Dodge just pulled the covers off its new compact sedan, the Dart. We're impressed. With an official base price of $15,995, the Dart (pardon us, please, just this once) seems to be a bulls eye to the heart of the small car segment in the United States.
We're eager to spend a few minutes behind the wheel of this Italian/American conglomeration, since its specifications appear to put it at the forefront of a hotly contested segment. For starters, there's a very impressive available seven-inch TFT display to replace the standard analog gauges, which is paired with an 8.4-inch touch screen panel at the center of the dash. The digital cluster is customizable by the driver with two different base display options, along with nine more menu functions.
As far as styling goes, nobody is going to confuse the Dart with the Alfa Romeo Giulietta on which it's based. There's the expected crosshair front grille, though it's smaller and better integrated with the overall flowing design ethos. Such impressions are helped by the massaging done to Fiat's platform; the Dart is stretched in all directions compared to its Alfa-badged sibling.
That enlarged platform means the Dart is rather well-endowed when it comes to interior space with a total of 97.2 cubic feet. Dodge has managed to squeeze in 35.3 inches of rear legroom, which it says is more than the mid-size Hyundai Sonata sedan. Buyers looking to customize their rides will be pleased to see 14 available interior and trim combinations.
Power will come from one of three powerplants, two of which are naturally aspirated – a 2.0-liter Tigershark inline-four producing 160 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque, and a 2.4-liter Tigershark four with 184 hp and 171 lb-ft. Naturally, our attention is focused on the 1.4-liter turbocharged MultiAir four with 160 horses and 184 lb-ft, which we suspect will be the most fuel efficient engine of the three. Transmissions at launch will all have six speeds: one manual, one automatic and a dual-clutch gearbox with the turbo mill. A nine-speed automatic is in the works for 2013.
Source: Autoblog
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