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Old 10-21-2012, 10:14 PM
 
Location: Louisville KY
4,857 posts, read 5,773,236 times
Reputation: 4341

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That is sin^, anyway I was hoping for a rwd 4banger coupe. Not an ugly pos. I actually saw a srt4 caliber in black. The only one ive seen that looked good and not like some industrial vehicle.
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Old 10-21-2012, 10:23 PM
 
Location: Metro Phoenix
11,048 posts, read 16,759,976 times
Reputation: 12942
I'll probably get dumped on for saying this, but I think that the new Dart is a pretty good looking car.

I don't think that there's anything wrong with them reusing the Dart name; it sounds cooler than "Neon." The Neon name has a reputation as an entry-level economy car, and they don't necessarily have a stellar reputation. When it was introduced in the early 90's, the word "neon" was good for the time - neon colors were popular, it seemed vibrant and cool and new. Now? Uh, not so much.

Also, it's not like they're calling this new car the Super Bee: the Dart is not a hallowed, revered classic badge to the vast bulk of people. It's a cool, aggressive sounding name that's meant to liven up and rekindle interest in a new model.
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Old 10-21-2012, 11:14 PM
 
Location: Northridge/Porter Ranch, Calif.
24,454 posts, read 33,141,227 times
Reputation: 7594
Quote:
Originally Posted by frankgn87 View Post
New and old Dart shares nothing but a name.
Exactly, the new one looks like yet another Japanese car.

I like the real Dodge Darts... when they had their own styling, a wide choice of engines and were owned by an American car company.

Here is a 1965 Convertible...




And a 1969 GTS 340...




I owned a '66 Dart GT V-8 for many years. 273 V-8 engine, 3-speed Torqueflite, bucket seats, console, etc. I did some basic mods. It was fun to drive, which is why it was my daily driver for 16 years. Wheelbase was 111" with an overall length of 196.3". I had it weighed, too... 3,180 lbs. Here is a photo of it...


I wouldn't mind owning a '68-'69 GTS, 340 engine, 3.91 gears, Torqueflite transmission. It would run easy low-to-mid 14s and was a rugged engine (and car).
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Old 10-21-2012, 11:42 PM
 
Location: Northeast Tennessee
7,305 posts, read 28,107,243 times
Reputation: 5523
I am about to go to bed, but I want to post more on this car tomorrow, but for now, the latest IIHS crash tests are out for the Dart and it has received some impressive ratings!

'13 Dart - (it also got high ratings in side crash and roof strength test)






IIHS-HLDI: Dodge Dart

'95 Neon in comparison -



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Old 10-22-2012, 07:34 AM
 
Location: Lafayette, Louisiana
14,100 posts, read 28,397,150 times
Reputation: 8075
Those were nice, but not very common even during the time they were built. The most common Darts sold were the extremely dull boring and slow slant 6 versions. During the gas crisis they even came out with a special edition Dart/Duster with extra weight reductions and carb tuning for maximum fuel economy (pretty good MPG for an American car in it's time). Most Darts were the 60s/70s Corolla, appliance reliable transportation. When we think of cars like the Dart, Nova, or Falcon we think of those performance models. We always seem to forget the volume models which had no performance at all. Their virtue was a smooth reliable inline 6 cylinder engine that rarely ever broke down and was easy to work on even for a novice mechanic, something you can't say about most modern cars.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fleet View Post
Exactly, the new one looks like yet another Japanese car.

I like the real Dodge Darts... when they had their own styling, a wide choice of engines and were owned by an American car company.

Here is a 1965 Convertible...




And a 1969 GTS 340...




I owned a '66 Dart GT V-8 for many years. 273 V-8 engine, 3-speed Torqueflite, bucket seats, console, etc. I did some basic mods. It was fun to drive, which is why it was my daily driver for 16 years. Wheelbase was 111" with an overall length of 196.3". I had it weighed, too... 3,180 lbs. Here is a photo of it...


I wouldn't mind owning a '68-'69 GTS, 340 engine, 3.91 gears, Torqueflite transmission. It would run easy low-to-mid 14s and was a rugged engine (and car).
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Old 10-22-2012, 08:00 AM
 
Location: Pikesville, MD
5,228 posts, read 15,199,127 times
Reputation: 4846
yeah, the Dart was primarily an economy car with barely any style. The performance ones are cool, but the bulk of them were not.



The new one is an Alfa under the skin, and as such has a bit of italian fun to drive even in it's base version, though the base version is bland in apperarance. There will be a performance version, as they are already running a turbo AWD version in motorsports.





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Old 10-22-2012, 08:22 AM
 
Location: WFNJ
1,037 posts, read 3,141,594 times
Reputation: 1068
I didn't realize how much the new Dart looks like the Neon. I can't unsee it now.
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Old 10-22-2012, 08:25 AM
 
458 posts, read 1,241,695 times
Reputation: 306
I like the look of the new Dart. Looks really good in red. The old Dart was a reliable economy car and that's why they re-used that name. Chrysler is trying to lose their bad rep in reliability. It's not really surprising the car resembles a Neon considering that was Dodge's most recent compact sedan. This new car is a bit different than a Neon though and they wanted to separate it.

The current models are a bit underpowered though. The Dart is nearly the size of a midsize sedan and the 2.0L and 1.4T are just small engines for this car. Even the R/T leaves something to be desired, especially for the 22.5k starting price tag it's hard to justify that cost. At that price tag you might as well go for a base GTI or the upcoming Focus ST. I guess if you absolutely have to have a sedan...
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Old 10-22-2012, 08:43 AM
 
Location: Lake Mary, Florida
793 posts, read 2,516,479 times
Reputation: 272
The 18 to 20 something crowd will love this car which is the main focus in my eyes.

I say kudos to Dodge!!

Hope this helps,
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Old 10-22-2012, 09:10 AM
 
Location: Lafayette, Louisiana
14,100 posts, read 28,397,150 times
Reputation: 8075
Quote:
Originally Posted by Engineer_Guy View Post
I like the look of the new Dart. Looks really good in red. The old Dart was a reliable economy car and that's why they re-used that name. Chrysler is trying to lose their bad rep in reliability. It's not really surprising the car resembles a Neon considering that was Dodge's most recent compact sedan. This new car is a bit different than a Neon though and they wanted to separate it.

The current models are a bit underpowered though. The Dart is nearly the size of a midsize sedan and the 2.0L and 1.4T are just small engines for this car. Even the R/T leaves something to be desired, especially for the 22.5k starting price tag it's hard to justify that cost. At that price tag you might as well go for a base GTI or the upcoming Focus ST. I guess if you absolutely have to have a sedan...
The 1.4L turbo has about 30 more HP than a new Corolla while providing much better fuel economy. The R/T has the buzzy Chrysler 2.4L that's been around for far too long. It was in the 2007 Sebring and is still used in the Chrysler 200. I wouldn't call it a performance engine. If the transmission is geared right, it'll be a comfortable torque engine.
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