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Dodge Stratus sedan behaves like an aggressive sports coupe
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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Say you've pushed beyond the ripe age of 30, found a mate and settled into a comfortable life where your annual household income hits $50,000. When it comes to cars, you probably lean to Asian imports because they've always felt so tight and driven like demons.
To you, and thousands of active Boomers like you who favor Japanese brands, Americans who work for the Dodge Division of Chrysler Corp. present a single-word response that's intended to match those imports in fit, finish and feel, then undercut their yen-inflated prices, thanks to a sharp new sedan whose point-of-origin label has been tied securely to the red-white-and-blue.
That response is Stratus.
In case it sounds unfamiliar, understand Stratus rolls into Dodge showrooms as a new mid-size model which feels even larger on the inside.
It has serious mechanical systems of an aggressive sports coupe, like an independent double wishbone suspension and rack and pinion steering. These enable the car to deflect inevitable body roll in a severe turn set or zip quickly to the top of a freeway's fast ramp.
Stratus also comes with highly attractive sticker figures, which begin as low as $14,500.
At such a price, the imports cannot beat Stratus.
Compare it to other domestic creations, and Stratus continues to look quite favorable, while also forming the missing mid-size link in the Dodge line -- it sandwiches between the two other recent sedan inventions, compact Neon and the Intrepid with its full-size passenger compartment.
And if you haven't notice, Dodge and its Chrysler parent appear to be on a remarkable roll through the Nineties, thanks to a round of new products centered around a cab-forward passenger compartment and new exterior styles and interior features for comfort and convenience.
Stratus comes from a configuration that created Chrysler's Cirrus, the car that swept all automotive awards following its release in 1994. The two share critical structural elements and several powerplant options, although Stratus goes even further by providing a thrifty base engine and some sporty options for handling and performance.
My introduction to Stratus occurred in California, where at San Francisco's airport I picked up a pre-production Stratus ES rigged with a frisky 4-in-line engine and 5-speed manual shifter.
That first test vehicle sported a mean trunk spoiler and sensuous styling cues, and it quickly impressed me with the quality as well as quantity of personal comfort systems packed inside.
Visibility through the extended windshield appeared superb, thanks in part to that cab-forward design which pitches the entire cabin forward, squeezing extra space from what normally would be consumed by the motor.
I powered up a freeway leading through San Francisco, tore across the Golden Gate Bridge, then tested the acute steering system on twisty downhill routes into Sausalito, tucked beneath a hill on the bay. Parking at a market, I discovered after my shopping spree that Stratus had attracted the eyes of shoppers passing by.
What is that good-looking thing? The spectators wanted to know.
This rarely happens: A car draws a crowd on the supermarket's parking lot. The response surprised me, but Stratus looks slick enough to merit the attention.
Those windswept shapes stem from a rounded form with crisply canted prow accented by slit-eye headlamps and a body-colored grille which evokes latent images of that vicious Dodge roadster, Viper.
A massive windshield, sharply raked rearward, leads over a low-slung lid before tapering to a stubby tail with integrated spoiler lip.
From side view, 4-door features seem to disappear, as they have been dampened in favor of sporty coupe styling.
That promise of sporty flavor for Stratus eventually revealed itself on the twisted path from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach, a route which led across Mt. Talmalpais, highest point in Marin County.
Stratus easily handled every challenge I projected along this corkscrew road. Slamming into hard turn sets, it felt flat and stable through each arc, maintained a tight line across all apexes, offered no protest from rubber.
The 5-speed gear box particularly pleased me: Short throw to the stick, easy manipulation from one notch to the next, fully integrated so I could flip down or up at will.
Power came from a dual-cam 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine with four valves per cylinder and sequential multiport electronic injection. It produces 132 horsepower, plus economy figures as high as 31 mpg. This engine and the manual stick, a sporty option for Stratus ES, also appear in the economical base Stratus that lists for $14,500.
When paired with Stratus ES, the price rises to $16,100 but includes trim features exclusive to ES, such as the anti-lock brakes and sport-tuned suspension components, variable-assist power steering, aluminum wheels and 15-inch Michelin touring tires, power windows and door locks, special interior lights and heated exterior mirrors.
In another test car driven across Napa Valley, Stratus demonstrated the smoothness of its adaptive electronic automatic shifter when teamed with an optional V6 engine.
That plant, displacing 2.5 liters and producing 164 hp, goes exclusively to Stratus ES, an ultimate model equipped with anti-lock brakes and trimmed with special interior features like power windows and driver's bucket seat manual height and lumbar adjustments.
Totaling $17,800, this top Stratus chips thousands off the price of Asian equivalents with V6 power.
Dodge has developed yet another power package for Stratus in a base trim edition tied to a 4-speed automatic transmission. That multivalve engine, measuring 2.4 liters and pumping 150 hp, comes with dual cams on top.
It should become the volume version and, depending on whether you add power-operated apparatus, will sell for figures that range from $15,700 to $16,350.
Features standard to even the lowest-priced Stratus include dual airbags, air conditioning, a sound system with AM-FM stereo and cassette deck, tilt steering column, folding rear seat, remote trunk release, electric rear window defroster, tinted glass and floor mats.
1995 DODGE STRATUS
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 1995 DODGE STRATUS SEDAN Specs |
| Description: |
Mid-size sedan |
| Model Options: |
Mid-size sedan |
| Wheelbase: |
108.0 inches |
| Overall Length: |
186.0 inches
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| Engine Size: |
SOHC 2.0-L I-4 16v
DOHC 2.4-L I-4 16v
SOHC 2.5-L V6 24v
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| Transmission: |
2.0-L: Manual/5
2.4-L: Auto/4
2.5-L: Auto/4 |
| Drive: |
Front |
| Braking: |
Power disc/drum/opt. ABS
ES: Power 4-disc/ABS |
| Airbags: |
2 |
| Gas Mileage: |
2.0-L: 23/31 mpg
2.4-L: 21/29 mpg
2.5-L: 20/29 mpg |
| Price: |
$ 14,500 to $ 17,800 |
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