Chrysler Neon 1.6

Chrysler Neon 1.6 An all-new 1.6-litre four cylinder petrol engine will be made available in the Chrysler Neon range this Spring.

The new 1598cc 85 kW (114 bhp) engine will become available in the Neon saloon

from March. Around six months later, the same engine will also be fitted to

the recently-introduced PT Cruiser. In both cases, it will be mated to a five

speed manual transmission.

Produced at the Tritec engine facility in Campo Largo, Brazil, the new engine

is highly fuel efficient and produces very low emissions in accordance with

European and other strict emissions standards.

The engine features a cast iron cylinder block and aluminium head with single

overhead camshaft and four valves per cylinder. Estimated torque for the new

engine in the Neon and PT Cruiser is 148 Nm (109 lb ft) produced at 4800 rpm.

The design objectives of the 1.6-litre engine project were focused on providing

competitive overall performance and excellent quality and reliability at a low

cost. The overall engine length was purposely limited to 440 mm to provide packaging

flexibility for different vehicle applications. All engine accessories are mounted

directly to engine without the use of brackets and all accessories are mounted

to left side of the engine – the front side in the vehicle – in order to improve

vehicle crashworthiness. Plastic intake manifold, cylinder head cover and ancillaries

have been utilised on the engine for weight and cost reduction.

"This 1.6-litre engine option will significantly increase sales of Neon

in European markets such as Belgium, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway

and Portugal, where engines of this size are particularly popular," says

Steven J. Landry, President Chrysler Jeep Europe.

"It widens the Neon range and, of course, it will also provide more choice

for our customers when it is added to the PT range."

Tritec Motors Ltd, a $500 million joint venture operation established between

the then Chrysler Corporation and BMW AG, was first announced at the Paris Motor

Show in 1996.

Ground was first broken for the brand new 40,000 square metre (430,556 square

feet) facility near the town of Campo Largo, in the state of Parana in southern

Brazil, in April 1998 and volume production of engines has now begun at the

facility. The plant has the capacity to produce up to 400,000 1.4-litre and

1.6-litre engines per year.

Almost 60,000 examples of the Neon, which was introduced in Europe in 1994 followed

by a new Neon in 1999, have been sold in Europe to date. The Chrysler PT Cruiser,

which will be available with this engine option in September, was introduced

in Europe in the early summer of 2000 and has already achieved significant sales

success. Around 14,000 PT Cruisers were sold in Europe last year.

The PT Cruiser is currently produced in Toluca, Mexico, and during next summer,

production will begin at the DaimlerChrysler facility in Graz, Austria. Neon

is produced in the USA at Belvidere, Illinois.

Styling

The Chrysler Neon is a sleek and sporty four door sedan that draws its good

looks from the acclaimed Chrysler 300M.

The first-generation Neon was introduced in 1994 as an all-new, unique compact

car with unexpected features for its class. It set new standards for the small

car market in roominess, horsepower and safety.

The first-generation Neon provided best-in-class power, fun-to-drive handling

along with surprising room and comfort. When it was replaced by the new Neon

less than 18 months ago, the new version built on this platform, while also

preserving Neon’s strong identity.

In developing the new Neon, Chrysler set itself a major goal of making the quietest

and most refined car in its class – without compromising its existing and highly-prized

qualities.

Chrysler made it a clear and unwavering goal to keep all the fun-to-drive characteristics

that made the first Neon so successful – but also added a level of refinement

and sophistication that would exceed the expectations of a demanding consumer.

In a market of lookalike small cars, Neon maintains its unique character and

distinctive appearance – but benefits from many surprises and refinements.

Neon’s style is still characterised by the car body, rising in a wedge shape

to the rear, its generous lines and gentle curves, the coupé-like roof

and the low waist.

The fresh look of the latest Chrysler Neon was achieved by its perceptibly larger

size. Along with the 25 mm longer wheelbase, the overall vehicle length grew

by 66 mm to 4390 mm. And while the track width at the front was increased by

16 mm and at the rear by 14 mm to 1474 mm and 1472 mm respectively, the overall

bodywork width was only increased by 1 mm and now measures a total of 1715 mm.

