Dodge Dart news

theColonel · Post by **theColonel** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 8:32 am

Midnight_Rider wrote:As great as the Dart looks, why did I spend more time looking at the Neon in those pics?

The Neon is far better looking ... but the Dart is better than the "POS Caliber" it replaces.

NEON PARABOLA · Post by **NEON PARABOLA** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 9:57 am

I see it as a improvement over the neon, like a 4th gen neon..all grown up and smart

Midnight_Rider · Post by **Midnight_Rider** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 2:05 pm

NEON PARABOLA wrote:I see it as a improvement over the neon, like a 4th gen neon..all grown up and smart

This. If DCX hadn't cheapened the Neon so much, I have a feeling that Chrysler Group would have called the new vehicle "Neon" instead of Dart. Would actually be a 3GN (the Caliber didn't count as a 3GN Neon).

Hudson_Neon · Post by **Hudson_Neon** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 2:21 pm

Uh oh, here comes the 3GN comments... Didn't we come up with something that would make the dart a 12GN? Lol

Midnight_Rider · Post by **Midnight_Rider** » Fri Jun 29, 2012 3:49 am

Okay, I'll shut up then.

MyNeonSaysHi · Post by **MyNeonSaysHi** » Sat Jun 30, 2012 12:39 am

Car is too fat with too many safety features.

Stealership has not got them yet....

BlackRoseRacing · Post by **BlackRoseRacing** » Sat Jun 30, 2012 9:24 am

We have one also on our showroom, the inside of the car is about the same as my wife's 200 Convertible, size wise. And the 1.4L Fiat engine, 170hp, not bad since its coming from a 1.4L. I would not own one though since it is a FIAT and not a Dodge. Even my wife's 200 has the Chrysler engine in it and not the WORLD engine...
Cudo's for Dodge to bring this out, but not really my cup of tea...

theColonel · Post by **theColonel** » Sat Jun 30, 2012 1:16 pm

Two of the New Orleans stealerships have one each of the new cars. It's pretty, but the cars are equipped with the Fiat 500 Abarth engines, and "loaded" with useless crap.
The bottom line is $22,600 for a car that has a less favorable weight/power ratio than a 2005 Dodge Neon SXT. It definitely doesn't deserve to be referred to as 3GN Neon.

If I were in the market for a small car now, my choice would be a Hyundai Elantra. It's not worth waiting for the Dodge Dart R/T or the SRT Dart. Let the flaming begin

UriahRR · Post by **UriahRR** » Sat Jun 30, 2012 11:10 pm

Lane, you're a brute, but you see the truth.
You and I, see eye to eye.

NEON PARABOLA · Post by **NEON PARABOLA** » Sat Jun 30, 2012 11:14 pm

went and saw one today, not impressed with the looks in person. I think I will save my money and do a srt swap

titansxt · Post by **titansxt** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 10:02 am

Sigh.... Whoever said they were lug bolts was correct. I was really hoping that was wrong.

Saw the window sticker and the car is only 52% North American. Not happy at all about that!

NEON PARABOLA · Post by **NEON PARABOLA** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 10:11 am

yep, no longer in the fan club.... 52% is shit

r/tguy02 · Post by **r/tguy02** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 10:35 am

where's the other 48% made? italy?

Midnight_Rider · Post by **Midnight_Rider** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 2:14 pm

titansxt wrote:Saw the window sticker and the car is only 52% North American. Not happy at all about that!

For me, this is the first bad news that I've heard about the Dart. I hadn't seen a window sticker to check out the content level so this makes me very sad. I mean, I wonder if I checked the window stickers of Hondas from Greensburg, IN or Subarus from Lafayette, IN that they might have a higher US-Canadian content level? C'mon Chrysler Group...

Post by **jonnymopar** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 3:50 pm

theColonel wrote:If I were in the market for a small car now, my choice would be a Hyundai Elantra.

Mazda3 for me, with pretty much zero competition in sight.

