The Modern Dodge Dart Wasn't A Bullseye But Owners Seem To Love It Anyway

You are not successful an alternate universe. Nelson Mandela didn't dice successful prison, it's spelled "Berenstain" Bears, Sinbad ne'er made a ghost movie called named "Shazam," and there's a immense enthusiast organization for nan Dodge Dart. Yes, nan 2013-to-2016 Dodge Dart. Our ain Andy Kalmowitz wrote a joke missive from nan position of personification who purchased a caller Dodge Dart successful 2022 because nan conception is inherently funny. Of people location was an unsold Dart six years aft accumulation ended, and who successful nan world would bargain it?  

Here's nan point though: Darts aren't bad. They're beautiful beloved, actually, and not successful immoderate "I thrust a Yugo because it's funny" benignant of way, either. Go into nan Dodge Dart Forum, a point that exists, to find upbeat discussions of Dart builds and maintenance, and info connected Dart events. Byron Hurd astatine The Drive stirred Dart fans this twelvemonth erstwhile he joked that of nan 299,000 Darts successful existence, possibly 7 are rust-free. His inbox was inundated pinch Dart aficionados telling him astir its greatness.

Perhaps nan Dart's top misdeed is getting compared to nan OG mini modern Chrysler: the Dodge Neon. You whitethorn retrieve nan Neon's adorable look successful 1990s ads that greeted america pinch a "Hi." It deed its apex pinch nan SRT-4, offering fund velocity that rivaled pricier sports sedans. Then nan Neon knight successful sparkling armor vanished and Dodge unveiled nan Caliber, which Consumer Reports summed up pinch nan following: "The motor is noisy, and fresh and decorativeness are sub par. Ride value is sound but unexceptional and handling is lackluster, though yet secure." Dang, Consumer Reports, why don't you flick it successful nan oculus and springiness it a insubstantial cut, too?

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Dodge was readying to switch nan Caliber pinch nan Hornet, a sanction yoinked from defunct AMC. It was nary SC/360, though, but a boxy compact. Unveiled astatine nan 2006 Geneva Auto Show, its timing was arsenic bully arsenic a belch during a region successful a eulogy, as the Great Recession deed successful 2008 and Chrysler declared bankruptcy successful 2009. (Don't worry, Dodge sewage a Hornet eventually, though tariffs presently play heck pinch nan Hornet, aka rebadged Alfa Romeo Tonale.) 

After Stellantis absorbed Chrysler, a mini Dodge was backmost successful development, this clip utilizing nan historical Dart moniker. It sewage nan aforesaid level arsenic nan Alfa Romeo Giulietta, and Car and Driver reviewed its handling positively: "The awesome news is that nan coagulated underpinnings and communicative electrically assisted ZF rack-and-pinion powerfulness steering engineered by Alfa chassis pros are happily astatine activity here. The Dart's strut-type beforehand suspension, independent trailing-arm rear axle, and monotube dampers are tuned pinch an accent connected roadholding."

Excitement built astir nan merchandise of nan Dart. It seemed for illustration nan Neon's 2nd coming, and a basking SRT type seemed inevitable. But caller owners discovered a bevy of problems that required recalls. Cars could rotation distant while successful Park acknowledgment to faulty shifter cables, brake boosters could fail, engines could stall, airbags mightiness not deploy, and transmissions could abruptly displacement to neutral. Also, buyers hoping to bask nan promised nine-speed automatic transmission had only manual transmissions for nan first fewer months, past sewage six-speed automatics that were either the unreliable Fiat dual dry-clutch aliases nan Powertech pinch nan aforementioned shifter cablegram problem. Combine these first-year teething problems pinch nan truth that Americans were switching to crossovers and SUVs, and nan Dart was successful trouble.

The Dart's highest income twelvemonth was 2015, erstwhile it moved 87,392 cars successful nan U.S. That aforesaid year, Toyota sold Americans 363,332 Corollas. Chrysler's erstwhile hotly anticipated compact sat unwanted. Even past year, a trader sold personification a brand-new, never-owned Dart because they could still beryllium recovered unsold. Darts became a punch line.

But Darts didn't merit their fate. You could get them pinch six-speed manuals astatine a clip when Civics and Corollas had 5 aliases moreover four. Car and Driver complained astir nan torque-less 1.4-liter turbo, but nan optional motor was a people aspirated 2.4-liter 4 that made 184 hp to nan 1.4's 160, and it had decent lagless punch. Following nan Dart's 2016 cancellation, Mark Phelan wrote successful USA Today: "It was good, however. Much amended than nan inept Dodge Caliber that preceded it. The Dart had appealing looks, a roomy interior, good handling and a very bully navigation and voice-recognition system." 

Also, Car Complaints shows nan immense mostly of issues afflict 2013 Darts specifically, pinch consequent Darts having fewer problems. And while location are plentifulness of antagonistic proprietor reviews connected Edmunds, nan affirmative reviews are perfectly glowing, pinch phrases specified arsenic "The dart has sewage to beryllium nan astir underrated car I person ever driven" and "A astir cleanable car." 

Like AMC's Gremlin and Pontiac's Aztek, clip has been benignant to Darts, and nan hipsterish "I liked it earlier it was cool" crowd has started winning nan remainder of america over. Parts, particularly for nan engine, are getting pricier arsenic attrition sets in, but group are truthful gung ho astir their Darts that Modern Performance thought thing of buying a brace of Darts specifically to create replacement parts and modifications for them.