Montreal, Quebec -- As I sit looking at the 2013 Dodge Dart sitting in the middle of a cavernous art gallery surrounded by modern sculptures, I feel intrigued if a little confused.
For starters, the 2013 Dodge Dart is actually quite good looking. Kudos to the exterior and interior design team for launching a vehicle that's eye-catching for all the right reasons (not because it looks like a box, bulldog or some other strange creature). The Dart's front facade is just the right blend of aggressive and pretty, with a hint of modern thrown in there for good measure. Add to that the Challenger-bred taillights and you've got an entry-level vehicle that looks like it’s actually a class above that.
Where my confusion stems is in the presentation of the vehicle. From what I can gather, over the years Dodge, Chrysler and the rest of the American brands (save for Ford, perhaps), have taken a “We are American, and we are damn proud of it” stance -- and why shouldn't they? They went through an extremely rough patch during the recent recession, and they deserve to be proud of their climb back up since then. Take for example the launch of the new Chrysler line and their tagline “Imported from Detroit.”
Barn Dart
Over the years, we've seen the likes of the Neon and Caliber take to the streets. Both, in my oh-so-honest opinion, unfortunate happenings. While they met the needs of many buyers, they weren't quite what we auto journalists would call good vehicles.
Now enter attempt No. 3 on Dodge's part, and I think they've hit their barn dart on this one.
Well priced (starting at $15,995 MSRP) and well-equipped, the 2013 Dodge Dart is a welcome option to the norm (Civic, Cruze, Corolla... you get to move up a letter in the alphabet, finally!). Thanks to that, there's no worry of Dodge landing a woody on this one. The Dodge Dart will do well (my crystal ball tells me so) and here's why:
Dodge did their homework on this one. Everything from the interior design (where you can customize your gauge cluster as you would your computer desktop) to the exterior look (bred from the same stable as the new 2013 Viper) to their TV commercial (that's engaging, real and funny) was crafted to appeal to the Millenial group -- a group I just recently learned I am a part of. Even their design team was full of Millenial babies (those born to the Boomers in the '80s and early '90s).
The 2013 Dodge Dart isn't the best car in the world to drive: I found the travel long on the clutch and the distance between gears eons apart; and I hated how I felt like the seats were trying to throw me out because they were so poof-y. The 1.4L MultiAir turbo is good fun (and makes a great “I just started working out” muscle car gurgle out the rear), while the 2.0L Tigershark engine feels a bit dead in the water, for me.
And yet, it will do well; there'll be no point mongering, it'll all be legit.
For starters, the 2013 Dodge Dart is actually quite good looking. Kudos to the exterior and interior design team for launching a vehicle that's eye-catching for all the right reasons (not because it looks like a box, bulldog or some other strange creature). The Dart's front facade is just the right blend of aggressive and pretty, with a hint of modern thrown in there for good measure. Add to that the Challenger-bred taillights and you've got an entry-level vehicle that looks like it’s actually a class above that.
Where my confusion stems is in the presentation of the vehicle. From what I can gather, over the years Dodge, Chrysler and the rest of the American brands (save for Ford, perhaps), have taken a “We are American, and we are damn proud of it” stance -- and why shouldn't they? They went through an extremely rough patch during the recent recession, and they deserve to be proud of their climb back up since then. Take for example the launch of the new Chrysler line and their tagline “Imported from Detroit.”
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| Photo: Miranda Lightstone |
Barn Dart
Over the years, we've seen the likes of the Neon and Caliber take to the streets. Both, in my oh-so-honest opinion, unfortunate happenings. While they met the needs of many buyers, they weren't quite what we auto journalists would call good vehicles.
Now enter attempt No. 3 on Dodge's part, and I think they've hit their barn dart on this one.
Well priced (starting at $15,995 MSRP) and well-equipped, the 2013 Dodge Dart is a welcome option to the norm (Civic, Cruze, Corolla... you get to move up a letter in the alphabet, finally!). Thanks to that, there's no worry of Dodge landing a woody on this one. The Dodge Dart will do well (my crystal ball tells me so) and here's why:
Dodge did their homework on this one. Everything from the interior design (where you can customize your gauge cluster as you would your computer desktop) to the exterior look (bred from the same stable as the new 2013 Viper) to their TV commercial (that's engaging, real and funny) was crafted to appeal to the Millenial group -- a group I just recently learned I am a part of. Even their design team was full of Millenial babies (those born to the Boomers in the '80s and early '90s).
The 2013 Dodge Dart isn't the best car in the world to drive: I found the travel long on the clutch and the distance between gears eons apart; and I hated how I felt like the seats were trying to throw me out because they were so poof-y. The 1.4L MultiAir turbo is good fun (and makes a great “I just started working out” muscle car gurgle out the rear), while the 2.0L Tigershark engine feels a bit dead in the water, for me.
And yet, it will do well; there'll be no point mongering, it'll all be legit.