| Just because your car is small, doesn't mean | | | | has been a fan favorite for over thirty |
| that it has to be slow. In fact, some of the | | | | years. Its teeny 1.8L engine pushes out an |
| fastest cars on the road today are | | | | impressive 140 horses. The new Civic is a far |
| subcompacts. How so? Because their owners | | | | cry from the "pregnant roller" skate look of |
| have modified them to the point where they | | | | the first Civics. Owners are grateful. |
| can squeeze out additional horsepower and | | | | |
| acceleration. Let's take a look at six cars | | | | Scion tC - Unlike its two boxy brethren, the |
| that qualify as genuine "pocket rockets." | | | | tC is sleek looking and has a rocket |
| | | | demeanor. With a 2.3L under its hood, the tC |
| For the sake of argument, here are some | | | | has the second largest engine of any car in |
| ground rules for a pocket rocket: | | | | this class. You net 160 horses with the |
| | | | Scion. |
| The car must be a compact or smaller. | | | | |
| | | | Subaru Impreza - The biggest car in this |
| The engine must be normally aspirated; no | | | | class has the most powerful engine, a 2.5L |
| turbo charged cars - four cylinders only. | | | | boxter engine producing 173 horses. Very |
| | | | competitive with larger and more powerful |
| New versions of the car must all retail for | | | | cars, but a favorite among "pocket rocket" |
| less than $20,000. | | | | fans nevertheless. |
| | | | |
| The following six cars all qualify as pocket | | | | VW Golf - A 2.0L 115hp drives the Golf, but |
| rockets when each of the above stipulations | | | | the car's light weight allows for it to buzz |
| has been met: | | | | down the highway at a fairly good clip. |
| | | | |
| Dodge Neon; Ford Focus; Honda Civic; Scion | | | | Favorite ways of squeezing out additional |
| tC; Subaru Impreza; and Volkswagen Golf. | | | | power for pocket rocket owners include |
| | | | installing the following hot selling |
| Unfortunately, the Mitsubishi Eclipse retails | | | | aftermarket parts: |
| for just above $20,000 so it does not | | | | |
| qualify. Besides, it looks too much like a | | | | Reusable air filters; top providers include: |
| sports car; we are only examining those | | | | K&N and Green. |
| vehicles that are somewhat plain before being | | | | |
| transformed by aftermarket parts. | | | | Cold air intake systems; favorites include: |
| | | | K&N, AEM, and Airaid. |
| Dodge Neon - Technically, the Neon is no | | | | |
| longer in production as 2005 was its last | | | | Cat-back exhaust systems; leading |
| model year. Still, with a 2.0L 132hp engine, | | | | manufacturers include: Magnaflow and Vibrant. |
| the Neon remains an affordable favorite of | | | | |
| the youth set who enjoy customizing their | | | | Performance chips; Hypertech and Jet Chips |
| vehicles | | | | lead the way. |
| | | | |
| Ford Focus - A lemon no more! Earlier models | | | | Performance level increases are measured in |
| of the Focus were problem plagued, but the | | | | horsepower, thrust, and acceleration. |
| car has made significant strides in the past | | | | Depending on the parts installed and model |
| few years and has received Consumer Report's | | | | selected, improvements can range from slight |
| recommended buy label too. The stubby ZX3 | | | | to significant. Regardless, all six models |
| produces 136 horses with its 2.0L engine. | | | | have the potential of becoming true pocket |
| | | | rockets and that is part of the thrill in |
| Honda Civic - Redesigned for 2006, the Civic | | | | owning one. |