I saw some pictures from the Detroit Auto show and instantly fell in love with the 2013 Dodge Dart…What a hot looking car! I want one! I know I’ll have to wait a few years because, I bought a new car 18 months ago and I’m happy with that car! I’m the type who doesn’t trade cars in once I mail the last payment out and the bank sends me the title…I’m thinking of keeping my car once its paid off and letting my son use it when he’s old enough to drive and shows he’s responsibile enough to drive. Hmmm…if I don’t have any more kids, I may get me a Dodge Dart! What are your thoughts on Chryslers new line of cars?
I think it looks like the test-tube offspring of a Dodge Avenger, Pontiac Grand Am, and Honda Accord coupe. It is unmistakably a late model Chrysler vehicle, but bears absolutely no resemblance to its vintage namesake. It’s like the new Charger being only available as a four door, when there were no four door Chargers ever made back in the day. I guess they didn’t think a car called Coronet would sell. While there were four door Darts made, the ones people associate with the name usually had two doors and, usually, enough performance to show its taillights to any Camaro or Mustang that took it too lightly. For Chrysler’s and Fiat’s sake, I do hope that this retro rod by name only sells better than the Fiat 500, which has sold a whopping 20,000 units over the last year.
I saw the Fiat 500 and I’m not impressed. It reminds me of the Smartcar only larger. The Dart looked very sleek to me. I like Sleek and Sporty.
I like the looks of the new Dart too. I’m not looking to replace my '03 Civic, but it I was I would certainly put a Dart on the list to check out.
I saw a new car lot loaded with Fiat 500’s and they look cute, but didn’t appeal to me. Did look like a Smart Car size and agree with katidid79 on this one.
Fiats are popular in Europe but I don’t think there’s a huge market here in the United States for those types of Cars. How often do you see a SmartCar unless you live in San Francisco, New York, or any other city where the parking sucks and the streets are more narrow.
“How often do you see a SmartCar unless you live in San Francisco, New York, or any other city where the parking sucks and the streets are more narrow.”
That describes a lot of cities in Europe, and is why minicars are so popular there.
I give it a Meh and a half.
Yeah, I know you’ll see smartcars everywhere in Europe. Not here in the U.S though. A lady I worked with bought a Smartcar and she said she was nervous every time she drove it down the interstate.
Fiat and Chrysler…hmmmm. I will hold judgement on the quality of their cars until they have been out for a while. I would never consider a “new to the market” offering by this company…yet. The only thing I would buy on looks alone…is clothing.
Did you note the upcoming 9-speed transmission? 9?!? That’s a lot of gears for anything that isn’t a big rig.
9 speed? What in the world?
More gears means more even power application in each gear. A 9-spd can also be used to control fuel consumption. But at 9 forward gears, it seems like time for a CVT.
If the new Fiat 500 has the build quality of the VW Beetles that were imported in the mid 1950s through the mid 1970s, and prove to be reliable, Chrysler, in my opinion, will have a winner. The Fiat 500 could be the VW Beetle of this decade. An affordable price and a different appearance may help it catch on with the younger buyer.
I’ve been thinking about the 9 speed transmission. Suppose one puts two 3 speed transmissions in series with the output shaft of the first transmission coupled to the input shaft of the second transmission. Also, suppose that the first transmission has different ratios for first and second gear than the second transmission. How many different forward speeds are possible?
European cars are so complicated 
Porshe has a 7 speed manual…
Shimano has a 30-speed, but the engine is your legs. (It’s a bicycle)
I think you’re using good judgement.
Re: Chryslers, I personally feel more comfortable buying from a company with a good record over the long haul. I’m not an “early adapter”. I’m risk averse.
Re: 9 speed trannys, you need a good amount of HP to make proper use of one. Small cars typically don;t have the horsepower to keep themselves moving forward on rolling roads if the final drive is much beyond one overdrive gear. A car with more power can keep on pushin’ in a meaningful manner until its speeds become insane.
Mleich, that’s true. But one can successfully get range with an 8 speed cassette. I ran (old style) 24x32x48 rings on a 12x32 cassette and had all the range I could use. 9 speed cassettes begin to get finicky, and 10 speed casettes are downright fussy. Deraillers have limits beyond which they get unagreeable.
My Dad is Chrysler Man. He has a Jeep Wrangler and a Dodge Pickup with the diesel engine. My stepmom has a Jeep Grand Cherokee…Me personally, I’m not a Jeep Person. I’ve driven Dad’s Jeep a few times and I don’t like the way they handle. I can definitely see why people flip those things so easily! Luckily I don’t drive like a maniac both on and off road and I’ve never flipped the Jeep lol…I’m not gonna be the poster child for the bumper sticker on some Jeeps that says “If you can read this, please flip me back over”…If I want to go camping or do any offroad driving, I’ll take the F-250 Dad gave me.