2003 Chrysler PT Cruiser GT Turbo - Move Over PT, Hello GT!
Unlike a few of my fellow automotive scribes I was never particularly put off with the PT Cruiser's get up and go. While I like horsepower as much as the next guy, its 150 ponies seemed sufficient considering its family-type duties. But that was then...
And this is now! Ever get something that you never previously knew you wanted? You know what I mean. That's what the addition of a turbo has done to the PT's personality. Move over PT, hello GT! Consider it's relatively sprite 1,421 kg (3,121 lb) curb weight and it's easy to do the power to weight ratio math. The new 215-hp 2.4-L 4-cylinder engine is a dynamo ready to peal the front tires from their 17-inch alloy wheels at the touch of the accelerator pedal. It's a scream!
While a Getrag heavy-duty 5-speed manual comes standard my test vehicle arrived with the optional 4-speed automatic with standard AutoStick manual gear selection. At first I was a little dismayed, wanting to shift the gears myself to exact all of the boosted engines potential. Those thoughts quickly faded as I realized the automatic now had a V8's worth of torque - 245 lb-ft to be exact. More than a few stoplight racers looked surprised as I left them in my fumes - family car my @$$! Of course I immediately reverted to my wife and two kids responsible self once respectably past the speed limit.
Unlike a few of my fellow automotive scribes I was never particularly put off with the PT Cruiser's get up and go. While I like horsepower as much as the next guy, its 150 ponies seemed sufficient considering its family-type duties. But that was then...And this is now! Ever get something that you never previously knew you wanted? You know what I mean. That's what the addition of a turbo has done to the PT's personality. Move over PT, hello GT! Consider it's relatively sprite 1,421 kg (3,121 lb) curb weight and it's easy to do the power to weight ratio math. The new 215-hp 2.4-L 4-cylinder engine is a dynamo ready to peal the front tires from their 17-inch alloy wheels at the touch of the accelerator pedal. It's a scream!
While a Getrag heavy-duty 5-speed manual comes standard my test vehicle arrived with the optional 4-speed automatic with standard AutoStick manual gear selection. At first I was a little dismayed, wanting to shift the gears myself to exact all of the boosted engines potential. Those thoughts quickly faded as I realized the automatic now had a V8's worth of torque - 245 lb-ft to be exact. More than a few stoplight racers looked surprised as I left them in my fumes - family car my @$$! Of course I immediately reverted to my wife and two kids responsible self once respectably past the speed limit.