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CHELSEA, Mich. — You can please all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time, but Chrysler just can’t seem to please all of the people all of the time with a really quick version of the PT Cruiser.

When Cruiser bowed in the 2001 model year, it came with a 2.4-liter, 150-horsepower 4-cylinder. Hardly a screamer, but as Chrysler explained, the name of the car is the PT Cruiser, not the PT Carouser.

A concept called the GT was created that held the promise a high-performance model eventually would join the high-mileage model.

Those who moaned and groaned that 150 h.p. and 162 foot-pounds of torque at 4,000 r.p.m. just doesn’t do it will have the opportunity this fall to purchase a 215-h.p. version that delivers 245 foot-pounds of torque at 3,600 r.p.m.

The badge on the hatch lid reads “GT,” and Chrysler insiders say this is the production version of the concept GT Cruiser that’s been floating around car shows for a few years. But for some reason Chrysler folks call it the PT turbo.

The turbo differs from the regular PT not only with its more potent, turbocharged 4-cylinder, but also with tweaks to suspension and steering to make it what Larry Lyons, vice president of small vehicle product team engineering, calls “a lot more limber, nimble machine.”

We had brief chance to test the PT GT at Chrysler’s Proving Grounds here.

Wow!

Hit the pedal and with no shudder or shake, the power builds. It doesn’t take long for the speedometer to reach unfamiliar territory for a PT Cruiser–90 m.p.h.

There’s no perceptible turbo lag, and thanks to special acoustic dampeners on the turbo’s intake system, there’s no turbo whine, either.

The PT GT is a Cruiser with an attitude. The turbo gives it the muscle that critics have been begging for. Not a Dodge Viper, by any means, and you won’t have to install a chute to bring the PT GT to a halt after speed runs, but nevertheless the GT is far quicker than the regular PT.

So a high-performance PT. Problem solved.

Nope.

Some members of the media at the preview still sported frowns. What galled some was that at the outset of the 2003 model run the PT GT will be offered with only a 4-speed automatic. A 5-speed manual will be available later in the year.

You’d think Chrysler removed the GT badge and stuck “YUGO” letters on the fenders to hear some of the scribes gripe about the inability to grab a floor-mounted 5-speed in one hand and a stopwatch in the other.

If tar and feathers had been available rather than pop and sandwiches, Lyons might have needed an escort out of the place. The drinks and grub, as usual, mellowed the media seething over the 5-speed delay.

Will a manual make the PT GT even more fun?

Sure, just be patient and remember that because roughly 85 percent of the population doesn’t know how to operate a manual, pleasing them at the expense of 15 per cent is wise.

And keep in mind that with the 4-speed automatic, the PT GT for the first time comes with Autostick for the feel of manual shifting minus fiddling with a clutch pedal.

While the big news with Cruiser for ’03 is improved off-the-line performance, Chrysler also paid added attention to GT handling. Suspension and steering have been tweaked and low-profile, 17-inch, all-season radials added to improve the ability to maneuver with more precision in what basically is an economy car.

But you probably will find, as we did, that even with 215 horsepower, PT GT isn’t a Viper, so don’t expect it to move into or out of corners and turns like the potent sports car produced by sister Dodge division.

The PT GT is designed more for quick power bursts from the light or into the passing lane than for sitting flat and controlling motion in corners and turns.

Accept PT GT for that limitation and you’ll still have a lot of fun and surprise more than a few onlookers when you take off from the light.

No price on the PT GT, but in addition to the 17-inch, all-season radials, standard equipment includes four-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock and traction control, power moonroof, AM/FM radio with cassette and CD player, air conditioning, power mirrors/windows/door locks, front and side air bags, keyless entry, fog lamps, rear window wiper/washer and body-colored front and rear facias.

You’ll have to make a few choices when it comes to options on the ’03 model, such as leather or cloth seats, painted or chrome wheels and the same flame appliques package ($495) available on the regular PT Limited or Touring.

The PT GT is the latest addition to the Cruiser lineup.

It joins the Flame, Woodie and Dream Cruiser Series 1 models offered. A PT Cruiser convertible comes out early in ’04.