FWD monster we'll probably ever see and also good value.

I understand it's so easy to be partial to the imports after the years of suck for product we've seen from alot of the domestic line up. But you can't really take anything away from the SRT-4, it really is among the top of it's class. And can stick it out with any of the pocket rockets, flat out destroy alot of them. With that in mind, it isn't so hard for me to forget about the neon part.

 

Mini Cooper S.
Great handling car with BMW's solid feel. Power is decent in stock form, but can be upgraded later. ($1K will get you an aftermarket pulley/software kit which upped the power to 200bhp)

 

I still just dont know. the SRT-4 is like a bullet train w/o the "ridding on rails" feel of its competitors. w/ some suspension tweaks the car could devistate most cars on the road (to a point of course). but in stock form its just not designed to turn. and i still believe that stock for stock the RSX could out handle an SRT-4...and then the SRT-4 would pass it on the straight away.

i wish i liked the SRT-4, if they had made it a Mitsubishi, and not a Dodge w/ neon styling id probably buy one since its so powerful and reasonably priced. but those accident photos tell me to steer clear of it.

 

I completely agree with this.......the SRT-4 doesn't handle very good in stock form so around a track would likely lose ground in the corners and make it up in the straightaways which is why it turns such good lap times. I really value handling over power so if I had to make a choice between my cars I'd choose the Mazdaspeed over the SRT-4. No doubt the RSX-S is a better handling car in stock form.....but the SRT-4 is adequate enough in that department that when combined with the extra power it owns around the track.