Dodge Dart: DEAD?

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YSSMAN
It's interesting they chose to use the 1.4L MultiAir and not the big 2.4L Tiger Shark. I'd have figured they'd use the bigger engine for a bit more 'womp,' but, I guess not. I'm wondering what the pricing will be like on the package, or for that matter, if any of the parts will find their way into other versions of the car later on...
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The multiAir engine is a much better engine that people give it credit for. Much better torque and fuel economy than 2.0. TigerShark still in development testing for now.
 
Many of us will feel sick calling this the Dodge Dart, especially those who know the old-school Dodge Darts. But this car is plenty stylish and charming. I don't hate this Dodge Dart one bit. I can find beauty even in bland-looking autos. I at least could get into this unlike the Caliber or (maybe) the 21st Century Avenger. Even seeing one of these in the flesh was very cool. I enjoyed being around the Dart when I was at the 2013 Houston Auto Show. Nothing brash or boastful about its design, but it is surely elegant.
 
So I ended up buying one:

Untitled by MintyTS, on Flickr​


Limited with all the bells and whistles. The way I figured it, it was on the lot in a color I love, ready to roll away, and I won't be buying another car for a very long time unless I hit the lottery or something, so I might as well go a little bit farther and go all out.

I've been absolutely loving the thing so far. It's only been a few days, but I've put quiet a few miles on it already, so I feel like I've got enough time in it to say what I feel with some amount of confidence. And thanks to Maryland weather patterns I've already experienced it in wet , cold, high wind and warm and sunny conditions several times.

As far as starting up in near freezing temps, it's pretty great. It's really quick to heat up even when you just get in and start it, so that's all good. But with the remote start, heated wheel, and heated seats it's all warm and toasty when I open the door. And for the warmer days I can get in and throw open the 4 windows and the sun roof and have some fun with it.

And I've got the 1.4 turbo and the auto transmission. I was planning on getting manual for the fun, but some people cautioned me that I might eventually get bored with that. And then when I found out it has a dual clutch transmission I wasn't really worried that the auto would be a buzz kill. And the acceleration is actually pretty great for what it is. I'm not sure what the exact 0-60 is, but it feels quick. And I don't feel at all guilty when I push it on occasion because I know I can make it up with a little careful driving on the highway, since I averaged 36 on my way to Best Buy this morning.

And the interior on the Limited is awesome for the price. It's got a great looking dash without being too flashy. And most of the plasticy bits are made of a softer plastic that doesn't rattle and doesn't feel as cheap as most lower range cars. The steering doesn't really feel totally connected to the road, but I still get a feel for what the car is doing, so it's not too bad. And the brakes and throttle are both really sharp, but it only took me about 10 minutes into my first test drive to get used to it.

Then again, I am use to an 11 year old Blazer, and the only other thing I've got much free drive time in is a Camaro, both of which don't really win awards for their steering input.



And there's lots of small touches that just make the whole thing better. Accent lighting all over the interior, lights under the mirrors that come on when you start it up, most of the buttons and everything being blended into the body work. I loved the thing when I rode away in it and I only keep finding more reasons to love it. The 9 speaker Alpine audio system with the sub is incredible, as well. The sub's got some punch to it, and the speakers have some incredible clarity to them. The factory exhaust sounds pretty good, too. As soon as you open the hood it sounds like a lawn tractor, but if you keep it closed it sounds kinda mean.



All in all, it's fun when I want it, efficient when I need it, it's got fantastic audio, and it looks great. All the other stuff is just delicious icing on the cake for me, personally, so I love the thing.
 
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now if other people can just test drive the thing and not bash it before they even step foot in it. the world would be a better place.....0-60 times are i think from 7.6-9.1 sec
 
Bringing this thread back up since Jalopnik posted that there might be a Dodge Dart wagon coming!! Supposed to be presented in China as the Fiat Viaggio wagon, someone told Jalopnik that a Dodge PR person told them that it will be coming to the States! I love wagons...and it'll be nice to see more coming this way!
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http://jalopnik.com/china-may-get-a-dodge-dart-wagon-472161362
 
It sounds like a decent idea, but I wonder if the Fiat dealers would rather have the actual Fiat version over the Dodge model being available next door. Last I had heard, Chrysler was looking to severely curtail the number of vehicles coming out for the Detroit-based brands and was instead looking to ramp up their Italian-badged offerings.

