[Thorosofbeer]

Hello all,

I went ahead and made a new thread for this because I'm looking at cars this weekend and I wanted some insight. I'm getting a 6-speed Dart, but I'm not sure which one. There are several options local to me that are under 100,000 and have the 1.4l Turbo or the 2.0l. There are much fewer in my price range that have the 2.4l and I'd have to buy out of city, which means getting someone to inspect it for me etc., but I'm willing to do that if the 2.4l is the way to go.

Ideally I'd like a sporty trim and I'm buying a car to drive it (hence the 6-speed). I've read that the 1.4l has power issues and that there isn't much in terms of performance upgrades for the 2.0l. If my goal is to do some performance upgrades down the road, should I focus strictly on the 2.4l? There's a nice 6-speed that I test drove last weekend with 80,000 miles on it, but I don't want to go out and buy a 2.0l only to find out that it's a huge mistake if I care about performance.

Thanks for any insight ya'll can provide, glad to be getting back in the game.

 

[Srtified]

Not to burst your bubble but if you want performance, best look to another car totally. There is very little in the way of upgrades for any powertrain combinations the Dart may come with. You can try but don't get too heartbroken if things aren't available....the car really needed a power boost right out of the gate. The SRT version they had teased would have stretched the sales out longer for this car in my opinion.

 

[Spencerbullett]

I agree with above comment, but out of the three to pick from I’d go with the 2.4L all day. I have it, and it’s ALRIGHT, nothing special but it does the job

 

[Thorosofbeer]

Not to burst your bubble but if you want performance, best look to another car totally. There is very little in the way of upgrades for any powertrain combinations the Dart may come with. You can try but don't get too heartbroken if things aren't available....the car really needed a power boost right out of the gate. The SRT version they had teased would have stretched the sales out longer for this car in my opinion.

I owned a 2015 automatic in the past before I wrecked and I really liked the car. I appreciate the warning though, I guess I may just look for a 2.4l and not put a ton into caring about performance upgrades as long as it looks and rides nice. The 2.4 seems like a significant upgrade over the 2.0l would you say it is?

 

[alpinegreenneon]

Before I bought my first Dart, I test drove all 3 automatic versions. I also read almost all of people's comments on this site. The 2.4 seemed loud because of the MultiAir clacking and didn't seem that much more peppy than the 2.0. I do all of my own wrenching on my vehicles and the thought of solenoids and hydraulics instead of a real camshaft made me cringe. I didn't like that all 3 engines had the intake side in the back of the engine. It just seems counter intuitive to put the exhaust in front. I could see the turbo 1.4 was all FIAT. I decided all the underboost problems I read about meant I would be under the hood more than I wanted. The fact that the DDCT was the only automatic ruled out that powertrain.
So both of my Darts have the 2.0 and I think I made the right decision. Over 100,000 miles combined have been trouble free. Not one single check engine light on either Dart. Both still have the original battery, brakes, wheel bearings, and struts.
If you think you want performance, look at something else. If you want a car you can depend on, a 2.0 Dart won't disappoint you.

 

[Spencerbullett]

I owned a 2015 automatic in the past before I wrecked and I really liked the car. I appreciate the warning though, I guess I may just look for a 2.4l and not put a ton into caring about performance upgrades as long as it looks and rides nice. The 2.4 seems like a significant upgrade over the 2.0l would you say it is?

Rides nice, yes, and sounds alright too. It wouldn’t say it’s a significant upgrade over the 2.0 though, but it’s still an upgrade. Try to get a GT or rallye trim, they’re clean. Only thing I’ve noticed with mine is a LOT of engine vibration into the cabin, but I’d assume it’s from the deyeme solid mounts I put in.

 

[Srtified]

I owned a 2015 automatic in the past before I wrecked and I really liked the car. I appreciate the warning though, I guess I may just look for a 2.4l and not put a ton into caring about performance upgrades as long as it looks and rides nice. The 2.4 seems like a significant upgrade over the 2.0l would you say it is?

Having only ever driven the 2.4L w/AT, I can't offer comment on it being any better or worse then the 2.0L. I CAN comment after owning both a Neon SRT4 and a Caliber SRT4 that this vehicle is not a thing like those. I bought it in the hopes that they would have actually made the Dart SRT that they teased us with. If I had to do it again, i still would go with the 2.4L but this time w/MT and the sport appearance package. I'm hard on brakes because I drive a little aggressive but they're easy to work on mechanically for things like that. I DO NOT want to get into transmission issues or engine issues, I think I'd sell the car before diving into that end of the pool!!

 

[Delta Dart]

The 2.0, aka 2.SLOW is the most dependable engine of the three. The 1.4L is the least. I test-drove a 2.0L when I was looking at Darts back in 2014, and the throttle lag on acceleration was so bad I crossed it off my list immediately. The 2.4L is a good engine and I'm satisfied with its power on the highway, but the low-end torque leaves much to be desired especially if you find yourself driving around a hilly town at 35mph. I've never driven a 1.4L so I can't comment, but the reliability issues were already well-enough known that I never even considered it.

