Dodge Dart - Old Name, Brand New Car

2013 Dart - Best Dodge compact in decades.

In the early 1960s, American car companies decided to take on the imports, which were starting to sell more widely. The Big 3 introduced the Corvair (GM), the Falcon (Ford) and the Valiant (Chrysler). In 1963, Dodge got the Dart, based on the Valiant. It was the brand's first successful compact, and was sold through 1975, when it was replaced by the less successful Dodge Aspen.

Following the Dart, Chrysler Corporation compacts have ranged from the VW Rabbit-like Omni hatchback in the late 1970's, the  famous company-saving K cars (Dodge Aries) in the  1980s, the listless Spirit (early 1990s), two generations of Neons (1995 - 2005) and most recently, the ill-conceived and strangely proportioned Caliber.

Finally, Dodge has a credible compact sedan to offer in the 2013 Dart. Why the old name? Apparently it tested well in consumer research with both folks old enough to remember the old Dart fondly and with young millennials--the latter a likely source of fresh sales.

1965 Dart - Yes, I've driven this one, too.

The Dart is the first Chrysler product based on a Fiat platform, in this case the well-regarded Alfa Romeo Guilietta. This means it has something of a European driving feel, but the styling, inside and out, is definitely today's Chrysler. That, I'm glad to report, is a good thing.

The look is soft and smooth--something that's sometimes hard to pull off on a compact car. The front has a floating cross-hair grille to give it brand identity, and the first use of an active grille shutter system, which opens the lower louvers when required for ventilation and closes them when not needed, improving aerodynamics for better fuel economy. The tail can be had with a 152-indirect-glow full-width LED display that comes from the larger Charger. In between, sides flow, with short overhangs, for a planted look.

Inside, the surfaces flow from the doors over the dash, with a carved-out door panels and useful console with a "floating" panel. In my Redline Pearlcoat tester, the black and "Light Diesel Gray" interior wore sturdy cloth. The main dash panel is padded, but some of the other surfaces are grained, hard plastic that doesn't feel especially luxurious. There is a notable shortage of sharp edges and straight lines, which evoked for me a little of the feeling of mid 1990s Ford products. But the cabin felt very comfortable as I settled in and the fairly soft buckets, did a good job.

The Dart comes in five trim levels: SE, SXT, Rallye, Limited and R/T. This means, in plain English, entry level, midrange, luxury and sport. My tester was a Rallye, with about $6,000 in option packages that really upgraded it. I enjoyed using the 8.4-inch touch-screen panel in the center of the dash to control audio, climate, navigation, phone and other settings. With large enough touch areas, it was easy to use quickly, unlike some other electric screens.

Below the screen are basic knobs for audio and climate functions, but I noticed that you could control temperature and fan for the climate, but for deciding where to send the air, you needed the touch screen. It works out well over time. When the phone rings, a prominent spot on the screen makes it easy to answer without much distraction.

The gauges in the instrument panel have white dividers. The speedometer shows 10 mile-per-hour increments (up to a traditional 120 mph) and the tach also features widely spaced lines. I didn't realize that a red line winds its way around them giving five-mph increments--my minor color blindness hid that. The number design is very "Eurotech" for a clean look. A small screen offers fuel economy and other information, which you select using a steering-wheel-mounted button.

You can choose from three engines in the Dart--with a manual or choice of two automatic transmissions. The regular engine is a 160-horsepower 2.0-liter "Tigershark" inline four. My tester had the second choice - a 1.4-liter turbocharged four that also puts out 160 horsepower, and the racer of the bunch, an 184-horsepower 2.4-liter "Tigershark."

The 1.4- and 2.4-liter engines use Multi-Air technology, which delivers optimum combustion at any speed under all driving conditions by allowing direct and dynamic control of air intake and combustion. This means a 15 percent increase in low engine rpm torque and a 7.5 percent improvement in fuel efficiency.

The 1.4 liter turbo in my tester earns solid EPA numbers of 27 City, 37 Highway and 31 combined. I got 27.8 mpg in my driving. That's not extremely high, but the Dart, like its ancestor, is not an econobox, but a compact car with space for real passengers. EPA Green Vehicle Guide numbers are a fine 8 for Greenhouse Gas and a midrange 5 for Smog. This gives it SmartWay status.

The 1.4-liter is not silent in my tester. It had a little graininess, especially during acceleration, but this is not a car meant for serene cruises. It is engaging in a friendly way. I'd like to try a manual-transmission version with the other engines someday to see what the ideal Dart would be. I know that you have 12 color choices and 14 interior color and trim choices, so, like the old Burger King ad, have it your way.

