They really should have called the new generation Dart the Neon. It really had way more in common with the Neon. And it wouldn't have hurt them to drop an SRT4 version
The Dart is an old name, so they were hoping to capture that nostalgia like the Charger. FCA was trying to get away from the 90's Chrysler Branding - The Neon name done wrong would have pissed alot of people off.
@@BrkDownMedia that does make sense. The last time Dodge was really on that badass level was in the 90s. Just about every car they made was appealing. But after the Challenger, Charger and Magnum (I love the Magnum by the way) came out, they just lost their way.
Always loved the way these cars look. They’re also insanely sporty and fun to drive, my dad has one and the suspension is more rigid than any other sports car i’ve ever driven. Even after getting a durango and a challenger redeye he refuses to sell his dart lol
"insanely sporty and fun to drive" no just no. I've driven them both with worn in suspension and brand new suspension parts.. They aren't even remotely sporty. My old jetta diesel with 90 horsepower drove more sporty than a new dodge dart.. And the jetta wasn't sporty at all lol
Mitsubishi made the Colt for Chrysler. Chrysler decided to cancel the Colt and replace it with the Neon. It was cheaply built and performed poorly in crash test
Having Japanese DNA is probably why it did as well as it did. But the Neon served a purpose as well, much like the escort and cavalier - those Corollas and Civics weren’t cheap.
I had a 2014 Rallye with the 2.4 multiair. The car was quick, handled really good, and also did good in the snow. I drove 50 miles in 8 inches of snow. I loved it. Ended up trading it in for a Ram Bighorn.
Its scary what happened This car was *EVERYWHERE* 10 years ago Now you dont see them anymore I think in the 2010s people vibed with the compact yet sporty design, probably reminded them of the old Dodge Neon But something kept them from keeping these cars long term
As we know, Chrysler/Dodge don't have good build quality and reliability as a Toyota Corolla does, so they didn't sell as well. At the beginning of this video, you show that stupid key fob that Chrysler had used where you still had to plug it in. It's not push to start.
Out of everything you could find wrong with a dodge, having a key like cars had for decades is not a relevant issue lmfao. What is wrong with turning a key exactly??
The dart was trash. I made my wife sell hers she took care of it and at 60k miles was falling apart. Had to take it to dodge for the recall on the tranny. Took forever to fix. in the meantime I bought her a corolla and she loved it more then the dart and once we got it back,we sold the dart.
I do have a couple of comments about the Dodge dart that experienced first hand because my step dad had one. We were on a hill and it started rolling backwards. You would rev up the car and it would be going 2 miles an hour the time it almost died on the interstate and the final straw was when it wouldn't start at a friend's house. Luckily it was in the driveway. It ended up getting towed back to our driveway and he got rid of it and got a Ford fiesta which was smaller but much better.
Those cars were sold in two totally different segments. The Chrysler 200 was a mid-size sedan competing against Camry and Accord, both of which also came with V6 engines. The Dart was a compact car competing against Civic and Corolla. Why on Earth would Chrysler put a 300 horsepower V6 and all-wheel drive into a Dodge Dart, unless it was some type of high performance (and expensive) model?
Im sure you saw it while researching or someone else mentioned it in the comments, but the CEO of FCA said that the Dart and 200 were some of if not the single, worse investments for the company. My neighbor had a 200 and Dart. Both were terrible.
Since Fiat had this tarnished record, they thought the next attempt to enter the US market would go better by hiding behind a Chrysler/Jeep emblem... 😅
Ironically if they’d made a Caliber Mk.2 it would have worked out better. 😂 I think not making a hatchback was a big issue for the Dart, and the boring interior.
I had 3 Darts back in Highschool in the late 70's a '70 Swinger GT 340 4 speed. It was fast with the light weight and power. Had the black stripe and dual hood scoops. Beat a couple of the bigger Road runners in street races. Drove a '73 with a 318, and later a 1969 w/slant 6 because I got it for $1200. If they made replica with that same body style like they did with the Challenger, I would have bought one. You are right though, Nostalgia is a powerful drug.
I would have bought one myself if it were a retro car like the Challenger, those old A-body cars from back in the day were the best American made cars on the road, if you got one with the slant 6 it would run forever. I know someone that has a 1973 Dart Swinger that he got for $1000 in 1984 and he still has it and it has 385,000 miles on it.
