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2013 Dodge Dart Dealer




January 7th Detroit Auto Show Unveiling


Reid Bigland, head of the Dodge brand, said today that the sporty 2013 Dodge Dart "will shatter perceptions of what a compact car should be" as he introduced it at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. "The all-new Dodge Dart is a revolutionary car," Bigland said. "This car will bring forth the best of European engineering and Dodge dynamics." Bigland said the starting price for the Dart will be $15,995, a price that is lower than the Chevrolet Cruze, Ford Focus and Hyundai Elantra.

He also said he expects the Dart to be certified by the government at 40 miles per gallon on the highway, making the Dart competitive with the Elantra and certain versions of the Chevrolet Cruze and Ford Focus. Bigland declined to say if all versions of the Dart will get 40 m.p.g. on the highway or if only an economy version will achieve that level of efficiency. The Dart is expected to be Chrysler's first credible compact car for any Chrysler brand in years.

It also is the first car to combine Fiat and Chrysler technology and symbolizes the combination of the two companies because it is built on a widened and lengthened version of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta. Boasting features ranging from knee air bags and blind-spot alert to high-efficiency engines and transmissions, the 2013 Dodge Dart will be the most advanced and fuel efficient compact vehicle the Chrysler Group has ever built when it replaces the Caliber. The sleek Dart uses a heavily modified version of the platform Chrysler's partner Fiat developed for the sporty European Alfa Romeo Giulietta.

The Dart is a full 12.0 inches longer than the Giulietta. Its wheelbase is 4.0 inches longer and its track 3.0 inches wider. Dodge says the Dart has more rear legroom than the Hyundai Sonata midsize sedan. The interior features an 8.4-inch touch screen, reconfigurable instruments, soft-touch materials and optional Nappa leather. Noteworthy exterior design touches include full-width LED tail lights, flared front fenders and a slim execution of Dodge's crosshair grille. Engines include a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder that produces 160 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque, a 160-hp 2.0-liter and a 184-hp 2.4-liter, all built at Chrysler's Dundee plant. Chrysler will offer three different six-speed transmissions: a dual-clutch, a manual and a conventional automatic.

2013 Dodge Dart

Dodge's new small car arrives? ....with a heavy Italian accent.

  • December 2011

Dodge has pulled the sheet off of its new Alfa Romeo based 2013 compact car and announced that it will be called Dart. Set to debut in January at the Detroit auto show, the Dart features three engines and three transmission options and aggressive styling reminiscent of the larger Charger. We've only got one question: How do you say "Dart" in Italian? Actually, it's a three-part question: Wouldn't you rather say "Demon" in Italian? Or "Hornet"?

Front-Drive, Not a Muscle Car

If the resurrected Dart name had you daydreaming of late-1960s Mopar muscle, we'll stop you right here. The 2013 Dart rides on a front-wheel-drive platform adapted from the Alfa Romeo Giulietta. Compared to the Giulietta, the Dart is wider and longer, its new architecture dubbed Compact U.S. Wide. Don't let all of the air out of the Fun Balloon quite yet; the small Alfa is a fine driver's car (you can read our drive of a 2010 Giulietta here).

The Dart's appearance at least fulfills Dodge's sportiness claims. The company released just two images of an up-level R/T model, but what's visible is very Charger-like. The front wears a crosshair grille stuffed into a large, blacked-out cutout and flanked by swept-back headlights. The rear is basically a downsized rendition of the Charger's, complete with a full-width LED taillight treatment and dual exhaust outlets. As opposed to many others in its segment?as well as its Caliber predecessor?the Dart will exist only as a four-door. Dodge has given no indication that a hatchback is in the works. An image of the interior will be released on December 13, according to a mini-site set up for the Dart, but our spy photographers already took a peek inside.

Three's Company

When it goes on sale sometime in 2012, the Dart will offer three different inline-fours. There will be a 2.0-liter, a turbocharged 1.4-liter Multiair, and a 2.4-liter Multiair. The naturally aspirated 2.0- and 2.4-liters are both members of Chrysler's new engine family, which it calls?please keep giggling to a minimum?Tigershark. Modernized evolutions of Chrysler's current global 2.0- and 2.4-liter fours, which make 158 and 173 hp, respectively, both should have direct injection. The turbo is likely the same unit as is found in the U.S.-spec Fiat 500 Abarth. We expect the 2.0-liter to make around 160 hp, the turbo 1.4-liter to produce about 170?but deliver better fuel economy than the 2.0?and the 2.4 to perhaps touch 200 horses.

Dodge also is mum on what transmissions will back the engines, although it says three gearboxes will be offered. We know Fiat's dual-clutch automatic is off the table for the near future, so figure on a five-speed manual and a CVT to start, with the new ZF nine-speed automatic perhaps joining the lineup a bit later. We'll have to wait until the Detroit show for all of the Dart's details, but it looks as though Dodge has an attractive and modern small car on its hands (sorry, Caliber). We're just waiting for the SRT4 version?or, wait. Would that be Dart Swinger?

Cooper Motor Company will be one of the dealers in the upstate of south carolina, in the greenville area to carry this car.