The Dart may have Italian underpinnings, but it's built in Chrysler's Belvidere, Illinois assembly plant. Chrysler sold many Mitsubishi products in years past, but this car, like the Neon, is made in the U.S.

Pricing starts at just $16,790 and go up from there. My Rallye, with a collection of welcome options, came to $24,460, including shipping.

The new Dart is not much like the old one--it's probably better in every possible way. But, as it did 50 years ago, it offers a good choice when you want a comfortable sedan that's neither Spartan basic transportation nor a big car.

Dodge Dart - 1965 Model a Flash from the Past

With the all-new, Alfa-Romeo-based 2013 Dodge Dart out and on the road, it felt like a good time to test the original Dodge Dart. Luckily for me, I have a friend, Elena, who owns a beautiful example of the first compact Dart--a glorious and powerful 1965 Dart GT. She let me drive and photograph it on a recent summer day. She then sat down to tell me why she bought it.

I have personal connections to the Dart, as my mother had one back in the late 1960's. Our 1966 baby blue Dart convertible was a fine cruiser, with its durable slant-six engine, three-on-the-tree manual and power top. We also had a 1966 Plymouth Valiant before that--a close Chrysler cousin to the Dart--and the car in which I passed my driver's test (on the first try).

The original 1960 Dart was a full-size car, but it became a midsize in '62 for one year before taking the place of the original Dodge compact--the Lancer--in 1963. It remained a popular vehicle, in sedan, coupe and wagon form, until it was replaced by the Dodge Aspen in 1976. The latter car proved to be a disappointment. Until the 2013 Dart arrived, the compact position at Dodge has been a tough job, filled by the famous "K car" Aries) in the 1980's and others such as the late, unlamented Neon and Caliber.

Elena's '65 GT is a fine driver, looking great from 15 feet. It has not been meticulously restored, and shows minimal changes since its birth during the Johnson Administration. Presumably a repaint, it still looks authentic inside and out. A compact car in its day, it is safely midsize by today's reckoning, and when you're sitting on the big bench seat inside, it feels like a huge car. I figured out why. Besides the gentle rocking motion of the old-fashioned and simply old suspension, I could see the entire hood--and it was as big as a pool table out in front of me through the windshield. The uplevel GT model has chrome trim along the fenders ending in a tiny fin at the corner. Today's more aerodynamic cars, for the most part, show you nothing ahead of the windshield.

Grab the chrome door handle and swing open the heavy metal door. Then, you'll see mid-sixties design in all its glory. With the more fanciful, swoopy 1950's relegated to the past, the sixties cars showed more restraint, especially Chrysler, where designer Elwood Engel, known for the early 60's Lincoln when he worked for Ford, brought a rectangular Danish Modern effect. The silvery, flat dash features separate rectangles for the auxiliary gauges and a flat glovebox door. The gauges included a gas gauge but also a temperature and alternator (electrical) gauge. Today's cars feature "idiot lights." The look isn't flashy, but it's easy to live with and durable.

The steering wheel is big, thin, and hard, and wears a chrome horn ring in its center. No airbags here. In fact, this '65 doesn't even have shoulder belts. The seatbelts fasten like those in today's airplanes. What a nostalgic moment to reach back and find--nothing. There are no neck-saving headrests on the seats, either. You are at much greater risk cruising in this tank.

This is the 1960's. I found small ashtrays in both front armrests and in the center console. They had not been used recently. The dash-mounted lighter remained--today's cars supply them to power portable electronic devices, such as navigation systems. And, of course, there were manual crank windows--even in the top-level Dart.

But what a feeling. The Dart GT, as the sporty model, features a floor-mounted automatic transmission lever and under the hood, a 273 cubic inch (4.5 liter) V8 engine, good for 180 horsepower with a two-barrel carburetor. A more powerful V8, good for 235 horsepower, was also available starting in 1965. The highly-regarded and reliable slant six in the lower level 170 and 270 series generated either 101 or 145 horsepower, depending on whether you ordered the extra-cost version ($50).

This engine in my test car was recently steam cleaned and it looks sharp with its clean, spacious layout freed of today's electronics and smog management technology.

After I stepped in to drive the car and buckled up, I inserted and turned the tiny metal key. It's main part is shaped like the Chrysler pentastar--I remember it from our old family cars. Car keys used to look like your house key before they became the large black plastic electronic gadgets they are today.

