Surprising just everyone who owned a sedan in the 1990s, Dodge decided to make the fastest American sedan in production. Dodge dropped its super-potent 224 horsepower turbocharged 4-cylinder engine into its boring looking little Spirit sedan. The result; the Spirit R/T sports sedan, a sedan that was anything but boring. This sedan could outperform nearly every sports car under $30,000 in the early 1990s, and outperformed the long lasting sports sedan champ; the Taurus SHO. The only problem with this sedan was that it was produced in limited numbers and didn’t offer that sports car feel that we commonly see in sedans like the BMW M3.
Driving Impressions:
Like the exterior, there is very little inside to distinguish the R/T from the basic Spirit commuter sedan. You only know the difference when you drive it! The 2.2 liter 4-cylinder is an absolute jem, though not a refined as what we have come to expect for the 2005 model year, back in the early 㣾s this engine was amazing. The R/T’s 2.2 liter offers smooth and vibration operation and couples to a smooth 5-speed manual transmission. This car produces extremely rapid acceleration for a sedan (for any car made in the early 1990s for that matter) 0-60 mph takes just a tad under 6 seconds (according to specs) meaning it's faster than the Taurus SHO which has a 220 horse V6, and just as fast as cars like the Mustang LX 5.0 5-speed for this year. In-fact, a 1991 5-speed Spirit R/T is faster 0-60 than a 1991 Mustang GT matched with an automatic transmission, equaling the acceleration times of the modern 2005 Dodge Neon SRT-4.
With 224 horsepower going through the front wheels, torque steer can take the inexperienced driver or even an enthusiast completely by surprise. This torque steer can be dramatic and annoying, but all in all this is a very fun car to drive. The Spirit would have been so much more fun to drive had Dodge given this car AWD, yet I’m not complaining.
What really makes the R/T a champ is its engine. It was based on a proven 2.2 liter 4-cylinder that had been around in various forms since 1982. The Dodge Spirit’s motor features cast iron block and an alloy head, which has twin belt driven, overhead camshafts and four valves for each cylinder. The icing on the cake is the Garrett T3 turbocharger, with an intercooler, help to produce as much power as legally possible. With the T3 turbo, it turns the only adequate accelerating Spirit into a monster, producing 224hp @ 6,000 rpm. This is only 1 horsepower shy of the famous 5.0 liter that is found in the GT and LX mustangs of the same time period.
If there are any major downfalls to the Spirit, it would be its handling manners. For the R/T, Dodge engineers stiffened up the standard Spirit springs, and added bigger anti-roll bars and 15" wheels and big tires, though this wasn’t good enough to make this car a handling champ. Significant body roll can be felt on tight turns, and the car feels anything but sport on twisty roads. All R/T's have standard four-wheel disc brakes; ABS was offered as an option.
Interior Accommodation:
The interior of the Spirit R/T, to be blunt, is very cheap. There is tons of fake wood, why Dodge decided to don this is beyond me. I thought my 1989 Mercury Sable was bad, but this car takes the cake in the cheesy interior department. The entire dashboard is almost of plastic looking simulated wood. The steering wheel doesn't quite fit right; a more aggressive and thicker steering wheel would have been welcomed. The regular Spirits’ came with bench seats, but the R/T came equipped with bucket seating with a center console. The bucket seats are supportive, but not very comfortable after an hour, and have a tacky red stripe design theme going; they also could use some more bolstering for aggressive driving. The stock sound system is not up to par, I'm guessing it was in the 60 watt range. On a positive note, there is enough room all around, and the rear seats fold foreword to extend the luggage area.
Exterior Innovation :
The exterior looks like a car we all have seen; when kids draw a picture of a car, it kind of looks like the Dodge Spirit; boxy and plain. This wholesome design makes this car an ultimate sleeper. This car looks slow even if it’s going 100 MPH. The last thing you expect to see is a car like this burning rubber at a stop light. The R/T does come with flush mounted headlights, and fog lights which add some style. They also come with original snowflake-like styled alloy wheels.
The R/T is very hard to come by, only around 1,300 units were put into production. For a regular 1991 Spirit you can expect to pay around $1,000 bucks, but an R/T will set you back much more, in-fact these are so collectible among DSM fans that I have never seen one for sale.
Other Cars To Consider:
- Ford Taurus SHO
- Chevrolet Lumina Z34
- BMW 3 series
- Nissan Maxima
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Ford Thunderbird SC http://www.epinions.com/content_48218279556 (My Review)
-Happy Car Shopping
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