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This is not good :( more ddct criticism

9K views 48 replies 27 participants last post by  snarf7 
#1 ·
#2 ·
I have never had a problem with the ddct not seeming up to par. It could be better yes, but for the average every day driver I bet you they would never think about it. Sounds like Dodge will most definitely bring out the 9 Speed Automatic to hush some reviewers, but it isn't necessary. A 9 speed can only help, but once again I have never had a problem with it.

Reviewers always critizcize the most picky things and maybe they are used to driving $50,000+ sport and luxary cars. For a pretty good economical compact car that still remains sporty with distinct character compared to most other cars in the segment I think it is just fine. Let's just compare the Dodge Caliber's transmission CVT to this. I say this is still a winner for Dodge, what a difference!
 
#6 · (Edited)
Oh :shocked: all this time I thought I had it! haha I guess I just confused the name. Alright well I guess I can't vouch for the ddct then, but I can for the power tech auto at least. So the power tech auto is the Hyundai transmission and the DDCT is Italian right?'


Has anyone else noticed the first time they test drove the Dart the brakes felt extremely grabby? Well after driving it for a week or two I started getting used to it and now it feels natural. This is just a small example how reviews can be different depending on the person. I have noticed many reviews where they have only driven the car a day or two and they might say something like "Well the brakes have a great stopping distance, but they are a tad bit grabby for my taste."
Well if they would drive it for longer maybe they would get used to it like I did.

Maybe the same can be for transmissions. With a turbo you have to learn where it's power is and to get it's full potential hit it sweet spot on the RPM range. I never take reviews with a grain of salt and person experience reviews of actual owners is much more valuable.

However, it is sad that most of society will take in what the reviewers say like for example (Consumer Reports)
 
#4 ·
Our ddct works seamlessly I have absolutely no complaints. We bought it because its my girlfriends every day driver and she didn't want a manual. But I come from every vehicle I have owned except for the street/ strip ( fully built auto with manual valve body) is a manual and I can say the ddct is a pretty decent transmission. It definatly can have a different feel at times but nothing that makes you think the transmission is a bad transmission.
 
#7 ·
If these people actually owned the car then maybe their opinion would count. Anyways, I bought the auto with the DDCT for the amount of city driving I do daily and I can say it is great so far and does everything I purchased the car for. Yea it is very different compared to other vehicles in the segment but I don't think I or anybody could say there is anything wrong with at after putting several miles on one. It takes getting used to but I am more than happy with the performance so far having 2300 miles on my dart!
 
#10 ·
The problem is too many people I know read these car websites and magazines and treat them like gospel. This really hurts the car with all this negativity about the dual clutch tranny in the car media. Although after reading posts on his forum I wasn't going to bother driving a Dart with the tiger shark engine because of all the negativity. I am glad I did and wondered what you all have been smoking. That 2.0l has to be the best base engine in the segment. I was very surprised with it. You wouldn't know that reading posts around here ;)
 
#11 ·
I would agree with what they say about waiting for the transmission to catch up when you jam the throttle while in drive. It takes forever for the transmission to catch up with the throttle input. And it is slow to respond to sudden braking and then accelerating. Those are the two biggest complaints I have with the DDCT.

I don't agree with manual mode not fixing some of these issues. I use manual mode whenever I want to have fun or accelerate quickly, such as getting on the highway. I just leave the transmission in 3rd when taking an on ramp and jam the throttle that way. There's no lag there, since it's already in gear. I guess that they use the manual mode differently? But I definitely think it fixes half or more of the issues with the automatic mode.

Also, I feel like I read somewhere on these forums that there was a potential (perhaps optional?) retune of the transmission that would allow for sportier driving (holding gear longer, faster but harsher shifts)? I would be down for that.
 
#12 ·
I'll reserve judgement until I actually get some seat time on it. If I never bought a car because of negative reviews of a vehicle, I'd still be riding around on a bike. When I'm purchasing a vehicle I scan the web for mechanical problems and or recalls that may plaque the vehicle. Negative review(s) on a site have never deterred me from purchasing a car or anything for that matter. Tell me there is an issue with head gaskets blowing on a certain motor and I will listen intently, tell me a motor is underpowered and I'll disregard it immediately
 
#14 ·
That's a good point, dby, the 2.0 has been slammed by a number of reviewers as being too slow, but I think it really depends on where it would be used. I am retired and living in the country where the driving is on country roads through small towns. I think the 2.0 probably would be just fine for me. If I were to use the expressway, about 25 miles from here, to travel, the 2.0 could be a problem when using on ramps to enter where the traffic is rumbling by at 60-70 mph. I think the 1.4 Turbo does need an attentive driver to keep the rpms in the proper range for best performance and the upcoming 2.4 may be the best option for some folks, it really depends on what you want to do with the car. I drove a 2.0 Limited a few weeks ago and it felt fine to me, but I wasn't trying to push it. The price point for the new GT sounds fantastic, so I want to see how that works out. I personally feel that too many reviewers are used to winding out a high powered car on a test track and have become jaded. I do not need a Shelby Mustang to cruise down a country road!
 
