You've got to give Sergio Marchionne credit for at least one thing: he's a masterful negotiator. The Italian-Canadian FIAT exec bluffed General Motors into paying $2 billion for the right to NOT buy the Italian company. He went on to acquire a controlling stake in Chrysler for no cash. Instead, FIAT agreed to provide the auto maker, hollowed out by Daimler and Cerberus, with powertrains and platforms. Three years after that deal, Chrysler has introduced the first car developed for North America around FIAT innards, the compact Dodge Dart sedan (pre-production review). Take an Alfa Romeo Guilietta hatchback, stretch it and widen it, add a trunk, and you somehow end up with a car that, aesthetically, would have fit right into Dodge's late 1990s lineup. The distended front clip and clean, rounded surfaces recall those of the Avenger coupe, with a hint of second-generation Neon. But the height of the car is pure 2012, so there's a lot more metal over the wheel openings than you'd have found on a circa-2000 Dodge. Perhaps the Dart will look right in R/T form (coming this fall). The SXT Rallye's wheels, though 17 inches in diameter, appear undersized. This said, those who find the styling of Ford Focus and Hyundai Elantra overwrought might prefer the Dart's simpler forms. Parts of the Dart's interior appear similarly dated, with the center stack and console marked by the organic shapes and non-flush faceplates of a 1990s Pontiac. Other parts, most notably the reconfigurable LCD instruments in the upper trim levels and the large 8.4" "Uconnect" touchscreen, could not be more current. Then there's the grating over the speakers, which looks like it belongs in a different car on a different continent, if not a different planet. This hodgepodge cleans up fairly well in the upper trim levels, where the hood over the instruments is upholstered, the upper IP surround is lit in red, and additional splashes of color are available on the door panels and seats. The exterior is available in a dozen colors, while the interior is offered in 14 trim combinations, both numbers well above the current segment norm. For some reason, though, all of the cars I saw on dealer lots were drably outfitted in black or, worse, gray. Materials quality is fairly good, with cushy armrests among the many soft-touch surfaces, but isn't quite up to that inside a Ford Focus or a Chevy Cruise. Drop down into the driver's seat and the first thing you notice is that you don't drop down very far. Compared to the Focus or Cruise, you sit high in the Dart—another aspect of the car that's more 2000 than today. Even the base Dart has manual height adjusters on both front seats, but only the shortest people will likely employ them. This would be good for visibility—if the instrument panel were not very deep and the A-pillars were not somewhat thick and steeply raked. I drove the Dart on a hot day, and the amount of heat radiating off the top of the IP strained the A/C. The view to the rear could be Exhibit A in the case for mandatory rearview camera. A good one with lines that trace the car's path is packaged with the 8.4-inch screen. The Dart's front seats, though not entirely bereft of lateral support, feel slightly overstuffed rather than form-fitting. The German flavor of recent Ford and GM compacts is absent here, perhaps because FIAT, though European, isn't German. Like those in the Focus and Cruze, and unlike that in the Americanized VW Jetta, the Dart's rear seat offers barely enough headroom and legroom for six-foot-tall passengers and its cushion feels undersized. The new Dodge Dart's base engine is a 2.0-liter naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine good for 160 horsepower. Spend another $1,300 and you get a turbocharged 1.4-liter engine good for…160 horsepower. But the boosted engine is considerably torquier at middling engine speeds, 184 pound-feet at 2,500 rpm vs. 148 at 4,600. Even the 2.4 that will power the R/T has less twist (171 pound-feet @4,800) if more power (184). This is what the spec sheets say, anyway. On the road, the 1.4T feels soft south of 3,000 rpm. The car's portly, midsize sedan-like 3,200-pound curb weight doesn't help, but a variant of the same engine also must be spun north of 3k in the 2,500-pound FIAT 500 Abarth for any semblance of alacrity. This engine will be available with a six-speed dual-clutch automated manual, but at intro was offered only with the three-pedal variety. The third pedal leaves much to be desired, grabbing with scant feedback only near the very top of its long, spongy travel. The shifter is similarly long of throw and somewhat clunky, but is passable aside from a metal knob that heats to finger-scorching temps in the sunlight. The Dodge Dart earned FIAT five percent of Chrysler by managing over 40 miles-per-gallon in the EPA's tests—before the adjustments