We'll see how the Dart does. I'm at about 150k miles on the Neon right now, and with all the miles I pack on the Daytona instead during the nicer weather, my Neon may just about last forever.

titansxt · Post by **titansxt** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 4:25 pm

Midnight_Rider wrote:
titansxt wrote:Saw the window sticker and the car is only 52% North American. Not happy at all about that!

For me, this is the first bad news that I've heard about the Dart. I hadn't seen a window sticker to check out the content level so this makes me very sad. I mean, I wonder if I checked the window stickers of Hondas from Greensburg, IN or Subarus from Lafayette, IN that they might have a higher US-Canadian content level? C'mon Chrysler Group...

You and I are the Made in USA guys, thats for sure. I'm hoping a lot of this is just parts from Europe that will eventually make their way to US suppliers. I believe the "Dart" badge is made in Croatia (or something like that). Unlike the Neon and Caliber badging which was mostly USA. The speakers in the 2000-2003 / early 04 Neons were all made in Mexico, then they went to china made ones. The Dart has made in china speakers.

theColonel · Post by **theColonel** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 5:02 pm

r/tguy02 wrote:where's the other 48% made? italy?

Probably Sri Lanka, Vietnam, or communist China

I'm pleased with how Fiat improved the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Chrysler 200, and Dodge Avenger. However, the "made for America"
Fiat 500 and the Dodge Dart are huge disappointments.

In the future I'll buy Japanese or Korean automobiles assembled in America's Heartland (Toyota in Kentucky, or Hyundai in Alabama).

titansxt · Post by **titansxt** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 5:37 pm

theColonel wrote:
r/tguy02 wrote:where's the other 48% made? italy?
Probably Sri Lanka, Vietnam, or communist China

I'm pleased with how Fiat improved the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Chrysler 200, and Dodge Avenger. However, the "made for America"
Fiat 500 and the Dodge Dart are huge disappointments.

In the future I'll buy Japanese or Korean automobiles assembled in America's Heartland (Toyota in Kentucky, or Hyundai in Alabama).

If you ask me, Belvidere, IL is more heartland than Alabama. The Dart still beats both of those in percent made in North America.

Go get yourself a Matrix, at 95% US it is the most patriotic. Or pick up an Avalon at 85%, a Chevy commercial van at 82%, or an Accord at 80%. The LX cars (made in Canada) are not even 10% more than the Dart.

theColonel · Post by **theColonel** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 6:08 pm

titansxt wrote:If you ask me, Belvidere, IL is more heartland than Alabama. The Dart still beats both of those in percent made in North America.

Go get yourself a Matrix, at 95% US it is the most patriotic. Or pick up an Avalon at 85%, a Chevy commercial van at 82%, or an Accord at 80%. The LX cars (made in Canada)
are not even 10% more than the Dart.

pure bias on my part ... I was born & raised in Lexington, KY ... 15 miles from Georgetown, where my Toyota Avalon was built.

Alabama is far more like Louisiana than Illinois could ever be

ragek23 · Post by **ragek23** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 2:44 pm

titansxt wrote:Saw the window sticker and the car is only 52% North American. Not happy at all about that!

I can't belive you are suprised by that! They just launched the model and they told everyone it would be based on an alpha rameo chassis. So right there thats the majority of the car. I am sure most of the electronics, headlights, tailights etc. don't come from the US. I am really surprised that much of it does come from the US especially in it's first year of production. I am sure as the model progresses things will change. Hell, the whole rally car minus the shell was made in sweden or norway.

To be honest most cars today dont' impress me too much. Their power/weight ratio has gone down almost across the board. fuel efficiency hasn't changed too much. How do you get a fiat 500 to weigh so much? Never mind the fiat, the Dart weights 3200lbs and it only uses the arbath 1.4T engine! I don't get how you can put 15lbs of crap in a 5lb pail and expect it to perform well. This car should be weighing in at 2800lbs with the same engine. No wonder all the reviews say the 2.0L engine is sluggish at high speeds. Its like riding with 4 ppl in my neon

.

titansxt · Post by **titansxt** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 11:17 pm

ragek23 wrote:
titansxt wrote:Saw the window sticker and the car is only 52% North American. Not happy at all about that!

