2003 CHRYSLER PT TURBO; Back in the boost business.(product review)(Brief Article)

In our heyday,'' says Doug Livermore, director of DaimlerChrysler's I-4 engineering powertrain product team, ``we made a lot of turbos.''

Livermore is one of the guys at DCX who remembers that time from 1984 to 1993 when Chrysler Corp. sold hundreds of thousands of cars equipped with its turbocharged 2.2- and 2.5-liter four-cylinders, laying the foundation for a rabid enthusiast community. Despite the demise of the old Chrysler and the resultant exodus of personnel, Livermore claims ``Turbo Dodge'' fire still burns in Auburn Hills.

``There's a number of us,'' he says, describing DCX engineers who build and race these cheap, plentiful and potentially powerful motors. ``It got everybody excited to do another turbo.''

``Another turbo'' is a new version of the 16-valve dohc 2.4-liter four that's earned the PT Cruiser its underpowered reputation, remade into the sort of mill that keeps hot rodders up at night thinking of ways to eke out a few more pounds of boost. Not that the peak 14 psi it runs from the factory is negligible; on the contrary, 215 hp at 5000 rpm and 245 lb-ft of torque at 3600 rpm make the turbocharged 2.4 an impressive performer. Wrapped in PT Cruiser sheetmetal and mated to a Getrag five-speed, DCX claims the new powerplant can run 0 to 60 in 7.5 seconds and do the quarter-mile in 15.8. Best of all, you can buy the new motor beginning in the fall-you just have to take the 2003 PT Turbo sold with it.

Not that this Cruiser derivative is a bad thing. It makes good on the promise of the ``GT Cruiser'' show car with a stiffer suspension, more stopping power, bigger wheels and better seats. Spring rates are up 14 percent in the front and 8 percent in the back, while both front and rear rotors grow by a few millimeters to improve heat absorption. All-season Goodyear RSAs wrap 17-inch cast-aluminum wheels and PT Turbo-exclusive seats have longer cushions and more side bolster.

Even with its body-colored bumpers, the Turbo is still a PT Cruiser, not a sports sedan. For that we'll have to wait for the Dodge Neon SRT4-what should be a screaming package with a chassis to allow the turbo 2.4 to live up to its potential. Until then it's just clutch-popping front-wheel burnouts in the PT Turbo (reminding us of a favorite antic in the Volkswagen GTI 1.8T), a fun enough proposition given its equal-length halfshafts that minimize torque steer. Even equipped with a four-speed automatic with AutoStick, the Turbo can ...