This is our 2003 PT Cruiser GT with a 215 HP 2.4 liter Turbocharged engine.
And we love it! Lots of leg room, easy to get in/out of, good driving vantage point, and plenty of room for cargo. You can fit a load of 8 foot long 2X12s and an 8' long roll of carpet in it close the hatch and still have room for a passenger in the back seat.

Although it's 8 inches shorter than a Nissan Sentra (169 vs 177 inches), "Its 121.5 cubic feet of interior volume is comparable to that of large cars such as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class or Lincoln Town Car." http://www.automotive.com/reviews/12/2004/chrysler/pt-cruiser/interior/
The maximum cargo capacity of 63 cu. ft. is greater than some SUVs, such as the Subaru Forester (58 CF), Chevy Blazer (60.6 CF) Mitsubishi Outlander (60.3 CF), Suzuki Grand Vitara (50.2 CF). And equals the maximum cargo capacity of a Hummer H3 (63 cu. ft. http://www.edmunds.com/new/2009/hummer/h3/101021032/specs.html)

Yet it's 0-60 Acceleration of 6.7 seconds and 1/4 mile in 15.3 seconds @ 92 MPH with automatic transmission (Motor Week - http://www.mpt.org/motorweek/reviews/rt2210a.shtml ) is better than a 1982 Ferrari 308 GTB/Si Quattrovalvole V8. According to Motor Week you can knock almost a second off that time for a manual transmission. Acceleration for passing is very fast and smooth.

0-60 Times for some other cars:
A 2003 PT Cruiser Turbo (automatic tran) - 6.7 sec. (Motor Week - http://www.mpt.org/motorweek/reviews/rt2210a.shtml )
A 1993 Saturn SW2 Wagon (our previous car) - 9.3 sec.
A 1989 Nissan Maxima SE - 8.9 sec.
A 1993 Jaguar XJS Coupe - 7.8 sec.
A 1989 Porsche 944 - 7.5 sec.
A 1967 Ford Mustang (390ci V8 w/4spd) - 7.4 sec.
A 1980 Chevrolet Corvette L82 7.4
A 1987 Mazda RX-7 Turbo - 6.6 sec.
(source for all above: http://www.albeedigital.com/supercoupe/articles/0-60times.html
A Mini Cooper S -7.0 http://tinyurl.com/3cmsu
A 1982 Ferrari 308 GTB/Si Quattrovalvole - 6.8 sec. ( http://www.pistonheads.com/doc.asp?c=52&i=9840 )
A 1984 Ferrari Mondial QV 2.926 liter V8 - 7.6 sec. (yes thats a V8 Ferrari)

For shear power, compare the newer 2006 PT GT (230 HP / 245 ft-lb torque) to the following trucks:
Torque comparison (from Edmunds.com):
Ford Ranger 3 liter V6 - 180 lb-ft @ 3950 RPM
Jeep Wrangler 4 liter inline 6 - 235 lb-ft @ 3200 RPM
Dodge Durango 3.7 liter V6 - 235 ft-lb @ 4000 RPM
Ford Ranger 4 liter V6 - 238 ft-lb @ 3000 RPM
PT Cruiser GT 4 Cylinder 2.4 liter Turbo - 245 ft-lb @ 2800 RPM

The PT Cruiser beats all of those, and at a lower RPM.

HP comparison:
Chevrolet Uplander Cargo Minivan 3.5L 6cyl - 201 hp @ 5600 rpm
Ford Explorer 4.0L 6cyl - 210 hp @ 5100 rpm
Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.7L 6cyl - 210 hp @ 5200 rpm
Chrysler PT Cruiser GT 2.4L 4cyl Turbo - 230 hp @ 5100 rpm
Ford F-150 4.6L 8cyl - 231 hp @ 4750 rpm
Dodge Ram Pickup 1500 4.7L 8cyl 235 hp @ 4400 rpm

It has nearly the horsepower of some V8s (that's V-EIGHT, not V-SIX) engines!!

According to Progressive, the Chrysler PT Cruiser is the second cheapest car to insure. http://www.forbes.com/personalfinance/2004/01/27/cz_cc_0127insurance.html

Consumer Reports (2004) rates the PT Cruiser reliability better than Toyota Matrix, Subaru Impreza, Subaru Legacy/Outback (4cyl.), Subaru Outback H6, Volvo XC70, Volkswagen Passat (V6,AWD), and a host of other Wagon/Hatchbacks. The only car to beat it in that clss was the Pontiac Vibe.

Pounds of smog per 15,000 miles: 7.9-11.8. Compare that to the similar sized, but slower Subaru Forrester: 12.3-12.9, or the Mitsubishi Outlander: 12.3 - 12.9 (Edmunds), it's even better than the little econobox Kia Rio (1.6L 4cyl 103 HP): 12.3 - 12.9

Additional performance specs: (Auto Week)

ROLLING ACCELERATION
20-40 mph (first and second gear): 2.4 sec
40-60 mph (second gear): 3.5 sec
60-80 mph (third gear): 6.1 sec

BRAKING
60 mph-0: 126 ft

HANDLING
490-foot slalom: 43.8 mph
Lateral acceleration (200-foot skidpad): 0.79 g

INTERIOR NOISE (dBA)
Idle: 49
Full throttle: 78
Steady 60 mph: 66