Dodge Dart

[dirtyblueshirt]

Call me crazy, but I kinda like the looks on this. Unfortunately it won't come as a hatchback, but it will have an optional nine speed automatic transmission.

Marchionne: 2013 Dodge Dart will have optional 9-speed auto, hit 40 mpg

When the Dart debuts, a Fiat-sourced six-speed dual-clutch transmission will feed the front wheels, but later in 2013 Dodge will reportedly offer a nine-speed automatic gearbox supplied by the ZF Group and manufactured in South Carolina. ZF officials claim fuel economy will be boosted between 10 to 16 percent over the dual-clutch 'box, and that should put it handily in the 40 mpg range.

[Pennut]

No hatchback option is a big fail IMO. Sad to see the way Chrysler went down the tubes. from perhpas the most innovative car maker of the big 3 in the 1990's to a sell out to Fiat (Fix It Again Tony) What happens when you have bad upper management making bad decisions in a company.

[Scooby Doo]

You cant go wrong with a dodge. They tell their suppliers they want high quality parts.

[Lonestar]

Originally Posted by Pennut

No hatchback option is a big fail IMO. Sad to see the way Chrysler went down the tubes. from perhpas the most innovative car maker of the big 3 in the 1990's to a sell out to Fiat (Fix It Again Tony) What happens when you have bad upper management making bad decisions in a company.

We know this because we're able to buy our beloved Fiesta's here in the States.

Fiat (I always hate CAPITALIZING it b/c it sounds like I'm SHOUTING!) is currently a maker of very innovative, high quality products..as Ford now is...so discounting them simply b/c of past mistakes twenty years ago makes as much sense as discounting Ford for the Granada.

Fiat isn't a threat to Ford b/c it targets a different market with a different car. However, the availability of another creative, exciting product not only offers new product to the consumer, but also invigorates the overall auto market as other makers look to cross pollinate some of the ideas and adapt them to their products.


And, it means more American jobs. I wish Fiat/Chrysler luck.

[vicariousrider]

Originally Posted by Pennut

Sad to see the way Chrysler went down the tubes.

I still blame Daimler-Benz for this. In 1998, before the merger, Chrysler seemed to be at the top of their game. By 2004, quality was in the tank.

I test drove a 2008 Dodge Dakota with the 6-speed manual and the 3.7L V6. The 2008 with the 6-speed and V6 had nearly as much get-up and go as the '99 Dakota 5.9 R/T I got rid of when I traded it for my Fiesta; the 46RE automatic transmission, the only transmission option for R/T model '99-'03 Dakotas, gobbled up nearly 100 hp and nearly 150 lb-ft of torque (crankshaft dyno was 250 hp and 345 lb-ft of torque; Truck Trend dyno'd the R/T and it made 154 hp and 200 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels ); the build quality in the '08 Dakota was light years ahead of the '99.

Heck, even the '03 Intrepid SE I once owned looked older than it was; I owned it from 2007-2008 and it looked more like it was 8 years old instead of 5, and it was reasonably well-cared for before I bought it. Put it this way: my 7-year-old Mustang with 141,000 miles looks better than the Intrepid did, and it had only 71,000 on the clock. The quality just was not there.

Hopefully, hopefully Mr. Marchionne can swing Chrysler around. He's done a remarkable job thus far, I have high hopes for them.

[Pennut]

Originally Posted by vicariousrider

I still blame Daimler-Benz for this. In 1998, before the merger, Chrysler seemed to be at the top of their game. By 2004, quality was in the tank.

I test drove a 2008 Dodge Dakota with the 6-speed manual and the 3.7L V6. The 2008 with the 6-speed and V6 had nearly as much get-up and go as the '99 Dakota 5.9 R/T I got rid of when I traded it for my Fiesta; the 46RE automatic transmission, the only transmission option for R/T model '99-'03 Dakotas, gobbled up nearly 100 hp and nearly 150 lb-ft of torque (crankshaft dyno was 250 hp and 345 lb-ft of torque; Truck Trend dyno'd the R/T and it made 154 hp and 200 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels ); the build quality in the '08 Dakota was light years ahead of the '99.

Heck, even the '03 Intrepid SE I once owned looked older than it was; I owned it from 2007-2008 and it looked more like it was 8 years old instead of 5, and it was reasonably well-cared for before I bought it. Put it this way: my 7-year-old Mustang with 141,000 miles looks better than the Intrepid did, and it had only 71,000 on the clock. The quality just was not there.

Hopefully, hopefully Mr. Marchionne can swing Chrysler around. He's done a remarkable job thus far, I have high hopes for them.

