Hmm, interesting
The 2.4-liter also will be the standard engine in the 2014 Dart Limited and SXT.

Sounding more and more like the mileage lost is not worth it. I think the 1.4L will remain the top engine.

 

Hmm, interesting Sounding more and more like the mileage lost is not worth it. I think the 1.4L will remain the top engine.

Yeah. I don't even care about the power so much... 185 HP isn't very important to me as I've owned 500 HP cars. Not buying this for the power . But I was really hoping for more of a handling upgrade, something to put it (handling wise, not power wise) closer to the Megane 250 cup / MS3 / ST class. It doesn't have to add much to the price of a car to do that. It's easily possible in a low/mid 20's car.

I might wait a year or two and see what appears. Really hoping for a hatchback too - so much more practical.

 

I thought the GT was based off the limited...

 

It is based off the limited. In the order code description it comes up as "DART LIMITED/GT." He also said that it had push button start as standard. You can only get that as part of the Technology Package. Not sure where this guy got his info from.

I really want to read an article on how the GT with a manual performs. The only two articles that I've read are for the auto.

 

So for 2014, the base gets the 2.0L....the sxt, limited and gt get the 2.4L and the aero gets the 1.4t standard.... With the turbo being optional for sxt and limited? So strange. The 2.4 really seems out of place in the line up. It doesnt really stand apart from the turbo in terms of hp/tq combined and its gas mileage is meh. Maybe Dodge shouldve developed performance parts for the turbo instead of offering a whole new engine/trim (for those who want more out of the dart). Maybe an ecu flash, exhaust, suspension, bov etc.... All building up to a srt4 model to be released at a later date. It took 3yrs for the neon srt4 to become available after the 2nd gen neon debuted. When the neon went thru its mid cycle refresh (2003), the srt4 was born. Will dodge folliw the same schedule with the dart?

 

It's looking like my prediction from months ago will happen. They are setting up the models for the 9 speed. It may not make sense now, but it will. I bet the 9 speed will increase mpg on the 2.0 to make it the same or real close to the 1.4 turbo and ddct. The 9 speed will increase the 2.4 to mpg rating to what the 2.0 currently gets with the 6 speed auto now. The 1.4L will be only available with a manual. I expected this when they announced they were no longer making the 1.4 turbo in the US. The DDCT is still not a transmission Americans expect and the turbo lag is something most drivers are not used to and don't want to take the time to adjust their driving to. The linear power of the 2.0 and 2.4 is what people expect.

 

Here's another:

2013 Dodge Dart GT First Review: Injected with a Dose of Fun - Kelley Blue Book

 

Seems a touch more positive.

 

Those darn review people- driving cars with transmissions that 90% of the people drive- those jerks! LOL

Seriously, while I understand the passion of drivers who use manuals, the reality of the situation is that people buy automatics. Reminds me a few years ago when I was in a sports memorabilia shop here in NE Ohio- an old lady complained to the owner that there was too much Steelers stuff and not enough Browns merchandise. The owner politely responded to her and said "I have to have stuff in my shop that actually sells." She got furious and told him to move to PA and stormed out.

 

the reality of the situation is that people buy automatics.

Well, can't argue with that . Some people even think the manual is going to go the way of the dodo. It's still huge in Europe I think, like 50%+ of cars sold in some countries. But in the 'States, it's all but gone already. Some cars don't even have them as an option any more!

(Grumble grumble grumble...)

 

The KBB review really doesn't add too much. Basically reasserts that the GT handles well but still offers a relatively smooth ride.

With regards to the original review, I think the mixed bag portion comes from this line:

the GT is merely a sporty car instead of a sports car

Which isn't bad, because I don't need a sports car. I want a car that balances a good ride with handling and fairly quick for an I-4. I want a nice, small car that has a lot of features with some zip but still good gas milage

 

So far all the "tests" are just from a short ride at the Chrysler track and there are no performance figures such as zero to 60, gas mileage, etc. From my viewpoint the GT is exactly that; a Gran Tourismo Aka a grand tourer. It has bells and whistles along with a nicely powered engine. For 99 percent of the folks out there, this will be a fully satisfying car, plus it will run on regular gas.

For the folks who want more of an Italian feel, the 1.4L with the DDCT or stick shift in Aero or SXT clothing will be the choice dejour. That combo will require high test gas and more mothering including being more "on top" of the use of the transmission. My own personal choice, if I was younger, would be for the 1.4L DDCT. But being 75, the less fussy GT may be the choice for me. We'll see....

Oh yeah! I almost forgot, I think it would be real nice if Dodge could finally update their web page to include the GT in the models listed in the "build your own" section; the model is available now, right folks?

 

For the folks who want more of an Italian feel, the 1.4L with the DDCT or stick shift in Aero or SXT clothing will be the choice dejour. That combo will require high test gas and more mothering including being more "on top" of the use of the transmission.

