Now that I've vented, I will admit that once one finds the power band, and shifts accordingly, it really isn't all that bad. As you can tell, my tester was the 5 speed manual, and I can assure you that it's the only way to go. But before I go any farther, let's talk about how this car is received. Do not, I repeat do not even think about driving this car if you're even remotely shy or reserved. There is no way you can go anywhere without being stopped to talk about the car.
People climb all over it and want to know everything about the car.
I can't tell you how many times we were delayed by people wanting to talk about the car. I'll talk about that issue later in the evaluation. The look on people's faces when I talked about the basic platform being that of a Neon was a lot of fun to watch. However, that's exactly what it is, with the exception being the engine, which was borrowed from the Dodge Stratus. But this car is about nothing but styling.