On Kelly Blue Book....

http://www.kbb.com/dodge/dart/2013-d...category=sedan

The Rallye I priced out came to $23,360 (Including destination)

Options:

Pitch Black (N/C)
Black/Ruby Interior (N/C)
Quick Order Package 23T (Std Equipment) (N/C)
1.4 Liter Turbo ($1,300)
6-speed Manual (N/C)
Popular Equipment Group ($295)
Premium Audio Group ($595)
UConnect System ($295)
Alpine 9-speaker Audio ($495)
Sirius XM Radio $195
Hyper Black Aluminum Wheels ($395)

R/T isn't available for build your own as of yet...only SE, SXT, Rallye, and Limited.

The Dodge website still doesn't have build your own Dart yet.

It is a balancing trick introducing an emotional car as the Alfa Romeo in the US. Somehow the Dodge Dart achieves a striking balance.



It’s clear that both Chrysler and Fiat are trying to introduce fuel efficient cars in the US. Chrysler and its Dodge derivative were not well known for fuel efficiency in the past but things have changed for the better. In fact, according to Reid Bigland, President and CEO of Dodge brand and head of sales for Chrysler Group LLC the company has done very, very well since its near-death brush by completely repaying all of its government loans with full interest and ahead of schedule. It gets even better, Dodge now has a neat little car that borrows some of the Alfa Romeo DNA from its Fiat partner. As to the burning question why the Dart name, the answer is clear. Most 30 to 40 year olds won’t remember the original Dart and the name conjures fun and dynamism. Indeed, it delivered well on its name.

Alfa Romeo, Dodge or Fiat? The answer to this question is a little of all. While the car rests on Alfa Romeo’s fantastic Giulietta platform, Fiat components marry themselves well with a higher quality Chrysler product the company now delivers. In plain words, the Dart looks good, feels great and shows an unsurpassed quality fit and finish.

Where is the Alfa Romeo in it all? You will definitely find it in the handling and braking. The car is truly what you would expect from the old Italian race company. It’s hard to fault it. It will stop on a dime. Its turn radius is surprising and the car is comfortable enough to be driven from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, thanks to its 6 speed gear box.

Where is the Fiat in it all? Fiat shows up in the award winning 1.4 liter MultiAir turbo charged engine. The sprite and lively little 1.4 makes you forget you are moving a compact car, that feels more like a mid-size inside. It comes wildly alive over 4,000 rpm, easily flirting with the 7,000 with an enthusiastic roar. The gear box is also a Fiat product, perfect for city driving.

Where is the Dodge in it all? That was the harder question to answer. I’ve always wanted to drive the Neon SRT but feared its quality. I had no such fear with the Dart. It is well made, sports many luxuries only found in higher priced cars and felt great all around.

In essence, this is the closest thing you will get to owning a new Alfa Romeo in the US. The car feels and handles like one and true to its origin, without sacrificing comfort, efficiency nor fuel economy. With 41 mpg, and I assume with low rolling resistance tire 42+, this sub $17,000 Dodge Dart will give a vastly improve fit and finished, have fun in city driving and still take you far on our endless highways.

I made all the questions bold to make it easier to read, some good questions asked here:




Written by: Christian Seabaugh [G+] on May 16 2012 1:00 PM
http://wot.motortrend.com/from-fiat-...nd-206091.html



Chrysler and Dodge chief Reid Bigland stopped by our El Segundo headquarters yesterday with Dodge president Richard Cox to personally drop off a 2013 Dodge Dart test vehicle.

Bigland and Cox arrived in a handsome black Dart Limited. The Dart Limited comes standard with foglights, attractive chrome bright work surrounding the signature Dodge crosshair grille, and a sharp-looking reconfigurable seven-inch display mounted front and center in the instrument panel. Powering this particular Dart is the 160-hp 2.0-liter “Tigershark” I-4 bolted to a six-speed automatic transmission. Stay tuned for performance data on this 2013 Dart.

Before Bigland and Cox arrived, editor-in-chief Ed Loh asked for questions to ask the Pentastar execs from his own Twitter followers and those of Motor Trend. Here are the questions you guys most wanted Bigland to answer:



Are they excited to take on Chevy’s new RWD performance sedan? – @AlexVGMI

With what, Viper? Viper’s ready to take on all challengers. I’m not sure what Chevy he’s referring to, but if you look at the Dodge portfolio the Viper’s coming out, it’s like Madonna – just one name now for that thing…it’s the closest thing to a rocket ship on wheels that anybody’s going to find. And the other great thing about Dodge is we’ve still got a number of the classic muscle cars in our portfolio. Long live the classic American muscle car in the Dodge Charger, as well as the Dodge Challenger, which you see a lot of out here in California.







Why won’t they put a 6 speed manual in the Charger? I realize it’s a small market but I want it so bad, simple too. – @B_Krivacek

Six-speed? We’ve completely passed the six-speed on the manual and we’ve jumped to an eight-speed automatic! Eight-speed automatic getting 31 mpg mated to the 3.6-liter engine, one of Ward’s top 10 best engines for two years in a row, and that 31 mpg is best-in-class V-6 midsize fuel economy in a full-size car.

