When you first look at it, it looks like a regular compact car. It's when you get closer that it starts lookng interesting. You can tell from the litle details that it's meant to look like a classic Dodge with a modern feel to it. The old Darts from the 60's and 70's were small, cheap compact cars for people who were looking for cheap transportation or could only afford a cheap car. What they got was not just a reliable car, but also a fast car. Dodge Darts were use in drag races many times, even winning some as well. Now, it has returned to take back it's role as the cheap reliable and fast compact car it once had.
When you get inside, you feel like you're in a compact car. There's plenty of leg and headroom for people in the back and plenty of space for things in the trunk. The one thing you will notice is the graphic display on the digital dashboard. All the gages are big and easy to read, and with the digital speedo, it's easy to know how fast you're going as well. There are many features including Sirius XM, gps, weather, and traffic reports. The one thing that may conuse you is the location of the cd player and iPod dock. They're both located inside the center console. The new Dart does come with other things that most compacts don't have including heated seats and a heated steering wheel. Most cars would be lucky with just heated seats. This will be nice during the cold, winter mornings. Some other cute things that are available are econ buttons for those hippies who care about the environment. If you decide to get one equipped with the "econ" option, if you press it, a cute little flower appears on the dash to tell you all about your mpg. Of course, I didn't have that option cause I care more about speed and performance than boring fuel economy.
Even if you want extra fuel economy, you won't have to worry about getting a fuel efficient model, becuase they all come with 4 cylinder engines ranging from 1.4 liters to 2.0 liters. So either way, you're fuel economy is going to be good. Of course, with a great fuel economy, comes smaller speed limits. Other car reviewers say this car can get to 130 mph, but the fastest it would go for me was 75 mph and it wouldn't get any faster. Now this may sound a bit slow, but if you get the turbo charged engine, you can get to that top speed very quickly. You'll also get a great noise from the engine when you put your foot down. Most cars can't handle well when they get to their limit, but this one can hold it's own without any twitching whatsoever. In the corners, it turns sharply without losing any grip or control. The brakes are very grabby, which is good when you want to stop very quickly.
Now some people may not consider this an exciting car, but I love the fact that you can be economical and fast at the same time. With a base price staring at $16,790, this is a great little car for small families or for people who want to bring their friends somewhere. You'll have loads of fun and excitementwith this car, and you'll also be saving money at the pump.
2013 Dodge DartClass: Sedan
Engine: 1.4 or 2.0L I4
Power: 160 hp, 148 ft lb of torque
Fuel economy: 25 mpg city, 36 mpg highway
Acceleration: 0-60 in 7.6 sec.
Top speed: 130 mph (75 mph in real life)
Good things: Fast acceleration, nice and comfortable, quick and precise turning.
Bad things: Doesn�t do triple digit speeds
Special thanks to Ron Bouchards Chrysler Dodge for test vehicle.