Either way, a new competitor in the small hatch/wagon market is awesome. It only makes me wish that Chevrolet offered the Cruze variant as well.
 
R1600Turbo
I don't mind this car at all, but I saw one of these the other day and couldn't believe my eyes:
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Ya Citrus Peel looks way better in promotional picture then it does in real life. I still think they should resurrect Nitro Yellow Green for the SRT version of the Dart.
 
R1600Turbo
I don't mind this car at all, but I saw one of these the other day and couldn't believe my eyes:

:yuck:

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I saw two (2!!!) of these today, and I have to say, it looks at least a thousand times better in pictures.

Dog puke would have been a better name than Citrus Peel.
 
Congratulations, it's gorgeous. I'm still really contemplating getting one myself. I'm stuck between a brand new Rallye (just like yours, red with the 1.4 and 6 speed) or an '05 WRX wagon with 64K miles for $10K. If I can get a good deal on a Dart I want to go that route, but I'm not paying $20K for the car.
 
RocZX
News on the Dart SRT it will be out in 2016 and AWD and Turbocharged!
Jalopnik
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That is awesome news. I almost bought a new Dart but I really like the AWD on my Subaru so I held off hoping something like this would come out. As much as I love the new WRX I think the Dart looks better and hopefully this will be cheaper than a new WRX too. I'll definitely be taking one for a test drive whenever they release.
 
As has been customary with the Dart's production goals to this point, when they actually release it they will have forgotten to install the transfer case and the turbocharged engine will actually end up being the Pentastar engine. They will also at the last minute pull the SRT badging and call it "Limited" or something.

They will offer no explanations for any of these changes.
 
Tornado
As has been customary with the Dart's production goals to this point, when they actually release it they will have forgotten to install the transfer case and the turbocharged engine will actually end up being the Pentastar engine. They will also at the last minute pull the SRT badging and call it "Limited" or something.

They will offer no explanations for any of these changes.
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Well my dad owned an SRT-4 Neon and it wasn't that bad, though the harness and computer going on the fritz and thus cutting his power from 270bhp to as much as a standard neon was stupid. Though they did fix it...I don't think it should have happened. Not to count the other electronic issues my family has had with dodge over the last 10 years with 5 vehicles owned by them. So your sarcasm is pretty true from my experience when it comes to the electrical end.

Though I doubt the limited numbers part, if there is one thing Dodge of late can't seem to get is the idea of limited numbers out side the Viper.

I'm glad for this, especially after the Caliber SRT wasn't all that great...and I hope it doesn't use the same AWD the caliber had, but once again a little late perhaps? Maybe this time they're getting lucky with Mitsu packing it up in the 4 cyl awd sports car department. And with GM not really having anything like the Cobalt SS anymore, I wouldn't count the Buick GS. Ford is still in the FWD turbo hatch game so what else is there to worry about BRZ/FR-S/GT86?
 
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Lots of good Fiat-Chrysler news today, and there was a lot of good stuff about the Dodge Dart

RE: The Dart Overall

I tell you what... As much as I was concerned about the car's poor sales and middling press reception, it sounds like Fiat-Chrysler knows what they need to do to turn this thing around. They're going full force into updating the car to be more competitive, and better fit into the parts of the segment that sell best.

viewer


I found that image particularly interesting from today's presser. Sales of the Dart are best when the car is priced between $22-24k, pushing that against distinctively premium offerings from Ford and Chevrolet, and going directly against midsize cars, which is nuts (and really shows how big the Dart is). Very good for Fiat-Chrysler to recognize that they need to reconcile the lower pricing to take advantage of possible sales between $17-19k. Even better that they plan on doing much of that work this year instead of kicking the can all the way down to the 2016 refresh.

