Dodge Dart Forum banner

Dodge being too ambitious with the Dart SRT-4???

35K views 167 replies 34 participants last post by  b3ar2264 
#1 ·
Lots of questions regarding the future of the Dart SRT4....Will it be AWD? How much power does Dodge want to achieve? What engine will it have??? IMO, they should lighten it a bit....Keep it FWD or RWD (w/LSD) and tune it for around 270hp (develop optional "staged kits" for those who want more power/performance)...6spd manual only (keeping production costs low). I'm thinking of the Genesis Coupe and Mazdaspeed 3 for comparisons. Both those cars make around the same power and cost about the same price. I just think a 300hp+ AWD Dart will be too expensive. You're literally playing in EVO/STI/370z territory in terms of price and the Dart doesn't have the history/following to justify competing in that market. The Neon SRT4 was a helluva car for the money....It could run with cars costing much more....I think the new SRT4 has to be in the $25k range for price (starting anyway)....Again comparing to the MS3 and Gen Coupe.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JüstCantFocüs
#121 ·
My argument to that would be the dart will be the entry level srt vehicle. Why even bother releasing it if its not going to be "affordable"? It doesnt make sense to me. Dodge will find a way to price it right.
 
#127 ·
Seriously, please go to Alfa's site and find me a Giulietta that has a 2.4L. Also the 2.0 in the Giulietta is a diesel which other than displacement has nothing in common with the 2.0 Tigershark in the Dart. The turbo Giulietta is either the 1.4T or the 1.75T and neither one of those motors is going to power the SRT version of the Dart. Also the Dart is based upon the Giulietta in the loosest sense of the word, CUSW is a heavily modified version of the platform used by the Guilietta and they share almost nothing in common.
 
#133 ·
The reason why darts are more expensive in Canada is because they are imported. The dart is selling better than you all might think. From a business standpoint. Every car that rolls off the line is already bought and paid for. So based on every dart produced it technically has been sold. The avenger is done. The 200 is getting an all new model. So they pushed a lot of incentives to get rid of them. The dealer I went to tried to coax me into buying a 200 or avenger. Dealers simply over ordered they have no clue what the manufacture is going to do until they do it. The reason why sti and evo aren't as hot is its not a get what you pay for issue evos loaded are 45k now look at the new corvette and what you get for 50k 5 grand more you get more hp better fuel economy touchscreen etc. The evo still Has a cheap plastic interior design not to mention the farther the car travels the farther it costs and this generation only has had a 5 speed available. The dart won't be that expensive as there cheapest sports car it will follow suit with the neon especially if they expect to sell. While the wrx and evos are lacking and ralliarts don't sell well because they only come in sst transmissions they are still proven technology and years of engineering. So they may be more expensive but priced in the same area will bring more attention to them.
 
#143 ·
The reason why darts are more expensive in Canada is because they are imported.
According to the Canadian government, the following vehicles are made in Canada. They all cost more in Canada than in the US (though in some cases, like the Grand Caravan, there are deep manufacturer incentives). Whether it is imported or not is not relevant, especially in a free trade environment.

Buick Regal
Cadillac XTS
Chevrolet Camaro
Chevrolet Equinox
Chevrolet Impala
Chrysler 300
Chrysler Cargo Van
Chrysler Town & Country
Dodge Charger
Dodge Challenger
Dodge Grand Caravan
Fiat Lancia Thema (Fiat's version of the 300, for export only)
Ford Edge
Ford Flex
GMC Terrain
Honda Civic
Honda CR-V
Lexus RX 350
Lexus RX 450h (Hybrid)
Lincoln MKT
Lincoln MKX
Toyota Corolla
Toyota Matrix
Toyota RAV4 and RAV4 EV

There is no good reason why cars are more expensive (sometimes upwards of 25% more) here than stateside. The smaller scale of the Canadian automotive market has been mentioned, as have a different regulatory and taxation environment. Mostly it's just because dealers in Canada can charge more, the government won't do anything about the blatant price gouging, and what are you going to do about it? In theory you can buy a car in the US and import it, but it's not easy, and many US dealers won't sell to Canadians for various reasons anyway (some manufacturer threaten their dealers with loss of incentives if they do, some won't honor the warranty). The Dart SRT4 will almost certainly be priced starting around $40K in Canada (even if it's about USD $28K), and if other similar niche cars (Focus ST & WRX STi) are anything to go by, it will come with more standard equipment than in the US, with fewer options.
 
#156 ·
Agreed that's partially the reason why I keep arguing price point with these guys that think it's going to cost 30 grand. If it doesn't follow the same formula as the nsrt (not saying it has to be fwd) it will fail. I know all of us want it but realistically what would there be to keep some one from buying a wrx or sti or a low end evo. These cars have proven tech. And engineering they've been doing it for a lot longer than dodge because the talons were pretty much all mitsubishi. Hence forth 30 grand will only draw attention to other companies and defer the purpose of re entering the sport compact world. It needs to be a bang for you're buck car like it is now and like it was with the neons. I know we're not going to See a 19k model but 30 is just obscurely too high.
 
#157 ·
Talking about it and speculating is one thing - arguing is another :).

Any "performance" vehicle is going to be a fail when you just throw a high performance engine in a $h!tty car. Sorry to anyone who may have had or still has a Neon, but case in point - not only the Caliber SRT was a fail in my eyes. The NSRT was a fast car for the money, but I personally would've never bought one because it was still a Neon. There was no getting around it. If you bought a NSRT and you liked the looks or would have bought one had it not been an SRT, sorry for your taste in cars. The Neons had always looked "girly" and was complete POS, and snapping on a bumper, hood and a crappy Supra style spoiler that did not match the car did not spark my personal interests. But for the money, you couldn't buy a faster car. On the other hand, that was bad because it was mostly kids that bought the NSRTs - kids that did not belong behind the wheel of a car like that.

And you're right, the internet is not the place for me because I don't like fakes :). Another reason I say wait for the official release is because even IF someone did say they knew what was going to be in it on these forums, you couldn't believe them until you talked with someone who knew what was actually going on - not someone you know from the internet who claims they're someone. I would just like to see less arguing and more discussion. I would hate for these forums to end up like allot of other ones where everyone thinks their right and it's nothing but a bunch of threads arguing and flaming each other.
 
#160 ·
It's all in good fun, my friend, and I certainly hope nobody is taking any of this debate about what the Dart SRT will be, or how it will be priced to heart. :) I've never liked the Neon either, though the SRT4 certainly was a fast ride in its day. Personally, I'd rather have a Caliber SRT4. I don't even believe Chrysler's official announcements anymore, to be honest. I'm still not entirely convinced they will ever sell a Dart SRT4. I have no doubt they'll build at least one for show purposes, but it wouldn't be the first special edition model of the Dart that they announced, showed to the world, and then abandoned without explanation.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top