The moderate increase in size, combined with highly distinctive wheel arches,

gives the car a very sporty look.

The new Chrysler Neon’s 8 mm increase in ground clearance, to 160 mm, with the

associated longer spring travel on the suspension, fulfiled customer wishes

for more comfort. Since the rear floor was lowered at the same time by 51 mm,

the luggage space is now a generous 0.37 cu. m. (13.1 cu. ft). In combination

with the harmonious integration of the bumpers into the bodywork design, the

sweep of the rear gives an impression of great power and is reminiscent of the

larger Chrysler 300M saloon.

Styling

At the front, oval headlights are set wide apart flanking the slender radiator

grille with its characteristic winged Chrysler emblem.

Fog lights are integrated into the strong front bumpers, with generously dimensioned

air inlets forming a bridge between them. So the face of the new Chrysler Neon

has an aesthetic harmony and, like the rear, clearly indicates its membership

of the Chrysler car family and its kinship with its top model, the Chrysler

300M.

The most striking feature of the new Chrysler Neon is probably the design concept,

typical of the marque. The cab-forward design has achieved international recognition

for many years.

The windscreen picks up the bold lines of the roof, with the reinforced structure

of the window frame. The frame not only offers functional advantages for the

side windows but also holds the triple seals which, together with the effective

insulation in the trim, ensure optimum suppression of wind noise. The solid

frame doors, with handles painted to match the car colour, also increase the

torsional strength of the vehicle structure and play their part in improving

driving comfort and safety.

Chassis & Suspension

The modern chassis of the Neon, oriented towards Europe, has independent suspension

all round. As in the large Chrysler 300M saloon, to increase comfort, the springs

and shock absorbers are designed exclusively for Europe. This gives 15 per cent

longer spring travel at the front and as much as 30 per cent more at the rear.

They absorb high-frequency impacts, as newly developed shock absorber valves

ensure a rapid response from the dampers, countering the bodywork roll before

it begins.

Anti-roll bars on both axles guarantee accurate road-holding, and the power

steering designed directly for European requirements ensures safe handling even

with very sporty driving styles. Together with the high-speed tyres available

in Europe, the traction control system on the driven front axles completes the

overall package.

The optimised ABS braking system with four larger-diameter discs, internally

ventilated on the front, gives superb braking. A reduction in pedal pressure

has made the braking even more controllable. So Neon is a dynamic four-door

saloon with excellent long-distance comfort and a refreshing agility.

New Tritec 1.6-litre Engine

Type & Description 4 cylinder in-line, liquid cooled

Displacement 1598cc

Bore x Stroke 77 x 85.8 mm

Valve System 16 valves; centre pivot rocker arm with roller followers, hydraulic

lifters, and chain driven

Fuel Injection Sequential multi-port injection (SMPI), electronic

Construction Cast iron block and bedplate, semi-permanent mold aluminum cylinder

head

Compression Ratio 10.5:1

Power (SAE net) 85 kW @ 5600 rpm

Torque (SAE net) 154 Nm @ 4800 rpm

kW litre 53.1

Fuel 95 RON (Europe)

Max. Engine Speed 6976 rpm

Oil Capacity 4.5 litres (4.8qt) plus filter

Coolant Capacity 10.74 litres

Emission Controls Three-way catalyst, heated oxygen sensors, reduced combustion

chamber crevice volumes. Meets Euro III emissions with EOBD controls (LEV and

ULEV with OBD 2 controls in US)

Engine/Trim SE LE LX R/T

1.6-litre, 4 cylinder, SOHC, 16v, 5MTX o o o

2.0-litre, 4 cylinder, SOHC, 16v, 5MTX o o o

2.0-litre, 4 cylinder, SOHC, 16v, 4ATX o o o

2.0-litre, 4 cylinder, HO SOHC, 16v, 5MTX o

Model availability; left and right hand drive