Dodge Dart (PF)

History

A mini MPV concept car was designed and developed by Chrysler and revealed in 2006 as the Dodge Hornet. This was Dodge's first attempt at building a car this small and the car was expected to be released in 2010. The concept was dropped because of the 2009 financial crisis and the restructuring of the Chrysler Group. After Chrysler's merger with Fiat in late 2010, the small Dodge Hornet concept took on a new form to share a Fiat platform. In December 2011, the automaker announced the new small sedan would be called the Dodge Dart.

On March 4, 2014, at the Geneva Motor Show, Sergio Marchionne commented on possible production of a hatchback model for the North American market, saying "our North American consumers will be gradually offered alternatives for same or close to expense" and that potential buyers might account for either Fiat 500X, or Jeep Renegade.

Production

The Dart is manufactured at Chrysler's Belvidere Assembly Plant, where the Dodge Caliber was manufactured (2006-2011), where the Jeep Compass and Jeep Patriot are manufactured — and where the first generation Dodge Neon (1995-2005) and Dodge Neon SRT4 (2003-2005) were manufactured.

Production of the 2013 Dodge Dart started on Monday, May 7, 2012, at the Belvidere plant. The first Dart off the production line was a Rallye model with Black and Red Interior and Redline Red exterior color. The Dart was scheduled to be available for sale at dealerships in the U.S. beginning at the end of June 2012. The Aero model began production in the third quarter of 2012. The GT began production in the second quarter of 2013.

Features

The Dart has three transmission options, including a Powertech 6F24 automatic transmission from Hyundai, and will come with electrically boosted power steering that has a sensor and electric motor mounted to the rack itself. Interiors are customizable with 12 different color/fabric combinations and optional ambient lighting systems; leather seats are an available upgrade. The dashboard features a 7-inch (178 mm) color TFT display, a “floating island bezel” placed between traditional round gauges, which graphically shows trip computer and navigation system information; it is integrated to make it appear to be part of the gauge cluster itself, rather than a separate screen. Storage includes a glove box, center console with auxiliary electronics jacks, and console map pockets. Trunk volume is 13.1 cu ft (370 L).

In 2014, all Darts aside from the SE got standard U Connect Bluetooth telephone for 2014. A Blacktop Package, featuring black alloy wheels and black accents, for all models except SE and Limited, as well as a California Appearance Package for the SXT and Limited, both became available for 2014.

The Dart was the first compact sedan to feature a rear obstacle detection system and blind spot monitoring. A Dart version managing an unadjusted combined driving 40 miles per US gallon (5.9 L/100 km; 48 mpg_‑imp) (16.94 km/L) made it possible for Fiat to acquire an additional 5% share of Chrysler Group.

Suspension

The Dart uses a similar suspension system to that of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta: in front it has independent MacPherson struts, coil springs, twin-tube dampers, stabilizer bar and in the rear it has independent multilink suspension. According to Dart chief engineer the suspension is slightly softened compared with the Alfa, "We've taken a little edge off it," "It's a blast to toss around."

Safety and driving aids

The Dart is equipped with numerous safety features, such as: brake assist, brake-lock differential, rainy brake support, hydraulic boost compensation, electronic stability control, traction control, anti-lock braking system, electronic roll mitigation, hill-start assist, trailer-sway control, rear backup camera and rear park assist. The Dart has 10 airbags standard; it also has a reactive head-restraint system for the front seats, and other available systems are blind-spot monitoring and rear cross path detection. The Giulietta, on which the Dart is based, has achieved the highest rating for a compact car in the EuroNCAP tests.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave the 2013 Dart a five-star safety rating in the frontal offset barrier, rollover, and side impact crash tests. The Dart also earned an IIHS Top Safety Pick for 2012.

Engines

The Dart has three engine options: a Tigershark 16-valve 2-liter engine, a "Tigershark" 16-valve 2.4-liter MultiAir 2 four-cylinder engine, and a 16-valve 1.4-liter MultiAir Intercooled turbo engine used also in Alfa Romeo Giulietta. That engine has been retuned for American use (changing the required grade of oil to one widely available in the U.S. and Canada, for example) in the Fiat 500 Abarth The 1.4T Dart also will have more torque than the Abarth. A 6-speed manual transmission is available with all engine options, a six-speed automatic is optional on the 2.0 L and 2.4 L engines and a six-speed dual-clutch transmission is available on the 1.4 L turbo unit. Marchionne has stated that a 9-speed automatic will not be available until sometime later. All Dart engines are built in Dundee, Michigan.

In 2014, the Dart SXT and Limited both got a 2.4L I4 engine with increased horsepower ratings, making the 2.0L Tigershark I4 engine only available in the base SE model. The 2.4L I4 engine was offered in late 2013 with the introduction of the Dart GT model. The Dart Aero model is the only model available with the 1.4L MultiAir turbocharged I4 engine.

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Models

The Dodge Dart comes in five distinct models.

