INTRODUCTION:
The 1994 model year Dimension Hierophant is a true relic of the 90’s, and was surely one of the great RWD American sport cars of the 90’s, with even some resemblance to a personal GT car.
With that said, let’s get into the details of the car (Base Model).
ROADABILITY & PERFORMANCE:
Let me start off by saying that this thing can go through the corners amazingly well, this cornering ability is attributed to the good high quality sporty factory tyres (225/30R19 all around), the suspension, and the precise suspension adjustment straight out of the factory. The car has a stable hint of oversteer when cornering, meaning it’s very fun to drive but still not difficult to control. It also has an abundance of driver aids for the time period.
With the 225 HP JK33EI Straight 6 engine coupled with a 5 speed manual gearbox we managed to take the Hierophant up to an electronically limited top speed of 160 MPH, we weren’t surprised by the top speed, it’s clear by the aerodynamic and sporty body that this thing can cut through the air like it’s nothing. The final gearing is clearly spaced for top end power and top speed, but at lower speeds it just feels sluggish like the gearbox could’ve been in a better ratio.
Acceleration was pretty mediocre and didn’t match top speed or the cornering ability at all, with a 0-60 time of 6,5 seconds and a 1/4 time of 14,70 @ 102 MPH, the car has the grip and power but the gearbox just ruins any chance of utilizing all the power at low speeds.
COMFORT & PRACTICALITY:
The car is a two seater and doesn’t really have much luggage capacity as expected, what it does have however is a very comfortable interior and surprisingly a ton of leg room.
The car also has a very quiet and smooth engine, I would definitely want to call this a fusion between a pure sports car and a GT car.
ACTIVE & PASSIVE SAFETY:
The car features highly ventilated disc brakes all around, our emergency brake test from 60 MPH resulted in the car stopping in just a mere 96 feet, and showed no signs of overheating or fading even after abusing the brake pads with emergency stops several times.
The interior is full of padding and airbags much ahead of it’s time.
RUNNING COSTS:
The car is well built and the engine is a low stress Straight 6 made out of great material, clearly a lot of time was put into manufacturing the car.
The car gets an average MPG of 25 and runs on regular octane fuel.
COST:
The price tag is a relatively low one at 23,700 $ when brand new in 1994.
PROS:
Comfort
Handling
Top Speed
Fuel Efficiency
Price
Build Quality
Braking
Looks
CONS:
Acceleration
Gearbox
Top Speed (A more prevalent issue with the turbo version, the base model only does 3 or so MPH more without any limiter)
FINAL RATING:
8 / 10