I don't think anyone would have predicted, back in the dark days of the Great Recession, that the Chrysler Group would have marched back from the brink of a complete collapse to achieve the fastest growing market-share gains in Canada and 29 months of consecutive growth, but it's true. The rebirth all started with the wildly popular Grand Cherokee in 2010, followed by a wave of new or refreshed vehicles including their popular minivans, Dodge Journey and the arrival of the Fiat 500. In fact, Chrysler will have release 20 vehicles over two years. What is even more intriguing is that this turnaround was done without having a vehicle in the largest segment of the Canadian landscape, the compact class. With the introduction of the Dodge Dart, Chrysler has a car that can compete with the heavy hitters in the country like the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Mazda3 and Chevy Cruze. What Dodge brings to market is a product that is like no other, a bit of a rebel on the road.
The Skin
Having Fiat as the dominant partner in Chrysler's new business helps to bring pieces to the mix that were not easy to build on their own. This new Dart is the first vehicle to be built as a joint venture, by taking an Alpha Romeo Giulietta platform and widening it by 7.6cm and lengthening it by 30cm. Then the designers went about adding signature Dodge touches like a cross-hair grille, plus a similar rear taillight assembly to the one found in the Charger, all wrapped in a sleek looking body. It is refreshing to see that Dodge didn't go overboard with typical American bling, keeping the chrome and badging to a minimum. Sold with five different trim levels from the base SE all the way to the top R/T trim, the Dart is a good looking car. In fact the more time I spent with it, the more the design grew on me. The edges are rounded and the nose has an aggressive look that will appeal to many and with the widest stance in the segment, the new Dart looks substantial.
Mike 9:04 PM on March 17, 2013 Looking for a little advise. I travel from the niagara region to toronto 5 days a week for work (All highway) roughly 200km a day. I do travel at off hours and traffic tends to be light. I see on the dodge website they say the Dart gets 59 MPG and 1,240 KM a tank. Any truth to this? Would you recommend this car? Or is there a better option around the same price range? I was also looking at the Chevy Cruze. Thanks for the help. Great site. - Mike
Motormouth.ca says: 8:32 PM on March 19, 2013 In my experience with the Dart 1.4L turbo model, it does get very good mileage on the highway, driven at steady speeds. If you drive in stop and go traffic, the mileage drops. Do not believe the hype from any company when it comes to fuel ratings, they are all overly optimistic. The Chevy Cruze eco model is a good choice so have a look at that car too.
Dan 9:09 AM on May 27, 2012 Nice overall package but I can't get over the way that steering wheel stares back at you. I haven't seen one in person but a wheel like that would be more at home in the Dakota than a compact car.
Motormouth.ca says: 9:52 PM on May 27, 2012 Nice car to drive.
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