The SE is the base model, offering an AM/FM stereo with single-disc CD player and AUX jack, a fan with heater, cloth seating surfaces, manual door locks, and sixteen-inch steel wheels with full wheel covers.

The SXT is a step up from the base SE model, adding seventeen-inch steel wheels with full wheel covers, air conditioning, six speakers, and keyless entry. In 2014, the SXT got new wheel covers and optional sixteen-inch alloy wheels. The Rallye trim was a distinct model but is now available as a package that can be added to the SXT trim.

The Aero is a version of Dodge Dart designed for optimal fuel efficiency. It is equipped with 1.4-liter MultiAir intercooled turbo engine, aerodynamic enhancements (lightweight aluminum chassis components, active grille shutters, underbody aero kit, a lowered profile and low-rolling resistance tires), six-speed Dual Dry Clutch Transmission (DDCT). In 2014, the Aero got standard alloy wheels. The Aero became the only Dart to have the 1.4L MultiAir I4 for 2014, as well as the only Dart to have the optional DCT transmission.

The Limited is the top-of-the-line luxury Dart. It features eighteen-inch chrome-finished wheels, an 8.4-inch touch-screen AM/FM stereo with CD player and Bluetooth, SIRIUS-XM Satellite Radio, a nine-speaker, 506-watt premium sound system manufactured by Alpine for Dodge, and chrome accents.

Compared to the Limited trim, the GT features eighteen-inch lightweight alloy wheels, suspension modifications, leather color schemes, body-color accents, and a 2.4L Tigershark four-cylinder engine mated to a standard 6-speed manual transmission (automatic optional). This model was originally unveiled at the Dart's January 2012 introduction as the "R/T" model, but was renamed the "GT" in January 2013, prior to availability.

SRT racing Dodge Dart

At the New York International Auto Show in 2012, a Dodge Dart turbo four-wheel drive rally car was shown, after the earlier release of a rendering. The blue-and-white SRT-badged car will enter Global RallyCross Championship racing competitions, driven by professional rally car drivers including four-time Rally America Champion Travis Pastrana.

It is a race car for the 2012 Global RallyCross Championship. Based on 2013 Dodge Dart, it included a 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder, 16-valve turbo-charged engine rated 600 hp (447 kW) and over 550 lb·ft (746 N·m) of torque, Sadev 4-wheel drive transmission.

On May 6, 2014, the Dart SRT was confirmed by the FIAT Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) group. Originally based on the 5-year plan it looked like the unveiling of the Dart SRT was set for December 2016, but due to Fiat Chrysler's decision to end production on the Dart, the SRT trim will not go forward as planned.

Fiat models

The Fiat Viaggio ("journey", "voyage" in English), also called fēi xíang (菲翔), is a sedan version of the Dodge Dart for the Chinese market, designed by the Fiat Group Style Centre in Turin, Italy. It offers a choice of 1.4-litre T-Jet engine producing 120 PS (88 kW) or 150 PS (110 kW), with 5-speed manual or 6-speed Dual Dry Clutch Transmission (C635-DDCT).

The Viaggio was unveiled at the 2012 Beijing International Auto Show, and went on sale in Q3 2012, with delivery by the end of 2012.

The Fiat Ottimo is a 5-door hatchback version of the Viaggio for the Chinese market. It was introduced at 2013 Guangzhou Auto Show and was designed by Roberto Giolito. The Ottimo offers a same 1.4-litre T-Jet engine of the Viaggio with 5-speed manual transmission or a new 7-speed Dual Dry Clutch Transmission (C725-DDCT).

Marketing

In July 2012, the first television ad for the Dodge Dart aired during the broadcast of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, featuring the bassline from Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild", a spoof on the Reliant Robin and a cameo by NFL's Tom Brady. In May 2013, the Dodge Dart was marketed as a tie-in to promote the film Fast & Furious 6, despite not appearing on the film. The car appears in Fast & Furious 6 : The Game.

Recognition

The 2013 Dodge Dart Aero was among the five finalists for the 2013 Green Car of the Year awarded by Green Car Journal at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show.

Discontinuation

On January 27, 2016, Fiat Chrysler announced that it will end production of the Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200 due to the company's decision to redirect its energies towards building crossover vehicles. A plan to move production from its Belvidere Assembly Plant to Mexico was in the works but later scrapped. Another factor was in how the vehicle was reviewed by Consumer Reports and laying blame on the vehicle's designers, along with declining sales.

The Dart ended production in September 2016, with a revived Dodge Neon based on the Fiat Tipo replacing it in the Mexican market. The Jeep Cherokee, which is mechanically similar to the Dart, will move to Belvidere Assembly so that the Toledo Complex is freed up for increased Jeep Wrangler production.

In an interview with Autoblog, FCA President Sergio Marchionne explain the decision to end production on the vehicle and not offering a replacement for the United States or Canada: "I can tell you right now that both the Chrysler 200 and the Dodge Dart, as great products as they were, were the least financially rewarding enterprises that we've carried out inside FCA in the last eight years," adding "I don't know one investment that was as bad as these two were."