The Dart started right up and off we went. With the V8, there was plenty of power, but it sounded much different from recent V8s I've driven. The ancient brakes were effective but you had to really press the pedal. I'm guessing they were drums and not discs. Of course there is no antilock or other high tech assistance available.

The Dart was meant to give Americans comfort and familiarity in a smaller (but not tiny) package, so the car drives much like a full-size Dodge Polara would, meaning it floats a bit, noticeably upon starting, stopping and turning--in other words, most of your driving time. Once the engine warmed up, though I heard very little as we zipped around Elena's surburban neighborhood and took a quick trip on the freeway. Cruising is this car's strong suit, and I'd gladly do so again.

So, why does a person want to drive a nearly 50-year-old car? And why this one? Elena told me she had owned a 1967 VW Bus and had a boyfriend who had a 1960 Corvette, so she fancied some kind of collectible car.

She found the Dart locally on Craigslist. Why a Dart? "It picked me," she says. She liked the looks and the handsome, original interior. And apparently the owner had cared for it pretty well. She has had the Dart for only a short time, but has had no significant problems with it.

That being said, as we returned to Elena's house, a man in a Chrysler PT Cruiser waved to us. We rolled down the window and he said, "Your brake lights aren't working." It's always something--but the charm of old vehicle ownership seems immune to the pains of maintenance, as long as you can drive and enjoy the car.

New Dodge Dart Arrives -- with a Great Ad

The new Dodge Dart is here, and however good the car may prove to be--or successful--it has great advertising putting the word out. That link in the last sentence takes you to a story on the agency that crafted it--and gives you direct access to view the 90-second spot for yourself.

You'll want to run it a couple of times. From the "American" on the pencil to the "tweak, tweak, tweak" it's a grabber.

My wife called me in to look at the new ad and it's funny, and makes a point. This is a car that's been carefully planned, styled, and has all the right stuff. And this is one very important vehicle for Chrysler. It's the first Chrysler, Dodge, Ram or Jeep product to use an Italian platform, which means it's the real beginning of the new Chrysler Corporation. It competes in the hot compact sedan segment against everything from the Ford Focus to the Chevy Cruze to the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic. From here on, more Fiat and Alfa-Romeo platforms will be under cars you get at Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/Ram/SRT dealerships.

I drove a Dart recently for a few minutes and it seemed competitive. I'll have to spend a week with one soon to get the whole story, but you can cruise down to your local dealershop now. Do it. And watch the ad.

New Dodge Dart is the Real Deal

2013 Dart - 1965 model in background

I had a chance tonight to see, touch and drive the new Dodge Dart.Yes, it's a name from the past, but Chrysler's research showed that the moniker was a big hit with both target demographic groups--empty nest boomers who remember the nameplate fondly and young millennials who have positive associations with the word without a memory of the reliable 60's and 70's compact. So, that's the name the car received, apparently just before it debuted.

Our press opportunity was graciously provided in an exciting and amusing venue--Sparky's Hot Rod Garage in San Carlos, California. Amid the hot rods (Sparky started up one for us with a deafening roar), hilarious period signage and mysterious rows of mounted deer heads, we learned a lot more about the first car to combine Fiat's European engineering with American design and planning.

First, we got to take short drives in the two demo vehicles. I sampled a Limited model with an automatic transmission. This is the second highest of five levels, which range from the entry SE through the volume-seller SXT to the performance-oriented Rallye. A fifth, higher-powered R/T model will arrive later this year. The car itself is due to start trickling into Chrysler dealerships later this month.

Some fun was added by the presence of a lovely 1965 Dart coupe. The new and old cars hardly resemble each other at all, but their mission remains the same--to deliver some style and performance in the compact segment of their day's car market. It's just that today, the '65 would be considered a midsize car--not a compact. See the photo for a shot of them together.

We were lucky to have four Chrysler folks presenting the car--the PR Manager, Media Relations Manager, Senior Manager of Product Planning, and Platform Engineer. All four were thorougly knowledgeable and gave us a lot of insight into how the American designers took the Alfa Romeo Giulietta and stretched and modified it for U.S. consumption, giving enormous passenger room with the comfortable, yet firm suspension American drivers prefer. We heard about three engine choices, three transmissions, 12 exterior colors, 14 interior  color and trim combinations, and much more to let the buyers configure their Dart to their exact liking.