So never going to happen?

You never say never.



Ford & GM have already made a foray into India. How does @Chrysler/Dodge see India in terms of its strategy [with respect to] int’l markets? – @Sir_Nyke

I have to defer to my colleague Mike Manley, who is in charge of Asia there. We’re doing a lot of double badging there. In fact, the Dart is being badged a Fiat Viaggio in China — we just unveiled it at the Beijing auto show — and I think that’s going to make its way into the Indian market.



Manual transmission in Charger? Magnum revival? Dart SRT4 with at least the same specs as Neon SRT-4? – @CMCniece

No plans for a Magnum revival and no plans right now for an SRT Dart. He’s going to be disappointed, that guy.



Full ZF 8-speed auto integration timetable for Hemi V-8s? – @Utslick68

Soon. Soon-ish. [To Chrysler PR rep] Have we announced anything on that yet? [She shakes her head no] Stay tuned.



What has enabled Dodge/Chrysler to make a successful RWD platform over their competitors, like GM for example? – @SSaxman

I think the key with the rear-wheel-drive platform and even larger vehicle platforms like our LX platform that houses the 300, the Charger, and the Challenger is to make those relevant for the time, and particularly relevant from a fuel economy perspective. Putting the Pentastar V-6 in there, mating it to an eight-speed, makes these vehicles still relevant in a world of $100 a barrel gasoline, and $4.00 a gallon gasoline at the pumps. That’s really the key to these cars, and making them all-wheel drive in the case of the 300 and the Charger, so the rear-wheel-drive vehicles can also be offered as a version for the Northeast.







From @jmastinef:

Are they working on or considering working on electric/hybrid electric platforms for their sports segment (Challenger/Viper)?

Not at this time.



Have they considered taking Ford’s lead moving forward with more fuel efficient trucks? Moving towards turbocharging to up efficiency?

As of right now the new Ram that we announced at the New York Auto Show will have best-in-class full-size pickup truck fuel economy based on where the competition is at today.



In hindsight do they stand by their marketing campaign with Jennifer Lopez, or do they agree it was a step in the wrong direction?

You know I think with J. Lo, at the time with the Fiat we really suffered with an awareness issue with respect to that car. All-new car, all-new brand coming into the North American marketplace, and the one thing that J. Lo and our affiliation with her did was really put the car out there from an awareness perspective. So I think mission accomplished with that; it was on the music awards, it was in her video, and certainly people were talking about the Fiat, but now we’ve shifted in a little bit of a different direction.



Are the Fiat 500s living up to expectations and should we see more growth in their small city car lineup?

Yes, absolutely. Number one small car in Canada. I think we set some sales expectations in year one that in hindsight we probably shouldn’t have set, but in March we set a sales record for Fiat, in April we set another sales record for Fiat, and so far so good now in May as we’ve got the Abarth out too.



With the Mustang and Camaro upping their game in the last year does @Dodge have a strategy to keep up with the competition?

I think that with the ‘Vette that the Viper is clearly the product we’re bringing to market in Quarter Four. … We’ve been battling it out with [Camaro and Mustang] in those segments since 1970. We’ll continue to stay competitive in the classic American muscle car segment; we think the Challenger today offers attributes that they don’t, the back seat, the full-size trunk, a little more roominess, but we’re going to continue to make tweaks and evolutions to those products just as we have the past few years.

After 36 years, the Dodge Dart is back, and it's no retro model.

The 2013 Dart five-seat sedan is modern and stylish, with European handling and heritage, fun features, 10 air bags and fuel-thrifty engines, including two turbos. And smart design and attention to detail inside the Dart successfully groups the information from the gauges with the controls in the center of the dashboard better than any car — Dodge or otherwise.

The slew of features, standard on some models and optional on others, include denim material seat inserts, heated steering wheel and a 8.4-inch touch screen with touch screen buttons bigger than most finger tips.

All Darts also come with a uniquely spacious single glovebox with deep-into-the-dashboard depth. There's also a standard hiding place for small items under the front-passenger seat cushion. The cushion pulls up to reveal the hidden storage area.

And in its later-arriving Aero model, the new Dart is expected to garner a highway rating of at least 41 miles per gallon in federal government fuel economy tests.

Best of all, the Dart has a competitive starting retail price of $16,790 for a base SE with 160-horsepower, 2-liter, naturally aspirated, four-cylinder engine. This model, with six-speed manual transmission, is rated at 25/36 mpg, and doesn't have air conditioning.

A Dart with turbocharged, 1.4-liter, four-cylinder engine and air conditioning has a starting manufacturer's suggested retail price, including destination charge, of $19,295. By comparison, the 2012 Hyundai Elantra sedan starts at $16,120 with 148-horsepower, naturally aspirated four cylinder and manual transmission, while the base, 2012 Honda Civic sedan with 140-horsepower four cylinder and manual tranny starts at $16,785.

Neither the Elantra nor Civic sedans come with turbos for 2012.

