The Dodge Squad

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Matej

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Let's review and evaluate everything our lovely Dodge has to offer in GT2. Enjoy!

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And my first pick is Stratos. Hold on... Stratos? How is that possible?

No, it's Stratus. One letter makes a really big difference here as the car in question has absolutely nothing to do with the legendary arrow-shaped killer from Italy. As a matter of fact, it barely has anything to do with itself, and I'm going to explain why right away.

The top Stratus model is supposed to be powered by Mitsubishi's 2.5 litre V6 engine (code: 6G73), capable of feeding over 160 American horses. Quite impressive achievement for a family car, not so when you consider all the European sedans in the game and their stables on offer, and far less so when you finally buy it only to see the stable capacity magically shrinking down, so that only 102 horses remain. What is this, what happened to my animals?!

So it's a lemon, much like the GT2's Renault Clio. Unlike the Clio though, this lemon has a chance to evolve into a better fruit, given its engine can actually take advantage of some proper upgrades. Nothing like the Clio, that offers jack in terms of extra power (disgraceful +14 HP to be exact).

For starters, I wanted to bring back the car's original power value. So I opened my wallet and reached for the Turbo Kit Stage 1. The result of my tremendous generosity was - get this - exactly the same power the car was supposed to have in the first place. Great, huh? The only problem is that the car then becomes turbocharged, and we know it ain't supposed to be, right? This kinda messes with the car's originality, but that's okay, I won't nitpick. Some cars (like the Clio I mentioned) received far worse treatment in the game.

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Anyway, the Stratus is an average FWD saloon. It's not remarkable, but it's not bad either. Occasionally it will struggle with entry-oriented understeer, though it will also try to entertain by turning inwards when the throttle is opened, common habit on front-wheel drive cars in GT2. The stock gearbox is quite good, it will be able to transfer stock as well as any increases in power without problems. However, an average car is still an average. Here that means the car's family-oriented guise can only be put to use for racing if you buy some weight reductions or the most expensive suspension upgrade.

In terms of visuals, it looks like a mature Neon. Hm, I would rather the Neon.

Neon it is. The Neon is appealing for three reasons. First, it looks very good. I have seen many American cars, but very few smaller ones really stands out as the Neon does with its round headlights and nicely designed body.

Second, it has stripes. I mean, how can you say No to a car with stripes? Sure, if you aspire to a Neon with more colours, you should opt for the mechanically identical ACR version since the R/T model offers nothing but two colours. The ACR is also available as a 4-door model, rather than a 2-door that the R/T is. Okay... but is this GTA? When was the last time you had to pick someone up in GT2?

What, you like saloons and more colours? These are your arguments for picking the ACR instead of the R/T? Okay... but then I have to ask you this: HOW CAN YOU SAY NO TO A CAR WITH STRIPES?!

Third, the Neon is very cheap. For a new car at least. It could almost serve as a starter car, if only it was worth few grand less.

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Rumble stripes, body stripes, road stripes... Get it? Stripes all over the place. So buy the R/T, you know you have and want to do it.

Fourth...hold on, didn't we say three reasons only? Exactly, but because of the stripes I dare to break this rule. It would be a big shame not to break it since that fourth card is worth attention.

You see, the Neon has very good cornering abilities. Look around the internet, you will learn the Neon was a very competitive and successful runner on real-life events. In GT2 it does well, but to reach its potential you'll need to get rid of that fierce understeer it is prone on corner entries. Do it so that you can start enjoying the gripping power it offers from mid to exit-corner sections.

I wish the 3rd gear was a bit closer, because for given power and response I was receiving from the engine, it should have been. That's all.

Next is the Intrepid. I have to admit this vessel looks much better in person, in the game it is quite repelling. But let me tell you something, it would be a mistake not to consider the car just because of its looks.

Owing to its big-ass 3.2 litre V6 engine, the Intrepid upholds quite substantial number of horses, at least enough to beat the crap out of every other front-wheel drive jockey on this test! Amazingly, using the power of blowing devices, its stable can increase in size monumentally, so much that you'll drop dead when you hear how much room it can ultimately offer for your horses! No less than 505 horses, thank you so much for asking and paying attention! Now that's a power you don't want to see on a FWD car, but in GT2 grip level on FWD cars is a bit higher than normal anyway, so I suppose the Intrepid can't be a lost case in the long run.

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No, it's not drifting. It's rolling.

What I didn't like was its 4-speed box of gears. Even though the car has some gentle torque and power curves, four gears just aren't enough. Not for a racing scenario at least, they land too far from the most productive RPM zone. After installing Close gearbox I received a punch of pleasant surprise - I got a fifth gear and slightly closer ratio, both of which resulted in perfect gearing!

