Dodge Dart Is Back After 36 Years

http://www.kansascity.com ^ | May 09, 2012 | ANN M. JOB

[BO Stinkss]

After 36 years, the Dodge Dart is back, and it's no retro model.

The 2013 Dart five-seat sedan is modern and stylish, with European handling and heritage, fun features, 10 air bags and fuel-thrifty engines, including two turbos. And smart design and attention to detail inside the Dart successfully groups the information from the gauges with the controls in the center of the dashboard better than any car — Dodge or otherwise.

The slew of features, standard on some models and optional on others, include denim material seat inserts, heated steering wheel and a 8.4-inch touch screen with touch screen buttons bigger than most finger tips.

All Darts also come with a uniquely spacious single glovebox with deep-into-the-dashboard depth. There's also a standard hiding place for small items under the front-passenger seat cushion. The cushion pulls up to reveal the hidden storage area.

And in its later-arriving Aero model, the new Dart is expected to garner a highway rating of at least 41 miles per gallon in federal government fuel economy tests.

Best of all, the Dart has a competitive starting retail price of $16,790 for a base SE with 160-horsepower, 2-liter, naturally aspirated, four-cylinder engine. This model, with six-speed manual transmission, is rated at 25/36 mpg, and doesn't have air conditioning.

A Dart with turbocharged, 1.4-liter, four-cylinder engine and air conditioning has a starting manufacturer's suggested retail price, including destination charge, of $19,295. By comparison, the 2012 Hyundai Elantra sedan starts at $16,120 with 148-horsepower, naturally aspirated four cylinder and manual transmission, while the base, 2012 Honda Civic sedan with 140-horsepower four cylinder and manual tranny starts at $16,785.

Neither the Elantra nor Civic sedans come with turbos for 2012.

More than 3.6 million Dodge Darts were sold...

[BO Stinkss]

"...and it's no retro model." You can say that again. It's a Fiat with Dart badging.

[newfreep]

Looks a bit like a Lexus IS from this side view...

[oyez]

It's a Fiat with Dart badging.

And the model name is....

BTW, Have the Tappit brothers chimed in on this?

[Dr. Sivana]

I had prayed that Chrysler would resist the temptation to bring out a new Dart. I know Dodge Darts. I owned six of them (not counting one donor car). That little weenie of a car ain’t no Dodge Dart.

[kosciusko51]

There is nothing special about the looks of the vehicle, and it doesn’t look anything like the original.

[OldMissileer]

Since Chrysler took those billions of dollars for the tax payers I will NEVER purchase another one of their vehicles again. I have owned one of their minivans since 1986 but no more.

[TheRhinelander]

- it’s not supposed to look like an old Dart.

- it’s based on an alpha romaeo car.

- it’s not as Fiat as you think. Only one drivetrain out of the three available is Fiat.

- the technology in the car is amazing. Programmable dashboard so you can customize it to show the controls you want. Or not.

- The aero version will get 40-41 mpg.

I’ll be buying a 2014 model after they work out any kinks. I’ve been driving Mopars all my life and I’m not stopping now.

If you don’t like it don’t buy one.

[Dr. Sivana]

Real Darts: ■Seat six in base configuration ■Can be had stripped, no A/C no carpet ■Aren't huge on horsepower, but torque to spare ■Have a simple, nearly bullet-proof in-line six cylinder engine ■Have a trunk large enough to store a stack of carom boards with nothing sticking out. ■Have as few gizmos and safety features as is legally allowed ■Have a manual transmission available, mainly as a column shifter "three on the tree" ■Have little doors in the front corners as air vents ■Were the best new car value for a growing family of American sized people on a budget.

[Dr. Sivana]

it’s not supposed to look like an old Dart.

Then they shouldn't have called it a Dart.

[BO Stinkss]

I won’t

[Jack Hydrazine]

“...with European handling and heritage,...”

Going off of a cliff?

[Abathar]

Dodge dart with either the slant six or the 318, if the bodies hadn’t rusted out there would still be millions of them on the road.

Two of the most dependable engines Detroit ever built.

[TurboZamboni]

I liked my old one in the 70's with the indestructable slant 6 motor.

black vinyl top...sexy.

[freedomlover]

If it don’ have a 225 its not a Dart.
Well OK maybe a 318.

[RckyRaCoCo]

Like the taxpayers...it looks like it got hit in the rear.

[donna]

All that electrical stuff burns out in the Phoenix heat.

[Dr. Sivana]

The 318 and the Dart never got along so well. The 318 is reliable enough (outlasts the car), but really needs premium, and doesn’t give the performance you’d expect. Mopars were ALWAYS ball-joint challenged, and the heavy 318 doesn’t help. Also, if you have rust around the torsion bars, you might get a nasty surprise.

The Slant-six 225s varied from year to year, probably depending on the one-barrel Holley feeding it. Let’s not forget the small 8 cylinder 273 that was an option before the 318 was used. The bigger engines (360, 383, 413, 440 etc) save that for the c-bodies and the cudas, Challengers and Chargers (unless you really ARE racing).

[Beagle8U]

“Real Darts: ■Seat six in base configuration ■Can be had stripped, no A/C no carpet ■Aren’t huge on horsepower...” Huh? I had to stop reading at that point. My brother bought a new Dodge Dart Swinger in 1969. 340 ‘six pack’. traction bars, the works, and it was ordered that way from the factory. Trust me, it was huge on HP! 140+ MPH and so fast out of the hole that it mashed you flat against the seat.

[Remole]

In high school, a buddy of mine had a 63 or 64 Dodge Dart, with (get this) PUSH-BUTTON GEARS located in upper left corner of the dashboard.

[Larry Lucido]

I'd want the Al Bundy model.