to make the numbers on the window sticker realistic. The window sticker numbers aren't terribly impressive with the 2.0: 25/36 with the manual transmission and 24/34 with the automatic. The 1.4T with the manual does better, 27/39, but still falls short of the segment's best. The Dart's chassis behaves well, with decent balance, moderate lean, and minimal float or slop. Still, damping isn't as tight as in a Ford Focus or even a Buick Verano. Between this, a feedback-free electric-assist steering system, and the ever-evident aforementioned heft the Dart lacks the character of a precision instrument. A connection between car and driver proves elusive. Those seeking isolation will be more satisfied. The Dart rides softer than either the Focus or the Elantra. If and when the HVAC blower isn't working like mad, interior noise levels are very low. Credit the triple door seals that Lexus helped make popular in the 1990s but that bean counters have often cut in the years since. Dodge has much ground to regain in the compact sedan segment, so you might expect the Dart to be priced aggressively. But is it? Much like Hyundai, the Dart doesn't so much have a low price as a slightly lower price paired with more stuff. The tested middle-of-the-range SXT Rallye with 1.4T and nav listed for $22,965. About $800 of this can be chalked up to the Rallye's sportier exterior and interior trim, probably not the best value. Like with the Ford Focus, stepping up to a higher trim level adds more to the feature list than it does to the price. When loaded up with high-watt Alpine audio, nav, heated leather, and a sunroof, the Dodge Dart Limited 2.0 lists for $24,865. A similarly-equipped 2013 Ford Focus SE, among the most expensive cars in the segment, lists for $25,505. Adjust for feature differences using TrueDelta's car price comparison tool, though, and the Dodge Dart ends up with a roughly $1,000 advantage thanks to features you can't get on the Focus. These include four additional airbags, a heated steering wheel, rearview camera, rear cross-traffic detection, auto-dimming headlights, reconfigurable LCD instrumentation, and power four-way lumbar. Add the 1.4T engine to the Dodge, though, and they're back near parity. A 2013 Hyundia Elantra Limited with nav lists for $24,070, so less than the Dodge but not dramatically so. Adjust for feature differences and the Dodge ends up with a $500 advantage—until you add the 1.4T engine to get EPA numbers approaching the Hyundai's. Overall, the new Dodge Dart is a good car, but others are better looking, better constructed, more fun to drive, or more economical. An almost all-new car based on FIAT bits, its reliability very much remains to be seen. Its price is in the same ballpark as the Ford's and the Hyundai's, so until big rebates arrive, its window sticker isn't compelling. Why buy one? A few features you can't get anywhere else in the segment, but that also won't be found on most Darts on dealer lots, seem the most compelling reason. Is this enough? Brad Marshall of Suburban Chrysler in Novi, MI, provided the car. Brad can be reached at 248-427-7721. Michael Karesh operates TrueDelta, an online source of automotive pricing and reliability data. from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com | |||
| |||
| |||
|
Friday, August 17, 2012
Review: 2013 Dodge Dart SXT Rallye
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Archive
-
▼
2012
(7297)
-
▼
August
(690)
- Ford Flubs Focus First, Fixes, Fails Flat
- Mazda, Alfa Romeo Roadster Could Be The Start Of A...
- 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee: What's Changed
- 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan: What's Changed
- 2013 Jeep Wrangler Moab Edition: The ‘Tweener of t...
- Jeep Introduces Off-Road-Friendlier Grand Cherokee...
- 2013 Chrysler 300 Glacier Edition: It’s for Stylis...
- 2013 Chrysler 300: Pentastar V-6 Engine Standard A...
- Incentives Stable In August, But Automakers Are Ge...
- Are White Cars Really Popular Because of Apple?
- Pictures From The Chengdu Motor Show. The What?
- 24 Hours of LeMons Race Cars We’d Like To See, Part 2
- Lexus of Australia Reveals GS350 F Sport Safety Ca...
- Vote for the Wackiest Street Sign
- 2013 Ford Mustang GT 5.0 Convertible Tested: Top G...
- Nissan Reveals 2013 Sentra: Well, It’s Bigger
- Pink Camaro SS to Pace NASCAR Race, Raise Money fo...
- Everybody Now: August Hot, Detroit Not Cool
- Our Date With a McLaren MP4-12C Spider
- 2013 Nissan Sentra: First Look
- Nissan, Front And Sentra
- QOTD: What’s The Best Fast Car To Drive Slow?
- Mustangs: Drift v. Race
- 2013 Hyundai Elantra Coupe Video
- Marchionne’s Money: Kragujevac Can’t Pay, Brussels...
- This Is What We’re Waiting For — The Hamstars Return
- PickupTrucks.Com Tests New Pack Of Global Mid-Size...
- GT Academy Winners Announced. It’s All Dudes. Most...