My friend from Europe explained it to me like this. A lot of European manufacturers (Alfa fiat Peugeot, etc) didn’t find success in America because Americans drive there cars a lot more than Europeans. Most people in the states drive and hour or so to work, not to mention errands and etc where as if u drive an hour in Europe you’d be in a whole different country. So basically they aren’t built as durably because the aren’t driven as hard. Definitely an interesting perspective but I’m sure it’s more to it
I don’t know how missed the Fiat design. I really really Tried to like that car, but it just never took. I think the last saving grace for Dodge was/is the Charger/Challenger. I really like to know what Dodge’s next plan of action is being that they’re all discontinued at this point. Or at least about to be.
The last vehicle made was back in December (2023 Challenger Demon 170)...so they were officially discontinued 7 months ago already And sadly Dodge is absolutely *FUCKED* They invested all of their energy into the Hornet (an expensive 2014 Dodge Dart Version 2.0 which nobody wants) and the Daytona The Daytona will be a failure when it comes out because the EV version will flop due to the EV market currently imploding and the gas powered 6cyl will not attract customers who were used to having a buffet of 8cyl options What makes me even sadder is that were all talking about Dodge meanwhile Chrysler has been a zombie brand for years now...their only model left on the market is a minivan
There is a riced out one in my neighborhood and had the GAUL to tell me my GR Corolla is “sloooooow”. I really think they should have made an SRT one with AWD and a 2.5T. Would have made these decent
The original Dart wasn't fast neither, so no one was expecting a race car. 8 to 9 seconds to 60 was in line for the market section. So why really did the Dart fail? I suspect that people were suspicious of Fiat reliability which was confirmed if you 😢spoke to someone who drove one.
If you’re going to use that name on a car, it has to be fixable with pliers and duct tape, just like the original. Fiat/Chrysler didn’t need this advice.
I still have a 98 Highline. Neons faded away because people neglected the clearly written service requirements because they where a cheap car for cheap people. There were a few issues such as the headgasket but that got ironed out by 98, and 1st gens loved to destroy the front motor mount bushing. However, fail to change the timing belt on time and it and it broke then the engine was toast and the car was so low value that it wasn't worth it to people to put a new engine into so off to salvage yard it went. Early 2nd gens had trouble with the electronic transmission, but dodge was pioneering that and it was a issue for everyone's 1st generation of electronic controlled. Even though I don't drive it anymore (on the road) I have kept it around because it reminds me of how important maintenance is and out of respect for how reliable it has been for me despite having 3 accidents in it (1 my fault). Also got crazy good gas mileage.
They really should have called the new generation Dart the Neon. It really had way more in common with the Neon. And it wouldn't have hurt them to drop an SRT4 version
The Dart is an old name, so they were hoping to capture that nostalgia like the Charger. FCA was trying to get away from the 90's Chrysler Branding - The Neon name done wrong would have pissed alot of people off.
@@BrkDownMedia that does make sense. The last time Dodge was really on that badass level was in the 90s. Just about every car they made was appealing. But after the Challenger, Charger and Magnum (I love the Magnum by the way) came out, they just lost their way.
tbh I only know the Dodge Dart due to it being the starter car in Asphalt 8... and for it being a sort of meme there.
Always loved the way these cars look. They’re also insanely sporty and fun to drive, my dad has one and the suspension is more rigid than any other sports car i’ve ever driven. Even after getting a durango and a challenger redeye he refuses to sell his dart lol
It’s definitely niche. I expected the 2.4L to be like the SRT honestly
"insanely sporty and fun to drive" no just no. I've driven them both with worn in suspension and brand new suspension parts.. They aren't even remotely sporty. My old jetta diesel with 90 horsepower drove more sporty than a new dodge dart.. And the jetta wasn't sporty at all lol
Mitsubishi made the Colt for Chrysler. Chrysler decided to cancel the Colt and replace it with the Neon. It was cheaply built and performed poorly in crash test
Having Japanese DNA is probably why it did as well as it did. But the Neon served a purpose as well, much like the escort and cavalier - those Corollas and Civics weren’t cheap.
