Back-seat passengers benefit from the Neon's big interior, as well. The rear seat is not a bad place for short- to medium-length trips, even for average-size adults.
The trunk is about average for the class at 13.1 cubic feet. Gooseneck hinges intrude into the cargo space, but afford a relatively large trunk opening. Lift-over height is on the high side. The rear seat splits 60/40 and folds down for carrying additional cargo.
The standard Neon SXT seats are quite comfortable, cushy and supportive. The side bolster appears a bit soft, but felt fine while driving. The cloth upholstery feels good and looks durable. Vinyl trim on the front edges of the seats gives them a nicely finished look.
Dash and door trim are made of a premium material that's soft to the touch, providing an attractive appearance and feel and avoiding the plastic look that afflicts so many compacts. The Sport Appearance and SRT Design packages include body-colored bezels around the gauges that add a racy accent to the SXT. Map lights are mounted on the rear-view mirror, not the best location as your co-driver may accidentally adjust your mirror when using the light switch. Most switchgear is easy to use and works well, though the turn signal stalk on our test car wasn't smooth. The standard stereo sounds mediocre, and having to press a button to get the key out of the ignition slot is annoying and archaic.
Our SRT4 test car had special interior trim, including a satin-silver center stack, shift knob and door handles. The SRT4 seats are modeled after those in the Dodge Viper sports car, with enhanced lumbar and lateral sections for better support when cornering. Agate-colored cloth is designed to grip the driver. Cast aluminum pedals look like those in race cars. A turbo boost/vacuum gauge sits to the right of the instrument cluster, underneath the dash brow, hinting at the extra performance under foot.
