SPEED, style, fashion and fun are key selling points when car makers pitch their wares at young drivers, writes David Duffy.

Durability, reliability, comfort and value for money come much higher when the buyer is more cautious, experienced and worldy wise.

Small wonder then that UK buyers of the Chrysler Neon are on average 53 years old, a third are retired and almost the same number have high-profile jobs.

Fifteen hundred orders were placed within three weeks of the saloon taking to the roads here three years ago and since then 10,000 have been sold in the UK - the top-selling market in Europe.

Those loyal customers are in for a treat. For the new Neon is a more solid, vastly improved, model - and costs less than the original.

Two models are being sold in the UK, both with a 2.0-litre engine - the previous 1.8-litre engine has been dropped - and the choice of five-speed manual transmission or automatic transmission at no extra cost. Prices are £10,995 for the SE and £13,495 for the leather and wood-trimmed LX. Distinctive looks house a new, roomier and altogether classier interior. A 150-mile trip through the Forest of Bowland in northern England demonstrated the much-reduced noise and equally improved ride of the car, which now has more efficient headlights and windscreen wipers.

Power comes from a proven 131 horsepower, 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine, which can zip the car up to a massively illegal 124mph and, more importantly, has the potential to deliver an average fuel consumption of about 40 miles per gallon.

Another key factor in attracting sales has been the warranty package, which includes cover for three years or 60,000 miles, along with three years' roadside assistance and six-year anti-corrosion cover.

Another temptation is the high level of standard equipment. Both models come with air conditioning, twin airbags, power-assisted steering, remote control alarm and immobiliser and a six-speaker stereo radio cassette player.

The LX model also gets anti-lock brakes, traction control, 15-inch alloy wheels, leather upholstery, height-adjustable driver's seat, leather-covered steering wheel and wood grain trim. The LX automatic also comes with cruise control as standard.

Despite the attractive package, Chrysler has set what appear modest sales targets, aiming to sell about 3,000 in the UK next year.

The no-cost automatic transmission is expected to be a popular choice on the new car. On the previous car, about 70 per cent of buyers took up the option, while 85 per cent went for the top specification versions.

For the first time in the UK, the car carries Chrysler's winged emblem, the new worldwide symbol for the Chrysler brand.

The new badge combines an elliptically shaped Chrysler medallion that reflects the original round blue medallion first used on Walter P. Chrysler's 1924 Chrysler Six and the signature winged radiator cap of the time.

AUTO FACTS

Chrysler Neon SE

Price £10,995 on the road

Fuel consumption

Urban 26.4 mpg

Extra Urban 44.8 mpg

Combined 35.8 mpg

Length 172.8 in

Width 67.3 in

Comfort Excellent

Luggage capacity 13.1 cu ft

Fuel tank capacity 10.4 gallons

Top speed 124mph

Neon 2.0 LX price: £13,495

Story date: Wednesday 01 December

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.