I was happy to find out the Intrepid has proved itself on the track. It's possible to clear corners by inducing oversteer on corner entries. Naturally, due to its big weight, body roll has to be taken into consideration, but at least on small circuits like Seattle Short (where all FWD cars were tested) this doesn't present a big problem. If anything, I'm happy it doesn't understeer on entries as much as the previous two cars did.

Much like the Neon, the Intrepid can laugh in face of European and even Japanese estates that produce similar or less power simply because it's really cheap; spending just a bit over 24 grand will leave you plenty of credits to deal with some nice tuning. Remember the stable.

Before we move on to spicier cars, we need to deal with the last commuter - what, Avenger? Yeah... Great name, but frankly, I doubt this one is capable of avenging anyone given its modest power.

Hey, I'm just joking. The Avenger was actually a very pleasant surprise after all the American cars I had tested until then. While it can't rely on power like its relatives, it can concentrate on delivering good results to people in handling department. Really, the Avenger drives nicely. It doesn't have excessive understeer like the Neon and occasionally Stratus, nor it tends to roll around corners like the Intrepid. Everything it does around corners happens in a very pleasant, balanced rhythm with no traits or any issues that stand out. I like that, it feels good to drive a car set that way. From certain angles the Avenger isn't as generic as many people would think by looking at it.

The only problem with the Avenger is the lack of torque. The Chrysler's 2.0 litre engine doesn't have enough grease needed to push the car onwards. I think it even lacks few ponies, since the regular engine is said to produce 150 HP, while the in-game's example gives off only 140. The engine is also oriented to high revs and high revs only, meaning that every visit to lower RPM field - no matter how brief it may be - will cause some loss in power. So keep it above 5500 RPM to avoid that, understand? That's an order, commander. You have to avenge me.

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Left: Avenger, surprisingly good car. Right: Viper spinning out, because it has nothing better to do.

Of course, when you need a true performance car, where else are you going to look? At the Snakes, of course! The RT/10 and GTS are the flagship models of the Dodge house. These cars have a price to match, though in comparison with some European sports cars the game is packed with, they seem more like discounted second-hand products.

Are there any dissimilarities between the two cars? The game suggests there is a minor deviation in terms of weight, but I doubt anyone is going to care about stupid 30 kilos. In terms of power - zero - no changes here, both cars have the 8.0 litre V10 engine mustering 450 volunteers (which means the RT/10 in the game is the revised version from 1997). Even the suspension and gearbox ratings are exactly the same. So where is the difference (apart from the body type)?

In handling, my dear baby, in handling. As usual, if there is a difference somewhere, it's usually deep beneath. The GTS is generally more stable. Unsettling the car by zigzagging around is much harder to achieve. Even on corner entries if you try to stomp on the brake pedal while steering, the rear grip won't snap as violently as on the RT/10. At first I thought the GTS had more understeer, but no, it's just more stable.

Bu frankly, I would rather the RT/10. Not only it is more challenging to drive, but it also sounds better. The sound example on the GTS is okay, but it lacks growling element of the RT/10.

Naturally, both cars can be modified with Le Mans paint schemes and turned into true racers. If you're too lazy to do that, acquire one of the three special models (Oreca, STP JGTC or GTS-R).

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Man... just look at this thing.

But don't think that's all there is to Dodge. We're not stopping there as Dodge offers a car for kicks. Ho, yes! It's called the Phaeton, and as you would expect from the name, it's a big touring car with a scent of vintage. Why is it so special? Mostly because it looks dreadful, though for a retro concept car, that is not necessarily a bad thing. On the contrary, actually.

You're going to learn what a body roll is with this one. On every corner weight causes big problems. Body roll is here regardless of what you do and how fast you do it. Braking can destabilize the car quickly, after which moment the body roll kicks in and ruins the cornering as much as possible. Weight reductions and a suspension kit are mandatory items, you hear?

It has the power and guts, but until you stiffen the body, you won't be able to use all that for serious racing. Nevertheless, it's an interesting collector's item everyone should try out.

By the way, the exhaust sounds couldn't be more generic. The racing muffler stands out producing a tune you would expect from a car that actually has a boxer engine, like an Impreza. C'mon, is that really what you want to hear from a big, bad-ass V12?

I know I should say something about the two Concept Cars, but let's check the two muscle cars first. GT2 was the first game in the series to offer vintage four-wheelers, which is quite an achievement we gotta celebrate by leading with muscle cars first. Any objections? No? I thought so.