This seems to be a common misconception around here. The 1.4T can handle any octane gas just fine. 91 is recommended, but not a requirement.

 

Ya, it's fine with me if all they test are autos. It's true. That's what 90% of these cars will be. I am more than happy that this car is a great looking automobile, with more tech than some cars costing much more. The interior is amazing, and the GT will handle great... as a "sporty car", and I'll go ahead and assume I'll be able to achieve, or surpass the 33 mpg hwy rating in my 6 speed manual car :wink:

Keep the reviews coming though, guys! I'm loving reading about the car. Good or bad.

EDIT: Also, IMHO, neither the Civic SI nor Golf GTI are "sports cars". They are also, "sporty cars". Hopped up bersions of economy cars. Nothing more.

 

i think the gt should of been a 2.0l turbo. leaving the 2.4 engine for the srt which may or may not ever come out.
I would of traded my 2.0 for it. as that is my goal anyways.

I dont know who makes the decisions over there but they are not so great.
Yes the car has a lot of features. But it also lacks in others.
For example the 8.4 screen similar to that used on the chargers etc That doesnt have the ability to play DVD's that makes no sense. a radio that will not streem music track info via bluetooth. which has been a standard for years.

I know its probably good for most, but damn this BCM is too sensative. there has or should be a way to disable error light warnings.
the only one i get is for the license plate since i switched to an led. But you cant use load resistors as it will over heat and melt something. and there is no current way in the bcm to disable that.

I know this thread is about the motor/gt but just figured i point our some short comings, Not like they have not been already and my opinion on the release.

 

Hhhmmm... okaaay...

Lack of an ability to play a DVD for passengers in your car, from a screen that should be displaying SAT NAV/Radio/Vehicle info isn't really a turn-off for me. Any sort of video entertainment should NOT be visible to the driver. HUGE distraction IMHO. Video screens should be viewable by rear passenger area occupants ony.

As far as audio track tagging through Blue tooth, I cannot comment, as I have never driven a car with half the techy gizmos this car has. So just the fact that the car will have power seats is a big deal to me. Let alone streaming any audio from my iPhone to the car's stereo. I'll be ok if some song track info doesn't display properly.

BTW, there are several threads on this forum for posting your dislikes, and this vehicle's "short comings".

 

Kids today are so spoiled. I just looked out the window and pretended there was a hugh saw attached to the car

 

Wouldn't a few mods on the 1.4l bring the HP/torque up to par with the 2.4l? And you still are the cool kid on the block because you have a turbo.

..::] lin0phryne - mobile [::..

 

If i was shopping for a dart, and the gt was available, id prob still go for the 1.4t or just wait (and hope) for the srt4. Look at what dodge has done with other models like the charger. 300hp v6 engine (sxt)... 370hp v8 (r/t) and 470hp v8 (srt). Quite a jump in power from one trim to another. I think the dart gt should have more power/tq vs the other 2 trims. It should be in the neighborhood of 200hp/tq in my opinion...Soley bc of the 1.4t's existence. If the 2.0L tigershark was the only other engine option, the 2.4 (in its current state) would make more sense to me.

 

To me it just seems like having 3 engines to choose from ups the luxury of a vehicle.

VW Jetta: 1.8/2.0(?), 2.0T, 2.0TDI

Mazda3: 2.0

I think with the addition of the 2.4 the Dart will be positioned perfectly, as long as the Dodge dealers keep making killer deals.

 

So true......there are actually a lot of models out there which provide 3 or more engine options...it doesn't take away from the car....if the car is provided some smaller stock engines, a small turbo and some bigger ones which obviously will get lower mpg....but if the car is built with some smaller and in my opinion still pretty powerful at 160 HP engines....then they can add some bigger engines for the people who don't care as much about the better fuel economy of the current 160 HP engine options.....but for people who just want that throw you back into the seat jet engine take offs feel adding some bigger engines probably shouldn't hurt the Dart by any means unless they phase out the smaller engines which their high HP but impressive mpg due to their smaller size was part of the selling point initially with the Dart.....if somebody wants to get a bigger gas guzzling engine dropped in the Dart.....that's fine as long as they keep the smaller stock engines in the cars as well so you have the best of all worlds....the option of the economy yet still not totally gutless smaller engines if you prefer more fuel economy....but the options to have a bigger engine for those who don't care about the mpg.....could help draw more people to the car .....I remember when Chevy trucks for instance were diverse in their full size fleets to where depending on which of their model trims you chose you could pick an engine size from a 3 cylinder engine on a work truck a 4 cylinder on their bottom level, and anywhere from a small mid sized v6 all the way up to a v8 which there were 3 or 4 v8s you could choose from on their higher trim ..... and since I will have my dart for a few years it won't really affect me right away if they add engine options because I am more than happy with the amount of pretty good power while still getting good mileage at the same time.....but if adding engines and trim levels is what it takes to make Dart number 1.....I am for it

 

Why does everyone keep saying a 1.4l is soo much better than a 2.4l. And then go on to say but you have to spend extra money to mod it first?

