The Turbo model is another story: It feels like it's got a bigger engine under the hood. It still displaces 2.4 liters using four cylinders, yet the crankcase and crankshaft were redesigned to be more robust. High-tech oil jets spray the undersides of the pistons to keep them cool because turbocharged engines make a lot of heat as well as power.

The Turbo's engine reaches its peak of 215 horsepower 500 rpm sooner than the 150-hp base engine, at 5000 rpm. Horsepower is only part of the story, because torque is increased dramatically from 162 pounds-feet at 4000 rpm to a wheel-twisting 245 lbs.-ft. at just 3600 rpm. In fact, 220 lbs.-ft. is available at just 2300 rpm. A rumbly exhaust makes the car sound more like what most people expected when the hot-rod body was first introduced. You know it's a turbo because it has a telltale whine when it spools up, though chambers in the intake manifold act as sound dampeners, says Chrysler.

Big four-cylinder engines have a natural tendency to idle roughly, so Chrysler uses a counter-rotating balance shaft to smooth things out in all of the PT Cruiser engines. The 2.4-liter happens to be the base engine in Chrysler's minivans; for the Cruiser, improvements were geared toward reducing noise and vibration rather than increasing power.

The base PT Cruiser can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in about 8.5 seconds (when equipped with the manual transmission), which is more than respectable for a car in this price range, while we estimate the Turbo can get to 60 mph in about 7 seconds. Driving the Turbo around town, you'll likely forget to downshift, since the engine pulls strongly at 2500 rpm in any gear. Once you decide to go quicker, the Turbo acts like the muscle car its body says it is.

The PT Cruiser offers both a five-speed manual and four-speed automatic transmission. We tried the manual, which is surprisingly precise; it's not sports-car grade, but not bad for a longer-throw gate with a lever that's a foot long. Working the gears to get the most from the base engine is pleasing. The automatic isn't as effective as the five-speed at getting the base Cruiser cruising, because the power is biased toward higher rpm, which is not where automatics work best. On the other hand, there are four gears in the automatic, and kickdown shifts come fairly quickly. With properly timed dips of the accelerator, there's enough torque for safe, clean overtaking on two-lane roads.

The Cruiser handles more like a sedan than a minivan. With the big 17-inch wheels and tires of the Turbo, it will hustle like a sport sedan. Base models maintain composure in the corners, too. Body lean is well controlled. Its rear suspension design maximizes cargo space, but the solid rear axle bounces a bit on rough pavement. Overall, however, it's a comfortable ride.

In quick, hard, slalom-type maneuvers the PT Cruiser starts to feel top heavy, even with the Turbo's big wheels. You can almost feel the high mass of the car try to continue in one direction as the front wheels turn in the other. In sudden, emergency-type lane changes, the PT Cruiser is more composed than the typical sport-utility or minivan. At speeds beyond legal Interstate limits, the Cruiser is stable, and not particularly susceptible to cross winds.

A lack of noise may be the most impressive, or surprising, of all the PT Cruiser's qualities. There is little wind noise, almost no tire or road noise, and just an audible whine from the drivetrain.

Front disc and rear drum brakes are standard. A better plan is to order the optional anti-lock brake system, which comes with four-wheel discs and low-speed electronic traction control.