I had a 2014 Rallye with the 2.4 multiair. The car was quick, handled really good, and also did good in the snow. I drove 50 miles in 8 inches of snow. I loved it. Ended up trading it in for a Ram Bighorn.
Hmm 🤔 Maybe we didn't give it enough credit...
Its scary what happened
This car was *EVERYWHERE* 10 years ago
Now you dont see them anymore
I think in the 2010s people vibed with the compact yet sporty design, probably reminded them of the old Dodge Neon
But something kept them from keeping these cars long term
Most compact cars in the US go overseas world cars means they can be moved from market to market used with no issues.
I think a lot of rental companies bought them.
As we know, Chrysler/Dodge don't have good build quality and reliability as a Toyota Corolla does, so they didn't sell as well. At the beginning of this video, you show that stupid key fob that Chrysler had used where you still had to plug it in. It's not push to start.
That's a minor thing and nobody would have cared if the rest of the car were a solid performer.
Out of everything you could find wrong with a dodge, having a key like cars had for decades is not a relevant issue lmfao. What is wrong with turning a key exactly??
The dart was trash. I made my wife sell hers she took care of it and at 60k miles was falling apart. Had to take it to dodge for the recall on the tranny. Took forever to fix. in the meantime I bought her a corolla and she loved it more then the dart and once we got it back,we sold the dart.
I do have a couple of comments about the Dodge dart that experienced first hand because my step dad had one. We were on a hill and it started rolling backwards. You would rev up the car and it would be going 2 miles an hour the time it almost died on the interstate and the final straw was when it wouldn't start at a friend's house. Luckily it was in the driveway. It ended up getting towed back to our driveway and he got rid of it and got a Ford fiesta which was smaller but much better.
Yikes! What a headache. The Dodge Dart was half baked, with a lot of potential.
They made a 200 with the 3.6 and AWD. People should have gotten this 200 and the Dart witth the same drivetrain from launch. No DCCT no Multiair.
Those cars were sold in two totally different segments. The Chrysler 200 was a mid-size sedan competing against Camry and Accord, both of which also came with V6 engines. The Dart was a compact car competing against Civic and Corolla. Why on Earth would Chrysler put a 300 horsepower V6 and all-wheel drive into a Dodge Dart, unless it was some type of high performance (and expensive) model?
Post more often 🔥🔥 Love your channel
I'm wondering if it would have sold better if they named it the neon, the dart definitely seems like the neon's spiritual successor
Nah, performance and price is Dodge’s game
Dart deserved better contenting and better assembly. Talk about mailing one in.. This was just sad to see.
Im sure you saw it while researching or someone else mentioned it in the comments, but the CEO of FCA said that the Dart and 200 were some of if not the single, worse investments for the company.
My neighbor had a 200 and Dart. Both were terrible.
Yeah I saw that a few times
Since Fiat had this tarnished record, they thought the next attempt to enter the US market would go better by hiding behind a Chrysler/Jeep emblem... 😅
😂 Exactly!
I actually think the Hornet is pretty cool, it’s just not the segment that i like…
I may make a video on the hornet cause I kinda like it too but half and half on it
Hornet looks great, fast, handles well, but it's going to be unreliable.
It’s just an Alfa Romeo
@@theeoddments960 yep and it’s cool, its just too small for Americans to care about. I want a an SRT-6 Guilia lmao
It’s a cool car at about $25k fully loaded.
A waste of a good design thanks Dodge, even then 2015 200S was a nice looking car but unreliable.
Yeah that too was supposed to be promising, but of course Americans can’t make sedans.
Ironically if they’d made a Caliber Mk.2 it would have worked out better. 😂 I think not making a hatchback was a big issue for the Dart, and the boring interior.
Hmmm... Idk. The Caliber's biggest problem was that it was slow - so a revision wouldn't have hurt.
I have the '13 2.0 dart as my first car. It has been reliable so far for me and it's almost at 150k miles. it's just slow as shit
Fair lol
My boss had a Dodge dart and they had to replace the radio 3 times and still couldn't get it to work so she just got rid of it.
Aart, Bart, Cart, Dart. Eart......nope I don't see this car being made fun of.