I can't belive you are suprised by that! They just launched the model and they told everyone it would be based on an alpha rameo chassis. So right there thats the majority of the car. I am sure most of the electronics, headlights, tailights etc. don't come from the US. I am really surprised that much of it does come from the US especially in it's first year of production. I am sure as the model progresses things will change. Hell, the whole rally car minus the shell was made in sweden or norway.

Just because a car is based off of a European chasis does not mean every part has to come from those suppliers. In fact that makes very little sense. Any issue in shipping across the sea will cause a huge ripple in the supply of the car. A lot of auto factories only keep a few days worth of parts on hand.

But yes, I was thinking that the part percent might go up once more suppliers in the US get picked up. Or I was also thinking it will go far down when the Viaggio gets into full swing. I'm hoping cheap chinese parts don't make their way onto our Darts.

Midnight_Rider · Post by **Midnight_Rider** » Wed Jul 04, 2012 2:30 am

titansxt wrote:Any issue in shipping across the sea will cause a huge ripple in the supply of the car. A lot of auto factories only keep a few days worth of parts on hand.

Exactly. Look at the financial woes that beset the Japanese automakers after the earthquake and tsunami interrupted their supply chain; in fact, some of the market share gained by the domestic manufacturers was due to the Japanese plants being down due to the disasters.

titansxt wrote:I'm hoping cheap chinese parts don't make their way onto our Darts.

You and me both. I am hoping that, once Dart production has geared up, Chrysler Group will be able to increase the US-Canadian content. The reliance on foreign parts makers may have been just to get the car to market quicker. You have to remember that Chrysler has been out of this market segment since DCX killed the Neon.

titansxt · Post by **titansxt** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 9:49 am

Midnight_Rider wrote: You and me both. I am hoping that, once Dart production has geared up, Chrysler Group will be able to increase the US-Canadian content.

Midnight_Rider · Post by **Midnight_Rider** » Mon Jul 09, 2012 7:26 am

Hudson_Neon · Post by **Hudson_Neon** » Mon Jul 09, 2012 9:13 am

Did some talking with the Mopar and SRT guys at Carlisle. No, I didn't get to see Ralph, but the other guys had some direction pointing info for me. Mopar has stage kits in development for the 1.4 turbo and SRT says that pretty much the last piece of the puzzle is figuring out if they wanna use a beefed up 1.4 or use the 2.4. They're trying to keep customer cost in mind

r/tguy02 · Post by **r/tguy02** » Mon Jul 09, 2012 10:15 am

i was really hoping to see a boosted version of the 2.4 in the srt model

theColonel · Post by **theColonel** » Mon Jul 09, 2012 3:39 pm

Hudson_Neon wrote:Did some talking with the Mopar and SRT guys at Carlisle. No, I didn't get to see Ralph, but the other guys had some direction pointing info for me. Mopar has stage kits in development for the 1.4 turbo and SRT says that pretty much the last piece of the puzzle is figuring out if they wanna use a beefed up 1.4 or use the 2.4. They're trying to keep customer cost in mind

Beefing up the 1.4 turbo makes sense for the Fiat 500 Abarth, but the Dart is too heavy ... I think it needs a V6 ... so far the Dart seems like a 2GN Caliber

Hudson_Neon · Post by **Hudson_Neon** » Mon Jul 09, 2012 4:06 pm

Well I can tell you that they're looking at the 1.4 or 2.4. Not a v6

theColonel · Post by **theColonel** » Mon Jul 09, 2012 4:17 pm

^^^ Would you buy a 2009 Dodge Caliber SRT-4 ?

Hudson_Neon · Post by **Hudson_Neon** » Mon Jul 09, 2012 4:48 pm

No, cause the exterior is ugly as sin