 

It's because turbos respond to mods better than normally aspirated engines. Without a chip though I wouldn't necessarily say that is true. Someday my 1.4T will beat your 2.4!

 

As a whole, i think the 1.4t is better than the 2.4 n/a also (looking at stock specs and potential).

 

raced a 1.4T with my 2.0 the other day from a dead stop at the beginning of a highway entrance ramp.... he had me off the line but didnt get very far ahead before i caught up. once we hit about 55/60mph, he started to lose a lot of torque and acceleration and i still had 2 more gears to get through. this leads me to believe that the 2.4 is going to be an even better version of the 2.0... especially when strapped with a 9 speed transmission. or he was just an awful driver, but he seemed to be switching gears like he knew what he was doing. ill give the 1.4T the fact that it has a little more low end torque, but once you hit those higher RPMs (4k+), the 2.0 devours it. the 2.4 can only be better.

 

Old guy/father figure preface: Keep the racing on the track ;P

That said, you were getting on the freeway, and you did have to "get up to speed" lol

One thing we all have to remember is that that 1.4 is already pretty "juiced" so to speak. It's got quite a bit of boost going throug it already in oprder to get that torque figure. Don't get me wrong, that 1.4t is a damn impressive motor, but I think once you start really reaching for the stars with it, the poor little guy will start to faulter a little earlier than intended.

The only reason I say this is because of my experience with the NSRT4. I mean, look at how incredibly over-built that engine was from the get go... it was seeing 10-15 psi stock (depending on conditions). And that's for only about 100hp:1 liter. The 1.4 is getting more than that.

My car has been seeing 16-19 psi regularly for going on 3 years and it has yet to faulter. Just changed the timing belt/water pump @ 100K lol

How strong are the internals of this 1.4t? What sort of longevity can we expect from a properly tuned, high boosting (20+ is what it would need, right?) 1.4t? Or better yet, from an ill-tuned 1.4t? :-/

An engine this tiny is counting on what, 18 psi for stock power figures?

 

I can bet any money that the way my 1.4 turbo sits right now, I have more hp and far more torque then the 2.4 in the GT. these 1.4 turbo motors may be high on boost right from the start, but they will for sure put down close to 300 hp before the internals start to feel super stressed and you need stronger/better internals. The internals in the 1.4 are forged, and can handle plenty of power. Now the injectors and such Is a different story, but with a little better flowing injectors and a nice tune, we can see easly 240 WHP out these 1.4 turbos.

 

This. Plus, remember, Tork made higher than stock power with only like 12psi... the power is there.. just need that ability to tune accordingly.

sent from my butt.

 

Hopefully by the time we get the limit of power out of the 1.4, a 2.4 turbo engine swap will be available. Then again.. 300bhp out of a good handling car with suspension work is good enough for me and I'm sure a few others. Any more power than that in a fwd and it starts to get a little too "bucking broncoish"? If that makes sense... that's just me tho.. I've driven a 500fwhp srt-4 and... holy shit.. but I like to road race and autocross from time to time.

sent from my butt.

 

Then again.. 300bhp out of a good handling car with suspension work is good enough for me and I'm sure a few others.

I would be more than happy with that. Right now, my current ride has a similar 0-60 as the fastest Dart (besides the GT), 8.2s. If I can a new car that's quicker and gets close to the MPGs - on top of the drastic improvements the Dart GT brings over my bare-bones Malibu MAXX, I'll be happy as hell.

 

Another review!

Here is another Dart GT review.... sounds to me like they drove a manual! Seems more positive and also seems to highlight all the right reasons to buy a GT and not a rallye/limited now.

First Drive: 2013 Dodge Dart GT | TheDetroitBureau.com

 

Here is another Dart GT review.... sounds to me like they drove a manual! Seems more positive and also seems to highlight all the right reasons to buy a GT and not a rallye/limited now.

First Drive: 2013 Dodge Dart GT | TheDetroitBureau.com

It's great to have another review, but I'd really, really appreciate hearing about the 0-60 and gas milage

 

VW has the Jetta, Golf, and 2 or 4 door GTI.

 

Subi was a good one. The others are all negligable in my mind at least. Point being though that not many do it. Would be nice to see dodge do it. Only id be pissed cause I ordered a dart now!

 

Subi was a good one. The others are all negligable in my mind at least.

Everybody's got their own criteria in this space. For me, the Megane 265 Cup is one of the best hot hatches available in the world. Well, except for its interior, which I don't much care for.

Of course, we don't get them in the US market. Seems like we're a bit of an automotive backwater here in the States, unfortunately. Many of the coolest cars never make it over here.

 

I can picture them lightening our Darts in the future.