The first in the line of my fire was the Charger, a rustic muscle car with a cool name. When it doesn't suffer from corner-entry understeer, the Charger likes to test your patience with its wide turning radius, making sharp corners much sharper then they seem to be. Power-oversteer is almost impossible to encourage because the car doesn't have an LSD, so you never really experience simultaneous wheel-spin of the left and right rear tires.

The engine does posses power, but very steep delivery means you'll have to drive with manual transmission in order to bring the best from the engine. Really, the car's acceleration reduces drastically if you don't shift at 5000 RPM already.

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Left: Charger info screen. Preach to someone who cares. Right: Charger's power chart that prioritizes usage of manual transmission.

The Challenger is basically a compact form of the Charger. That's what could explain lots of familiarity when moving from one car to another. The good news is that the Challenger is less challenging than the Charger (pun intended), mostly owing to lighter and smaller body.

Turning radius is tighter and there is less understeer on corner entries, improving turn-ins. On Laguna Seca lap times can vary from 2 to 3 seconds in the Charger's favour, but that's normal since the Challenger has smaller engine (though a 5.5 litre V8 is anything but small) and less power. Nowadays engine size means jack, but back then they had a rule: the bigger, the better.

The biggest problem I had with the Challenger is related to the gearbox. You see, the Challenger has three gears only. The first two gears have narrow ratios, probably to satisfy quarter-mile policy of the 60's. But then you switch into the third gear - a coasting gear - that lands so far from the ideal RPM range, sucking the car's available power. But hey, at least you can drive the car with automatic transmission! The power curve is slightly more gradual, and it helps when readline is closer to the peak HP value, leaving less upper RPM space where power can be lost.

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The Challenger in action. The badge on the front grill suggest it's an R/T model, though the dealership does not confirm this.

Now, the funny thing about both cars is the price both are offered for. These are not just bargains, these are being offered for free! The Charger costs 21,080 credits, whereas the Challenger will demand no more than 11 and a half. Say what?! Since both cars are listed as new cars, I have to assume these prices date from the period when these cars were actually new! Because there is no way a muscle car in 1999 could worth that much. But what do I know, I wasn't even alive when these cars were wasting abundant gallons of petrol. I better not say anything more 'cause Mopar slash Hemi fans will kick my EU ass!!

Anyway, the last we have to cover is the Concept Car, commonly known as Copperhead before Dodge had to replace the name due to some legal issues. It's a shame this car never made an appearance in any other GT title aside from the PS1 ones as American manufacturers in modern GT games often demand a car from lower range of power (I do not count EU Ford models, nor the Taurus, which absolutely does not really fit the image I have in mind).

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The Concept Car as spotted from a satellite view.

The Copperhead is prone to above-average understeer through the entire cornering sequence. It's not bad, but it isn't what I would expect from a light RWD car with equalized front and rear spring ratios. Perhaps the long wheelbase and thinner tires on the front are responsible for this, as I can't find any other reason for its behaviour.

The V6 engine sounds well and has plenty of torque, enough to spin the car out if you find rear tires spinning after they have started slipping. I was surprised how easily the Copper can turn in the opposite direction considering that in normal circumstances understeer is pretty much all you get. That could actually explain why the car was constructed in a way it was, maybe it would have been more prone to oversteer if it wasn't. Certainly you have to fight the car to make it respond differently, but once you manage to prevail, it will launch its last all-or-nothing blow you won't forget that easily.

The LM Edition is basically a Copper with racing modifications applied, though I wasn't really paying attention to details, so there may be more distinctions separating the two. The LM is a completely different level of a car, it has that insane potential other LM cars in the game have. The engine is based on the Copperhead's standard V6, though obviously it packs way more power and has extended rev zone. You'll have to shift a bit sooner in the LM car, if you don't want to lose some of the power while revving high.

Interesting car overall that Copper is. If anything, for its looks, sound and unique handling pattern. Had the car entered the production, it would have been interesting to watch how much it would contribute to Dodge sale charts.

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Anyway, that's all Dodge has to offer. I hope you have enjoyed!
 
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Random fun fact for the Neon coupe: it's RM is a direct copy of the 4-door, meaning the coupe becomes 4-door when Race Modified :P

Nice reviews otherwise ^^


Actually the 4door sedan/saloon becomes the 2door coupe race mod. Which is similarly based on the neon race car just for 1-make series club neon.

Also the Copperhead concept car and the LM concept car both have MR drivetrains, but in real life the copperhead was front engine resr wheel drive.


And I like the neon alot, so much so I have a 4door sedan hybrid with the 2.4l I4 from the plymouth pt spyder to make a "clone 1st gen SRT-4 neon".But honestly the Copperhead concept car is still my favorite dodge car ever, then the 2004/5 Neon SRT-4 and then followed by the 1st gen vipe gts coupe.
 
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