Dodge Caliber Replacement... The Dart

[Wretched]

Caption: Dodge's newest small car replacing the woebegone Caliber next year will carry the name "Dart" -- the first time Dodge has used that name on these shores in 36 years. This is not grandma's Slant-Six lead sled.

Based on the European-only Alfa Romeo Giulietta, the new compact hatch is the first true mechanical combination born of the Fiat-Chrysler merger. Chrysler says the 2013 Dodge Dart will arrive with a choice of three engines, two of which are updated Chrysler four-cylinders suddenly renamed "Tigershark," because it's cool to get nicknames in middle age. To be competitive with the all-new fleet of compact cars in America, at least one model will need to hit 40 mpg on the highway.

For those unfamiliar with the proud history of the name, the first Dodge Dart arrived in 1960 as a nod to the Space Age, and persevered as a stoic, low-cost compact car until 1976, often powered by the ancient but bulletproof Chrysler straight-six engine tilted at a 30-degree angle. True Dart fans pay respect to the GTS muscle version of the late '60s, but thanks to its low cost and ubiquity in TV shows of the late '70s -- and even "That '70s Show" -- it became known as grandma's car. For the new Dart, Dodge plans to skip ahead at least a couple of generations.

We'll see the real thing at the Detroit Auto Show in January.

http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoram...143028811.html

[Stagg]

That should be interesting, the Dodge Caliber was a FWD Corolla kind-of car, and they're replacing the Caliber bringing back the Dart??

Well as long as it doesn't stay front wheel drive I think it could be a winner

[drew`SEVNT5]

Its Nooo The Darrrrt

[Pedro]

Well it will be a no brainer for the Dart to be an improvement. I hired a Caliber in Hawaii and it was the worst POS I've driven in a long time. The dynamics reminded me of an FC Holden.

[2011G6E]

Yes, we test drove a Caliber here a couple of years back, just out of curiousity. Like a lot of Yank cars, you look a it and go "Wow, that doesn't look half bad", but you get in it and go "Oh dear...cheap plastics everywhere", and then you drive it and go "Oh dear" for a whole different reason.
"Built down to a cost" seemed to be the way to go on everything apart from the 300C...

[aussie muscle]

so dodge continue to recycle their old car names. charger, challenger, 300 and now dart. i guess the fury and monaco will be out soon. i hope Ford don't drop the Falcon nameplate.

[csv8]

Originally Posted by aussie muscle

so dodge continue to recycle their old car names. charger, challenger, 300 and now dart. i guess the fury and monaco will be out soon. i hope Ford don't drop the Falcon nameplate.

FORD should bring back the Fairmont, Fairmont Ghia/Titanium names.

[GreenMachine]

Mopar fans are absolutely outraged about the use of the name on a little 4cyl car. This is the Dart we know and love:




Hemi in a small coupe, for the win.

[Stagg]

Originally Posted by GreenMachine

Mopar fans are absolutely outraged about the use of the name on a little 4cyl car. This is the Dart we know and love:

image


Hemi in a small coupe, for the win.

That's the part that I don't understand... Changing the Caliber to the dart is much the same as putting a 4 cylinder in the Mustang?

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by csv8

FORD should bring back the Fairmont, Fairmont Ghia/Titanium names.

Exactly...I'm sick of explaining to non-car-nut-people what it is I drive..."I drive a G6E...what's that? (to usually a blank look) that's a Falcon, an upmarket one with better trim, like the Fairmont Ghia used to be..." etc.

Give a thing a recogniseable and well-known (even to people who have very little interest in cars) and you're on a winner. Everyone knows the Dodge Dart, even now decades after they stopped making them.

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by aussie muscle

so dodge continue to recycle their old car names. charger, challenger, 300 and now dart. i guess the fury and monaco will be out soon. i hope Ford don't drop the Falcon nameplate.

At least the charger, challenger and 300 are RWD with the option of a Hemi engine.
Caliber is a large FWD 4 cylinder hatchback. They should keep the caliber name instead of ruining the dart name.

[OzJavelin]

Originally Posted by aussie muscle

so dodge continue to recycle their old car names. charger, challenger, 300 and now dart. i guess the fury and monaco will be out soon. i hope Ford don't drop the Falcon nameplate.

Yeah .. Would be easy to rebadge the 300 as a Monaco/Fury ..
SportFury GT with 440+6 ... Mmmmm ...

[chevypower]

GM has been ruining old names for years. Impala, Malibu, Nova - oh well who cares, plenty of other things to worry about than manufacturers using names they have the rights to.

[Wretched]

Some more info on the Dart.
http://www.dart-mouth.com/

[Wretched]

more pics

[Buntz]

That's actually a pretty cool looking little car.

Not a fan at all of Chryslers. Except some of the classics of course. But I hope to see them have some success with their offerings.

This little car with AWD and a turbo 4 pot would make for a sweet little car.

[Rodp]

Really dig the look of the red one. If they can shoehorn a 6 in there..!

[big_landau]

looks pretty good.

[FPV8U]

Not a bad looking little machine.

[falconnut]

Looks great, i hope its got a awd option as fwd is overdone these days, rwd would be crazy fun.

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by falconnut

Looks great, i hope its got a awd option as fwd is overdone these days, rwd would be crazy fun.

If you have a look at the American Chrysler, Ford, and GM websites, you'll see that a lot of cars over there are AWD optioned, including the 300C...no idea why they don't bring them here, but predatory protectionist tariffs and taxes mean that even ordinary ones have to be sold as prestige models here to justify the price...

[kevino]

Side on does anyone think it looks like a Hyundai Elantra (new model).

[Zedjay]

Originally Posted by csv8

FORD should bring back the Fairmont, Fairmont Ghia/Titanium names.

agreed except for the titanium badge.
and holden could probly sell 3 times as many VE's if they called them "belmont,kingswood and premier" and while their at it call the cruise "torana" lol