I had 3 Darts back in Highschool in the late 70's a '70 Swinger GT 340 4 speed. It was fast with the light weight and power. Had the black stripe and dual hood scoops. Beat a couple of the bigger Road runners in street races. Drove a '73 with a 318, and later a 1969 w/slant 6 because I got it for $1200. If they made replica with that same body style like they did with the Challenger, I would have bought one. You are right though, Nostalgia is a powerful drug.
Sheesh! Forgot about the Road Runner!
I would have bought one myself if it were a retro car like the Challenger, those old A-body cars from back in the day were the best American made cars on the road, if you got one with the slant 6 it would run forever. I know someone that has a 1973 Dart Swinger that he got for $1000 in 1984 and he still has it and it has 385,000 miles on it.
None of which have anything in common with the more modern Dart, which I honestly thought was a relaunch of the Neon.
The dart that was introduced during 2013 was a chopped up Alfa. It was lengthened and widened.
Id buy one over a cruze and focus anyday.
My friend from Europe explained it to me like this. A lot of European manufacturers (Alfa fiat Peugeot, etc) didn’t find success in America because Americans drive there cars a lot more than Europeans. Most people in the states drive and hour or so to work, not to mention errands and etc where as if u drive an hour in Europe you’d be in a whole different country. So basically they aren’t built as durably because the aren’t driven as hard. Definitely an interesting perspective but I’m sure it’s more to it
Very interesting take and something I’ve not thought about 🤔
I don’t know how missed the Fiat design. I really really Tried to like that car, but it just never took. I think the last saving grace for Dodge was/is the Charger/Challenger. I really like to know what Dodge’s next plan of action is being that they’re all discontinued at this point. Or at least about to be.
Tbh I don’t think they have one. The Hornet I think was their answer 🥴
The last vehicle made was back in December (2023 Challenger Demon 170)...so they were officially discontinued 7 months ago already
And sadly Dodge is absolutely *FUCKED*
They invested all of their energy into the Hornet (an expensive 2014 Dodge Dart Version 2.0 which nobody wants) and the Daytona
The Daytona will be a failure when it comes out because the EV version will flop due to the EV market currently imploding and the gas powered 6cyl will not attract customers who were used to having a buffet of 8cyl options
What makes me even sadder is that were all talking about Dodge meanwhile Chrysler has been a zombie brand for years now...their only model left on the market is a minivan
There is a riced out one in my neighborhood and had the GAUL to tell me my GR Corolla is “sloooooow”.
I really think they should have made an SRT one with AWD and a 2.5T. Would have made these decent
Definitely would have made it decent
Power train was its Achilles heel. No srt variant
Got a Neon Stratus vibe from the Dart
I always thought that car was hideous
The original Dart wasn't fast neither, so no one was expecting a race car. 8 to 9 seconds to 60 was in line for the market section. So why really did the Dart fail? I suspect that people were suspicious of Fiat reliability which was confirmed if you 😢spoke to someone who drove one.
That too but in a world where civics do 6.7 seconds, the Dart could have came harder.
If you’re going to use that name on a car, it has to be fixable with pliers and duct tape, just like the original. Fiat/Chrysler didn’t need this advice.
I loved the neons but the remake dart was horrible
I remember the dart ralley car so bad 😂
Strange plastics?
It was a Dodge…that’s why it failed
🫠 Let the people tell it, it wasn’t.
its a vw
It was junk plain and simple. Nice color pallets though
Worst name I've heard
I think they wasn't fucking with cause it look like dodge Avenger the 4 door model
🤔 That and it was something low rent about it 😆
💩BEST IN ITS CLASS💩
Just get a Ford.. thats who Dodge is jealous of.
They got the neon right. They were everywhere
I love the SRT4 😭
I still have a 98 Highline. Neons faded away because people neglected the clearly written service requirements because they where a cheap car for cheap people. There were a few issues such as the headgasket but that got ironed out by 98, and 1st gens loved to destroy the front motor mount bushing. However, fail to change the timing belt on time and it and it broke then the engine was toast and the car was so low value that it wasn't worth it to people to put a new engine into so off to salvage yard it went. Early 2nd gens had trouble with the electronic transmission, but dodge was pioneering that and it was a issue for everyone's 1st generation of electronic controlled. Even though I don't drive it anymore (on the road) I have kept it around because it reminds me of how important maintenance is and out of respect for how reliable it has been for me despite having 3 accidents in it (1 my fault). Also got crazy good gas mileage.