- Don’t Try This At Home: Another 80s Japanese Digit...
- McLaren MP4-12C Spider Re-Reveal
- Junkyard Find: 1984 Toyota Cressida
- Meet The New Prius Owners – Or Maybe, You Don’t Wa...
- Ford Gets Sue Over Fuel Injection Patent
- Winterkorn: Marchionne Talks Nonsense
- Toyota Introduces Camry SE Sport Limited Edition; ...
- 2013 Ford Fusion Gets EPA Ratings, 1.6 EcoBoost Sc...
- Suzuki Reveals Euro-spec 2013 Grand Vitara; U.S. V...
- Turn Down Your Volume And Watch This Porsche Off-R...
- Toyota Adds Special-Edition Trim to Four-Cylinder ...
- China: Winterkorn Will “Not Tolerate” Purloined Pa...
- Where Do the Worst Drivers Live?
- Red Bull Sets David Coulthard Loose on the Streets...
- Pres. Obama Says ‘Maybe the steam engine is more R...
- Kia's Hamsters Bring Down the Opera House
- It’s War: Rich Against Poor, Germany Against France
- Car Caught in Water: What You Should Do
- Japan’s Carmakers Plan For The Worst
- Manual-Transmission Darts Are Sticking To Showroom...
- Big Brute F650 Super Duties Invade China – After P...
- Marchionne: V8 Muscle Cars To Be “Rare As White Fl...
- Junkyard Find: 1992 Plymouth Sundance
- 2012 Toyota Prius Video
- Volvo Slows Down, Workers Have To Go
- Fiat Waits For Government Money. Serbia Says It Wi...
- CAW May Try New Tactic Of Simultaneous Talks With ...
- Chart Of The Day: GM Full-Size Truck Inventory, 1/...
- Hyundai Strike Ends While Car Shortage Starts
- Sun Visors That Come Up Short
- ...
- 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT: Car Seat Check
- New Trends In Chinese Car Design: Swastikas
- 2012 BMW 328i Sedan Automatic Instrumented Test: T...
- 200-Proof LeMons Photos: ¡Revolución Limones!
- Mercedes-Benz Citan: The Renault Van with the Thre...
- 2014 Mazda 6 In Motion; Goes Nicely with Cellists ...
- Ford Could Add 2013 Fusion’s Driver-Assistance Tec...
- CAFE Standards For 2025 Released, Totaling 1,994 P...
- Cars.com Reviews the 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class
- 2013 Buick Encore Rated at 33 MPG Highway
- Mazda Boss Reveals More About Rotary Range Extender
- Moscow Motor Show: Cars For The Working Masses
- BMW Announces 2013 X1 Good for Up to 24 MPG City, ...
- Gas Prices Surge as Isaac Slams Gulf Coast
- India Predicts 6 Million EVs – Most Of Them On Two...
- TrueCar Predictions: Detroit Loses Market Share In...
- Next-Gen Cadillac Escalade To Remain “Mad Ignorant”
- 2013 BMW X1 Rated at 34 MPG
- Lincoln To China: Fresh Start, Or Relaunch?
- Junkyard Find: 1991 Dodge Shadow
- How Much Cupholder Can $126,000 Buy?
- Tales From The Cooler: France Forces All Drivers t...
- Japan’s Automakers Continue Rebound, Toyota Unstop...
- Piston Slap: Butt Draggin’ Bushings?
- How to Handle a Stuck Gas Pedal
- Cars.com Family Reviews the 2012 Toyota Corolla
- 2012 Dodge Charger Pursuit Police Package Instrume...
- Name That Exhaust Note, Episode 149
- One More Special-Edition Lamborghini Gallardo Comi...
- Lincoln to Start Selling Cars in China by Mid-2014
- Porsche’s Latest Tech Renders Heel-Toe Downshiftin...
- Buick Announces 2013 Encore Compact Crossover EPA-...
- Superlight: The 2014 Mazda 6 Debuts in Russian Spec
- Oh Look, It’s The 2014 Mazda6 Yet Again
- Next-Gen Audi A8 Likely to Ditch All-Aluminum Plat...
- It's Official: Higher Fuel Economy Standards Set f...
- 2014 Mazda6: First Look
- Where to Sit: Scion iQ's Front Seats or GMC Yukon ...
- Detroit Three Ramp Up Capacity
- Bentley to Reveal Sports-Car Concept at 2012 Paris...
- Staying Safe in the School Drop-Off Lane
-
▼
August
(690)
No comments:
Post a Comment