Compact Dodge cars haven’t had a glowing history, with names like Aries, Caliber, Neon and Shadow best consigned to the forgotten chapters of automotive history. However, the original Dodge Dart was one notable exception. Not only did it provide reasonably dependable (for the 1970s) family transportation, it also elicited quite a following among car enthusiasts.
It’s this enthusiasm that Dodge is trying to recapture with its distinctive new Dart. The days of Darts with available powerhouse V8s are long gone, but with a front-wheel-drive chassis derived from the lithe Alfa Romeo Giulietta, the four-cylinder Dart promises a different sort of fun. Instead of laying down rubber, it offers sharp steering and commendable road holding whether you’re taking a spirited drive on a back road or simply running errands around town.
More importantly, the new Dodge Dart offers a degree of quality, feature content and mechanical sophistication that greatly exceeds that of previous small Dodges. When compared to other compact sedans, it’s not a class leader, but it’s certainly competitive.
Current Dodge Dart
The Dodge Dart is a compact sedan whose basic structure, suspension and steering are derived from the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, a sporty hatchback sold in Europe. This isn’t just an Italian dressed in an Uncle Sam hat, though. The Dart is not only much bigger than the Alfa, it’s also larger than its myriad «compact» car competitors. Only VW’s Jetta comes close. This results in more passenger space and also creates the feeling that you’re driving something rather substantial. It certainly doesn’t feel like a compact car.
There are five trim levels: SE, SXT, Aero, Limited and GT. All offer a choice of a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission, with the exception of the automatic-only Limited. The base SE model has a 2.0-liter, 160-horsepower four-cylinder engine. Acceleration can be rather slow with this engine, especially with the automatic. We recommend going with the SXT, Limited or GT, as all come with a 2.4-liter 184-hp four-cylinder. The fuel-efficiency-focused Aero features a turbocharged 1.4-liter four with 160 hp that offers more punch and better gas mileage than the base SE. Note, however, that the Aero’s automatic transmission is an automated manual design that is considerably less refined than the conventional automatics found in other Darts.
Although the SE comes with just a basic level of equipment, the Dodge Dart nevertheless slathers on an abundance of comfort, convenience and luxury items as you move up trim levels and start checking off options boxes. Although features like blind-sport warning systems and dual-zone climate control have become increasingly common in this class, they still give the Dart a bit of an upscale feel. Several special trim materials and a broad palette of available colors make the Dart a little more distinctive as well.
Overall, we think the Dodge Dart is a competitive small sedan that ultimately falls short of its competitors. We would steer clear of the base model and the Aero model due to their unappealing powertrains, while some drivers have found the front seats to be uncomfortable. On the other hand, the Dart deserves consideration based on its sizable cabin and trunk, user-friendly electronics, big-car driving character and ample feature content.
Used Dodge Dart Models
The Dodge Dart was reintroduced for 2013 and cars from that first model year had different engine availability. The 2.0-liter engine was standard on all trims, while the 1.4-liter turbocharged engine and its wonky automated manual transmission were more widely available. Given that only the GT trim came with the 2.4-liter engine, we’d probably steer clear of a first-year Dart.
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2013 Dodge Dart Review: A Luxury Car at an Affordable Price
Recently I was invited to test drive the new Dodge Dart for 7 days. I usually don’t review cars – and come from a Chevy family – but decided to take advantage of the opportunity to drive from NYC to my little big brothers’ graduation in Atlanta. Within weeks of receiving an invitation to test drive the car, it was delivered with compensation for my time and travel expenses. So, how was the drive?
styling
The Dodge Dart reminds me of a cute, yet stripped down version of a Dodge Charger, especially when you glimpse the tail lights. Since I received my review unit at night, I immediately noticed the interior and exterior lighting around the door handles and side mirrors. This is a nice touch that makes finding things you dropped near the car easier. The side mirrors feature blind-spot monitoring that flashes a small yellow light when an object is sensed near one of your blind spots.
With a roomy cabin and plush leather seats, my trip to Atlanta was enjoyable for all of my body parts except my butt. Despite the comfort of the leather seating, driving for 13-14 hours took a toll on my lower back and butt.
Look Mom, No Keys!
I’ve never been in love with a key fob before, but I definitely fell in love with the Dodge Dart’s keyless entry fob and push to start ignition. You don’t need a key to do anything with this car. As long as you have the key fob in, your pocket, a lot can get accomplished with only your hands. You can also remote start the Dart and pop the trunk using the fob. Placing your hand over the door handle unlocks the doors and pressing a button on the door handle locks them again.Sometimes the lock button required multiple presses before working.
Overall, the keyless entry features were an unexpected, but luxury touch.
uPřipojit
The Uconnect entertainment console in the Dodge Dart is standard. It includes an 8.4-inch display with access to Sirius FM Radio, Garmin navigation, auxiliary, usb and SD card audio options, iPod controls, voice-activated bluetooth, fuel pricing, weather and sports updates. You can also control temperatures for the passenger and driver seat and set seat-heating levels. The process of pairing your phone with Uconnect via bluetooth is seamless and easy. Once they’re paired, you can answer calls and text messages or stream music via bluetooth.
Music is the only media you can experience through Uconnect and support for the iPhone/iPod is far superior to support for Android devices. For Android devices, I’d recommend using the bluetooth option while charging the phone through the USB port to save battery life.
Behind the steering wheel sits a 7-inch digital instrument cluster display that shows turn-by-turn navigation directions, digital and analog gauges, audio or phone information, and temperature readouts. There are also some controls on the steering wheel to do minor actions like change the volume, music, or radio station without your hands leaving the wheel.
Alpine Speakers
My family had only positive comments about how music sounds in the Dart. It packs an amazing surround sound system by Alpine. The bass has no problem dropping low and booming without distorting the music even at maximum volume – which is very loud. With the windows down and the sunroof open, I frequently threw mini-listening sessions of new music that my friends and I wanted to share with each other.
Ride
The ride in the Dodge Dart is generally smooth and quiet, unless you have music playing from its system. In the city, it picks up speed easily and makes impressively tight turns. On the highway, the ride is smooth, but takes a second to get up to speed. Within 15 hours of driving to Atlanta, I filled-up the gas tank 4-5 times when the meter lowered to half a tank of gas. This all costed me less than $100. Definitely a winning price in the gas department considering how far I travelled.
Proč investovat do čističky vzduchu?
All in all, this was a great trip made possible by Dodge. The 2013 Dodge Dart will please your average driver with its luxury style and features at an affordable price tag starting at $15,995 for the base model. I test drove the Dodge Dart limited, which will run you around $20,000. For an amazing sound system, great gas mileage and keyless driving options, I think the Dodge Dart is worth every penny.
Corvida Raven
A natural pioneer at grasping the rapidly changing landscape of technology, Corvida Raven talks tech in plain English on SheGeeks.net.