More than 3.6 million Dodge Darts were sold between 1960 and 1976. Back then, the Dart was a pure American car with naturally aspirated six-cylinder engines and racing stripes. The mid-size car became popular with young people and found its way to drag strips.

Today's Dart comes from a Chrysler company that has Fiat ownership, and the new Dart rides on the modified architecture of a front-wheel drive Fiat.

The new Dart includes models that showcase performance, albeit via four-cylinder powerplants to satisfy consumers' need for high fuel mileage.

A top 2013 Dart R/T, for example, will debut in the third quarter of this year with 184-horsepower engine. But it will be a turbocharged four cylinder and the car still will include sleek, exterior styling designed to improve fuel efficiency.

The test Dart Limited with optional 160-horsepower, turbocharged four- and six-speed manual moved with spunk on both flat and uphill roads. Working the gears, I could get good pickup, and the car readily responded to gear changes and accelerator pedal pressure. There was just a hint of a turbo lag as power came on.

Engine sounds were nearly constant, far more so than in the quieter interior of the Hyundai Elantra.

The Dart's manual transmission had a satisfying feel and shifted smoothly. Gears were easy to find, and the clutch pedal was neither too light nor too heavy.

The tester averaged 29.1 miles per gallon in combined city/highway/country road driving. Note that Dodge states this turbo can operate on regular or premium gasoline.

The test Dart felt heavier than expected, perhaps in part because Dodge refers to this four-door car as a compact sedan. In fact, by federal government measurements, the Dart is a mid-size, and it weighs more than 3,180 pounds, which is 500 pounds more than a 2012 Elantra or a Civic sedan.

The Dart, however, did not ride ponderously. Rather, the overall impression is of a substantial car that's stable, and it's not a feeling often found in this class of car. It clung to the pavement tenaciously in sweeping curves and tracked confidently, always staying in its lane with just a bit of an adjustment to the steering wheel.

Passengers felt road vibrations a good amount of the time, and road noise from the tires came through to the interior. But this tangible connection to the road is bound to please drivers who prefer European surefootedness. Better yet, the Dart's solid handling characteristics come without harshness and without a punishing ride.

The test Dart had good-looking leather-covered seats whose cushions provided a plush feel as opposed to the firm foam feel of the Corolla and Ford Focus seats. The interior has soft-touch, pleasant plastic; it gives a bit when pressed and looks upscale, as plastics go. Ceiling material could be mistaken for the high-quality stuff seen in Volkswagens.

The 13.1-cubic-foot trunk is a welcome surprise. It's bigger than the 12.5-cubic-foot trunk in the Civic and the lift to get items inside is not strenuous.

The big touch screen in the test car is one of the best in the car business. Easy to operate, it was colorful but not gaudy.

1964 Dodge Dart Commercial





Remember the Dodge Dart? No, not the Dodge Dart that was introduced at the Detroit Auto Show but the original Dodge Dart from the 1960s.

The Dodge Dart that debuted at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit is a front-drive compact four-door sedan based on an Alfa-Romeo platform and powered by an engine it will share with Alfa. Look for it later this year as a 2013 model.

The history of the original Dodge Dart, on the other hand, began in 1960 as a lower-priced alternative to the full-size Dodge, though only slightly shorter. It was still a big car—its wheelbase measured 118 inches and it was 209.4 inches long—almost a foot longer than today’s Chrysler 300. Although initially popular, it was restyled for 1961 and sales dropped precipitously, just in time for the 1962 Dart to arrive.

The new Dodge Dart was smaller than the 1961 model but was closer to what would become known as an intermediate. The styling was unusual if not actually unique, with two headlights in the grille and two in the fenders under an eyebrow that extended back into the front door.



Meanwhile, Plymouth—Chrysler’s lower-priced spread—had introduced the Valiant, sized to meet the challenge from the new American compact cars—Rambler American, Ford Falcon, and the Chevy II (and the rear-engined Corvair, a novelty on the market—which were a response to the small foreign cars that were flooding the market, and of which only the Volkswagen survived in any number.

The new 1960 Plymouth Valiant was based on an all-new unit body chassis and used Chrysler’s iconic torsion bar front suspension and rear leaf springs. The only engine was the all-new and destined to become famous “slant six.” Styling was similar to that of the 1962 Dart…or perhaps it was the other way around as the Valiant came first. The Valiant was joined in 1961 by the Dodge Lancer, essentially a clone but with a Dodge badge.

For the 1963 model year, however, Chrysler Corp. decided to jumble up the nomenclature. The Dodge Dart of 1961-62 went away in 1963 but the name was applied to the next generation of Dodge compact, Lancer having been put on dry ice for later use. Plymouth Valiant continued and it and the Dart, as compact economy cars, were available only with the 170 and 225-cubic inch slant six engines. The Dart came in five body styles, however, including a four-door sedan, two-door sedan (post), two-door hard top (no post), convertible and a station wagon. In mid-year, the higher trim line Dart GT was added, but still only with a six and only as a hardtop or convertible.