Thing is, what will they be doing to "enhance driving dynamics" for 2016? Make it so it can handle well, but not harshly like the new GT does? Will that carry all the way on down to the basic models? Furthermore, "brand DNA" powertrains? More gusto from the 2.4 Tigershark? More turbo options? DO WE GET THAT PENTASTAR V6???

RE: DART SRT4

Damn, man. Its everything that the Neon SRT-4 wished it could be. Its everything that the Caliber SRT4 should have been. A reasonably sized, compact-ish sedan with reasonable turbo power (I'd hope as much as 300 BHP), and a proper all-wheel-drive system? Count me in. I'm wondering if it'll use that ZF 9-speed unit, and whether or not it'll get that trick all-wheel-drive system from the 200 sedan that allows it to fully decouple to save on gas. That'd be neat.

-=-=-=-=-

Worst thing is, knowing that all this new stuff is coming, how good/bad of an idea would it be to buy a current car right now?
 
YSSMAN
DO WE GET THAT PENTASTAR V6???
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That's a great way to ensure that the Dart continues to compete with larger midsize cars. Sometimes you have to purposely dumb it down to the level you want it at.
 
YSSMAN
and whether or not it'll get that trick all-wheel-drive system from the 200 sedan that allows it to fully decouple to save on gas. That'd be neat.
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People think of this as trick? Oh I see now, chrysler site calls it the most advanced system in it's class*.
Every cheap AWD system is 2WD til traction is needed and 4WD is engaged. Look at any(not subaru) sub 35-40k suv/cuv from the past 10-15 years and they all probably have this. Some call it REAL TIME awd/4wd or something along those lines.
 
I was under the impression that the system used in the Chrysler 200 allows the rear-axle to fully decouple, which apparently isn't a thing, normally. Increased fuel economy is the name of the game, I'm not sure how that would translate into a performance application. Of course, it doesn't do the Honda (SH-AWD) or Saab (XWD) stuff, moving torque side-to-side, but, I suppose they could probably "fake it" with all of this silly brake action everyones doing now. Assuming that Alfa Romeo would be using the same application in their new all-wheel-drive sedans and coupes, it should be tuned properly.
 
YSSMAN
I was under the impression that the system used in the Chrysler 200 allows the rear-axle to fully decouple, which apparently isn't a thing, normally. Increased fuel economy is the name of the game, I'm not sure how that would translate into a performance application. Of course, it doesn't do the Honda (SH-AWD) or Saab (XWD) stuff, moving torque side-to-side, but, I suppose they could probably "fake it" with all of this silly brake action everyones doing now. Assuming that Alfa Romeo would be using the same application in their new all-wheel-drive sedans and coupes, it should be tuned properly.
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That is nothing new or special or even good.
Just get the FWD model to save money.
 
YSSMAN
I was under the impression that the system used in the Chrysler 200 allows the rear-axle to fully decouple, which apparently isn't a thing, normally. Increased fuel economy is the name of the game, I'm not sure how that would translate into a performance application. Of course, it doesn't do the Honda (SH-AWD) or Saab (XWD) stuff, moving torque side-to-side, but, I suppose they could probably "fake it" with all of this silly brake action everyones doing now. Assuming that Alfa Romeo would be using the same application in their new all-wheel-drive sedans and coupes, it should be tuned properly.
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They all disengage the rear driveshaft so the engine doesn't have to spin it. Pretty basic. Probably improved but almost anything can be improved. As far as "advanced" AWD systems, the fanciest thing we've seen yet is Honda's SH-AWD.
 
Keef
That's a great way to ensure that the Dart continues to compete with larger midsize cars. Sometimes you have to purposely dumb it down to the level you want it at.
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May not be the worst idea if the consistently-outselling-the-Dart Avenger does end up getting the axe with no replacement.
 
Why buy the expensive, underpowered, overly heavy and quite frankly towards the back of the pack Dodge when you can instead buy a different, similarly mediocre one instead; except it's much bigger, has a hundred more horsepower and costs basically the same?


More importantly, why would dealers want to push the former one when the latter is an easy sale in comparison?
 
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