#15 ·
Being one of the people that admittedly has said that I wasn't impressed by the 2.0, I still say had I not test driven the 1.4t first, I would have probably saved the $1,100 and gone with that engine. The TQ difference is what won me over though. The Tigershark 2.0 I think will prove to be a solid and reliable engine. You hit the nail on the head johnda, too many people are used to high powered cars. This is a compact car built for fuel economy. People need to stop expecting it to match up with a SRT8 Charger or G8.
 
#16 ·
I've had mine for a few months now and have no complaints at all. Yes there is some lag if you floor it but you can switch to the manual mode if you feel like revving it. Other than that in regular city/hwy driving it responds just fine and never feels underpowered at highway speeds. I believe the DDC is meant to take advantage of the 1.4 turbo's (2010 Best new Engine of the year) combination of economy and power. I agree with some of the other comments in the reviewers are comparing this car to a Porshe or something. It's a sporty, large compact sedan (or small midsized sedan) not a sports car - if I wanted to go 0-60 in 5 seconds I would have saved up for a car capable of that! Overall I think it looks and feels way better compared to every other boring, Honda, Hyundai and Mazda both inside and out. I get a lot of compliments on it (the colour helps) and am proud to talk about the engine and the transmission!
 
#19 ·
These same auto experts panned the Ford Focus Dual clutch without mercy, even post software upgrade. Flash forward 1 year and now all of a sudden its a class leader with no faults to speak of....

In the end these journalist' opinions are bought and paid for with advertising dollars. You have to pay to play. This is why Car and Driver never says anything bad about Honda, but if you look closer, every other page has a honda ad.
 
#21 ·
My DDCT is a little show to shift too, and sometimes if I give it some gas it hesitates and feels like it up shifts then downshits. Manual shifting with it is delayed also. I have the same experience as the people in that press release have, but it sure is smooth for the most part. I would have went with a manual if limited in canada could have manual.
 
#23 ·
Yeah, a lot of these "turbo lag" and throttle-by-wire hesitation issues with the 1.4t and shifting issues with the DDCT will be remedied with software updates IMO. Everything is controlled computers these days. The hardware only does what the software is telling it to do. It's not a hardware issue, it's a software issue.

Wow... I've just sprinted past my daily allotment of the use of the words software and hardware... haha
 
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#28 ·
#24 · (Edited)
"It's a sporty, large compact sedan (or small midsized sedan) not a sports car "

How right you are Jacone! I actually saw one writer call the 2013 dart a "subcompact" Oh, COME on!

Just because I was curious I did a spreadsheet study using the specs from the Edmonds web site. I compared four 2013 cars: Hyundai Elantra, Toyota Corolla, Dodge Dart, Toyota Camry and Hyundai Sonata. The Dart is really closer to the mid size cars, although there are a few places it's a bit "tight". The Dart trunk space is in the compact size area and the headroom is the lowest. They wanted to make the Dart to have good legroom, so something had to give. 13.1 cubic feet puts it in the Corolla size. Now, about that headroom, I saw a video where the over 6' tall tester was driving a Dart with the Moon Roof and his head was sticking up into the opening! So, if you are a big and tall guy or gal, you might want to skip the Moon Roof option because it reduces head room by 2-3 inches. I know when I drove the Limited, I was very impressed with the seating comfort, I'm 5'10" and just a tad over 200 pounds. It had the moon roof and I felt the clearence was fine. I also was very impressed with the quietness of the car, at least as good as my wife's 2003 Camry. It sure as hell ain't no subcompact!:)
 
#29 ·
No Problem. I actually just called my dealer as i had 13-002 put on and someone referenced 13-003 and i wanted to know the difference. And he told me that 13-004 was just released TODAY !!! That is specific to the transmission.. he did not give me the details of 13-004 but said next time I am in for a oil change they will put it on. Or if I just wanted it to bring it by.


Mike
 
#32 ·
I still see the complaints about the Focus and Fiesta autos. It mostly seems to be from people who don't understand how it works. My wife was not happy with her Fiesta at first because she thought the transmission was 'broken'. It took me weeks to convince her that it was supposed to work that way. I love the owner complaints on Edmunds "I took the car back 3 times for transmission work, the car is jerky in parking lots. They keep lying and telling me it is fine. I want a new car, mine is a lemon."
 
#34 ·
Everybody has their own opinion. When you have driven million-dollar cars, it's kind of hard to do an accurate comparison of lower-end vehicles. Which the Dart is. You can't get rid of an experience. You can do your best to keep it out of mind, but you won't forget it if it was an enjoyable experience. So, yeah - there are going to be someone that hates just about every aspect of every car, because they've experienced better. So, in that respect, it's PURELY opinion. The problem is when they start trying to tell you one car is better than another because THEY think so. Not because of proven fact.
 
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