As for performance mods, you're pretty much limited to a cold-air intake and a lightweight crank pulley. They'll help with throttle response but they still won't turn a Dart into a Charger-chaser.

 

[TopGun36]

Most is already covered above, but I’ll give my PO. 2015 (or 16), 2.4 (Deyeme Engine mounts replaced as OEM are poor quality), manual (CDV delete), GT or ralleye (if possible). Not a performance vehicle, but a peppy and still fun car. Headlight upgrades are also a headache if you don’t want dash notifications. Clutch replacement parts cost is around $1100.

 

[undfeatable]

I love my 1.4l turbo. Got the Tork tune when it was available and some performance mods. Haven’t really had any engine issues. That said, with that particular tune off the market, don’t think the 1.4l is really worth it any more

 

[robert1944]

Hello all,

I went ahead and made a new thread for this because I'm looking at cars this weekend and I wanted some insight. I'm getting a 6-speed Dart, but I'm not sure which one. There are several options local to me that are under 100,000 and have the 1.4l Turbo or the 2.0l. There are much fewer in my price range that have the 2.4l and I'd have to buy out of city, which means getting someone to inspect it for me etc., but I'm willing to do that if the 2.4l is the way to go.

Ideally I'd like a sporty trim and I'm buying a car to drive it (hence the 6-speed). I've read that the 1.4l has power issues and that there isn't much in terms of performance upgrades for the 2.0l. If my goal is to do some performance upgrades down the road, should I focus strictly on the 2.4l? There's a nice 6-speed that I test drove last weekend with 80,000 miles on it, but I don't want to go out and buy a 2.0l only to find out that it's a huge mistake if I care about performance.

Thanks for any insight ya'll can provide, glad to be getting back in the game.

I have a 2016 dodge dart SXT sport with a 2.0 and only 48,855 miles on it in lazer blue Love it - no problems

 

[freak__76]

Ignore the nay-sayers, no problems with 2016 1.4 mxt here, and there are still plenty of mods out there.
Mine came with all sorts of extras off the lot; it was the last year for the dart, and they had all sorts of goodies to throw on it to get it gone.
Got the sport suspension, sport exhaust, sport hood.
It did only come with basic radio and dash, but I upgraded to the LCD dash pretty quickly (and should have all the bits needed to upgrade to the touchscreen radio soon).

As for performance mods for the 1.4L turbo (some links may no longer be there...):

First and foremost: OBDLink MX+ and AlfaOBD. If you are going to do anything with your dart, these tools pay for themselves very quickly (no more visits to the stealership to clear faults and do PROXI).

GoFastBits DV+ diverter valve - replaces stock dv, and does a better job of it (all metal parts instead of plastic/rubber, holds boost for a bit (during gear changes)). Can use with BOV, I haven't. Easy bolt-on.

Lightweight crank pulley - I haven't gone for the undersized pulley. Later models have the crank sensor over the other side of the engine, so you can lose even more weight by pulling the sensor ring off. Gives snappier throttle response. Also easy bolt-on.

Air Induction kit and Ram Air kit- for the whooshing sounds, also helps with charge temps. Get the correct year, later models will need you to cut the venturi portion out of your airbox. Haven't done the ram air kit yet. Induction kit is easy bolt-on, ram air kit needs the front bumper removed. Get the Silicone hose kit too.

Intercooler Hose Upgrade - helps with charge temps. Easy install, will need to pull the belly pan and break oem clips on the oem hoses.

Alfa 4C ignition coil packs - stronger spark than stock coil packs. Easy install. Be careful of the yellow locking clips, they're fragile. Replacement connectors are easy to find.

Once you start doing bigger things (Big Turbo, Header kits, down pipes, cat-back exhaust, better brakes, single mass fly wheels, better clutch, etc) you can grab a retune kit and get some more performance (and maybe better fuel economy) out of it.

My car came stock with beefier sway bars, so haven't had to do anything with suspension.

Depends on how rich you are feeling...

 

[The_lishp]

Idk alpine makes a good point but a 2.4 with Megan racing coilovers progress sway bar a Takata 2.0 cold air intake cause we got #%$& for intakes heart throb exhaust throw in a 50 shot of nitrous and a tune I think a charger -chaser might be a possibility heck 2.4 with mopar Cai I took on a 05 eclipse and won by a light

 

[Killraven]

These vehicles are not performance cars in the any way, shape, or form. A great handling FWD vehicle, hell yes. A great daily driver, for sure. When a stock minivan or truck can beat you 0-60 that's all you need to know that this isn't a performance vehicle by any stretch of the imagination. Buy a different platform if you are looking for performance.