I have to disagree about the quality of the Intrepid. Compared to something like the turd Chevy Malibu of the mid 90's with the awful 3.1L V6, it had better build quality. I bought my Intrepid in late 2001 and when i sold it in 2006, it had no rust or interior rattles of any kind. However it's good you point out it was a 2003 because that's when Chrysler stated to cheap and cost cut. For example, starting on the 2003 Intrepids, they cheaped out by (1) omitting the rear sway bar (2) omitting the fabric on the top of inner door panels and omitting the carpet on the bottom (kick panels) (3) omitting the trunk lid liner (4) omitting the glove box light (5) replacing the front spring loaded cup holder that stowed away when not in use with a stationary cup holder. That's a few that I can name off the top of my head. Even my 2006 Magnum was cost cutting in some areas such as a hard plastic armrests. I had to buy after market padded leather armrests and some chrome interior pieces to make the interior nicer. It wasn't until 2008 that they improved the interior on the LX's (Charger, 300 & Magnum) I agree that the merger with Daimler hurt more than it helped. As far as Fiat, yeah I know they are not the Fiat of the 70's. I'm sure they have some nice cars. I'm just sad to see an American car company that I was a loyal customer to get bought out by a foreign car company. I blame the asstard bean counters and idiots like Nardelli or what ever his name was. Even if Chrysler starts producing some nice cars, many of them will be Fiat underneath. I don't know. I've always bought American cars, never owned an import. One reason why i went to Ford rather than go the Kia/Hyundai route like many are doing.

[vicariousrider]

Originally Posted by Pennut

I have to disagree about the quality of the Intrepid. Compared to something like the turd Chevy Malibu of the mid 90's with the awful 3.1L V6, it had better build quality. I bought my Intrepid in late 2001 and when i sold it in 2006, it had no rust or interior rattles of any kind. However it's good you point out it was a 2003 because that's when Chrysler stated to cheap and cost cut. For example, starting on the 2003 Intrepids, they cheaped out by (1) omitting the rear sway bar (2) omitting the fabric on the top of inner door panels and omitting the carpet on the bottom (kick panels) (3) omitting the trunk lid liner (4) omitting the glove box light (5) replacing the front spring loaded cup holder that stowed away when not in use with a stationary cup holder. That's a few that I can name off the top of my head. Even my 2006 Magnum was cost cutting in some areas such as a hard plastic armrests. I had to buy after market padded leather armrests and some chrome interior pieces to make the interior nicer. It wasn't until 2008 that they improved the interior on the LX's (Charger, 300 & Magnum) I agree that the merger with Daimler hurt more than it helped. As far as Fiat, yeah I know they are not the Fiat of the 70's. I'm sure they have some nice cars. I'm just sad to see an American car company that I was a loyal customer to get bought out by a foreign car company. I blame the asstard bean counters and idiots like Nardelli or what ever his name was. Even if Chrysler starts producing some nice cars, many of them will be Fiat underneath. I don't know. I've always bought American cars, never owned an import. One reason why i went to Ford rather than go the Kia/Hyundai route like many are doing.

Well dang, I might've liked the Intrepid better had it been a couple years older than

C'est la vie.

And I agree on feelings toward the foreign investment in Chrysler. One person I know, he's still not happy with Chrysler, but then again, he saw Chrysler/Plymouth/Dodge in their heyday, back when cubic inches were a big factor in car choices rather than fuel economy.

[Pennut]

Yeah the 2002 R/T's were the most loaded Intrepids you could get. Had 17" wheels. No top speed limiter (could do 139 mph). The carpeted kick panels and fabric on the doors, leather seats, etc. Then they replaced the R/T with the SXT (what the heck does SXT stand for? Beats me) I believe in 2003. Those came only with 16" wheels and had a 117 MPH limiter slapped on them, even though the HP on the 3.5L was bumped up from 244 hp to 250 hp on the SXT. Kinda dumb. Up the hp, but then put a limiter on it. Doh! Even on my Magnum SXT, they cheaped out on the interior and left the rear sway bar off. The mounting holes were there, but no rear sway bar. You had to get the R/T or SRT-8 to get the rear sway bar. Really Chrysler? It would've cost that much extra to put a sway bar in back? Really needed one back there too. Can only imagine how many sales were lost from the cheap interiors alone.

[archenok]

Originally Posted by dirtyblueshirt

Call me crazy, but I kinda like the looks on this. Unfortunately it won't come as a hatchback, but it will have an optional nine speed automatic transmission.

I can't see the looks because all the preview pics are a really weird angles

[dirtyblueshirt]

Originally Posted by archenok

I can't see the looks because all the preview pics are a really weird angles

That's all that Chrysler has released. You'll likely see full coverage at the 2012 NAIAS in Detroit.