Taking the car on the road, I was impressed by its solid feel, tight steering and near silence as it flowed down the road. All Darts should average more than 30 miles per gallon. I'd really like to sample the 1.4-liter turbo model with the manual six-speed transmission.

The sweet Italian platforms offer evocative, but restrained styling and a feeling of quality interior fittings (only a little cheap-looking plastic on the center console).The new Dart is built in Belvidere, Illinois, too, bringing employment and pride to that longtime Chrysler assembly plant.

Even the most basic SE model, at $16,790, including shipping includes things like 10 airbags, four-wheel disc brakes, and power windows. The Limited starts at $20,990, but it includes many extras that people like. The SE gets the 2.0 liter 160-horsepower engine, which should be OK. The 1.4-liter intercooled, turbocharged engine is mightier, and the R/T gets the 2.4-liter, with 184 horsepower. So many choices.

The MultiAir technology tosses out the camshaft and gives electronic control to the intake system, meaning it can run extremely efficiently. Chrysler hasn't had the resources to develop and sell hybrid or electric vehicles, but MultiAir brings conventional power-plants up near hybrid or electric levels--without the complexity and limitations of the super green cars.

The body and interior obviously received lots of attention to let buyers know--this is no Neon or Caliber. This is a real car--with all the quality and style of a larger vehicle. The car has aerodynamic aids throughout for a low coefficient or drag, which, of course, leads to higher fuel economy and a quieter cabin. The Chrysler folks pointed out many areas where wind noise was banished. There are body pans to smooth the wind's path. On most models, the grille shutters down to increase efficiency of airflow under certain conditions.

The game has just become much more interesting. A lot is riding on this vehicle, and the folks from Chrysler are quite proud of it.

Dodge Dart is Back!

The New Chrysler has been short of a compact sedan. But soon, that problem will be elegantly solved with the all-new 2013 Dodge Dart. The car will debut at the Detroit Auto Show one month from today.

If the name sounds familiar, that's because it is. Dart was introduced as a version of the full-size Dodge back in 1960, but it was the ground-breaking 1963 compact model that made it was it was. That car, after changes in 1968, ran into the mid 1970's and featured an economical and bulletproof "slant 6" as well as some mighty V8s, making it popular for the modest and the manic.

A 1966 model is pictured. I learned to drive on the Plymouth Valiant of the same year--it's corporate cousin--and later drove my mother's 1966 Dart convertible--a baby blue beauty with "three on the tree" manual transmission and black vinyl interior.

The 2013 is shown in teasers like the red one posted here. It's based on an Alfa Romeo and promises to be handsome and a fine driver. Three efficient four-cylinder engines, including one with a turbo, should, like the early Dart, provide a choice of driving experiences.

The new Dart will be built in the updated Belvidere, Illinois plant that has produced compact Dodge and Plymouth Neons and other models for Chrysler since it opened in 1965.

I hope they offer one with a manual transmission!

Cars and Music - 40 years ago

Test Driving Life combines my interest in music with my longtime association with cars. That means sometimes it's one and sometimes the other (or if I'm lucky, both). Or--sometimes it's something else--I call that stuff "the third half."

In any case, I woke up today knowing I had a one-hour set to play with Red Paint and remembered a time long ago, when I was starting out on my brief solo "minstrel" career. I was occasionally playing open mike nights at places like the Coffee Gallery in North Beach (San Francisco) but what came back to me was the several times I drove up to Stockton (1-1/2 hours away) to play at the Beauty and the Beast Coffee House. I have little 8-1/2 x 11 posters to prove it!

A guy I'd met locally in an extremely brief band association, Pat Kelley, called me and up I went. We were in our late teens, and he was living with his parents, but he had the garage apartment. That meant we were free to enjoy smoking some substances--I know that I remember little of those musical weekends today because I was not normal during much of them.

My plan was to sit on stage with my guitar and sing my songs. I enjoyed it immensely, but alas, the world was filled with "Bob Dylan's Understudies" back then and I was not exceptionally talented or driven.

Now--the car part. My sweet mother lent me her beautiful baby blue 1966 Dodge Dart convertible to drive to Stockton and back. I was pretty much recovered from my indulgence by the time I slipped behind the wheel on the way home (clear and sharp on the way up, of course). It was a joy to drive that car around with its quick-drop electric top. It had a three-speed manual transmission -- on the tree. What a beauty. Try finding one today.

That car is long gone, and my dream of a strumming and singing career had faded away by 1972. I went off to college instead. But I still remember something of Pat and the Beauty and the Beast Coffee House (and those lost weekends).