You may have seen the clever commercials for the Dodge Dart where you can “register” for this compact vehicle, and have friends and loved ones help you pay for this new offering from Chrysler. The advertisement is clever, different and hip – much like the Dart itself.

As such, I was eager to get behind the wheel of my tester for the week, the Dodge Dart Limited. I wanted to see what this vehicle had, and if it would be able to separate itself from other Dodge cars, and also if it would differentiate itself from the muscle cars that Dodge is known for. I also wanted to see if this second-offering Dart could reestablish itself, after the original Dart had a successful run from 1960-1976. Admittedly, that’s before my time, so I have no memory to compare that to.

Reintroducing a brand, after years of non-existence, can be a challenge. To do so in the highly competitive compact sedan segment is a bold, if not ambitious endeavor.
But, if my week with the Dart is any indication, Chrysler may have hit a bullseye with this compact sedan.

On looks, the Dart immediately differentiates itself from other stable mates. A toned down, less-aggressive grille shows the Dart is not just a smaller Charger. Instead, the Dart clearly shows its Italian side (via Fiat and Alfa Romeo influences), with clean, understated styling. The Dart’s design is the antithesis of the more aggressive Dodge sedans (Charger, Challenger).

And the Dart can be less aggressive thanks to its smaller stature, and 4-cylinder engine. No SRT8 or Moparian love for the Dart, yet. But the 2.0-liter has just enough power to make for a fun driving experience nonetheless. The 6-speed automatic transmission is a perfect mate for this engine, offering brisk performance, and smooth shifting.

There are two other engine options available for the Dart including a 2.4-liter Multiair 4-cylinder, and a 1.4-liter Multiair turbo. My tester produced 160 horsepower, which is the same amount of power as the turbo version, and less than the 2.4-liter engine.

Inside, the Dart most certainly separates itself from other Dodge sedans, and that’s a good thing. The black-trimmed interior featured soft touchpoints, ambient lighting, a stitched dashboard, leather seats and leather steering wheel and an 8.4-inch touch-screen display. The Dart uses Chrysler’s UConnect infotainment system, which is both intuitive and modern.

Two other interior features of note are a storage area under the passenger front seat. The cushion pulls up to reveal extra storage areas for various sundries. But you cannot review the Dart without mentioning its best interior feature— the 7-inch, reconfigurable cluster display. Here, all information you need is right in eyesight, and drivers can set up custom settings to reveal the information they want, whether it be fuel efficiency, entertainment or fuel consumption. Part of this display is a gimmicky sunflower display that shows how many petals the driver has earned by driving in a fuel-efficient manner. The more petals, the better the fuel economy of the Dart.

Speaking of fuel economy, you’ll hear the Dart advertised in the 40+ MPG category (available only in the Aero trim), but my tester’s engine is only rated at 24 city and 34 highway. And with a week’s worth of petal-filled driving, I managed to get 31 MPG.

There are five trim levels for the Dart, as well as the three engine options, making the Dart quite customizable. There’s even a manual transmission version available. The base model SE starts at $15,995, while the top-of-the-line Limited starts at $19,995. My Limited tester had additional packages like heated seats, heated steering wheel and an upgraded infotainment system, taking it to a final price of $24,965. Still, when compared to other segment leaders such as the Civic, Dart falls right in line with pricing, from bottom to the top. And, the Dart’s interior is significantly nicer than some of its competitors, and nicer than most other similar Dodge sedans too.

Indeed the Dart is full of suprises. From the inside, to the out, the Dart offers a modern, Italian-inspired, take on the compact sedan. As such, one could argue the Dart hits a bullseye.
Jimmy Dinsmore is the Wheels editor at the Dayton Daily News and may be reached at (937) 225-2115.
Follow him on Twitter @wheelseditor