Let me preface this by saying that I
hate the SRT4.
That being said, the SRT4 would absolutely own the prettier TL in any kind of performance contest. A straight line drag race would be the closest the TL would come.
Take a look...
SRT4 specs and
TL specs as tested by Car and Driver.
The SRT4, while ugly as sin, pulled 0.86 lateral g's to the TL's 0.81.
The SRT4 takes 20 ft less to stop from 70mph than the TL.
The SRT4 did the quarter-mile in 13.9 @ 103, to the TL's 14.4 @ 99.
The SRT4 makes more torque lower in the rpm band.....great for powering out of corners.
And the SRT4's biggest advantage? Weight. Over 500# of it. And on a road course, autoX, or anything with turns, size matters. The SRT4 is physically smaller as well. 500 fewer pounds and a smaller car makes for a much more nimble car.
And jesus we wont even talk about price.
Dont get me wrong, the TL is pretty and all, but its not a little car by any means, and it isnt going to out-handle the SRT4, no matter how ugly the SRT4 is....
And on a side note....I love how the TL is suddenly an icon of automotive perfection.
bobby: Congrats on the Mazda 6. For $10k less than the TL, I say the Mazda 6 wins.
