Saw the Dodge Dart at the CIAS in Toronto yesterday. What a great looking car! It beats Cruze hands down, which is already looking dated on the streets. Love the aggressive stance of the wheels (wide wheelbase to body ratio), has some great accessories from Mopar, comes with three engines, though the one to be excited about is the turbo one...

Interior looks fantastic.

I will reserve my final judgment until I test drive one. Corolla/Civic doesn't compare to it.

It really looks like small luxury on wheels, with a starting price of under 16K CDN, it's fantastic.

Chrysler has some fantastic products. I was actually drawn, out of all things, to its Jeep lineup.

A lot of excitement happening at Chrysler, more so than at Ford or GM, in my opinion.

 

fixed...

based on looks alone, I'd choose the cruze...

 

I haven't seen the Dart in person but it looks great in pictures, the features list looks great, and the price looks right.
They'll have a hit on their hands.

But I think all of the big 3 are doing great right now. I went to our local new car show this past weekend and I was really blown away by Buick. Saw a Regal GS with a stick there and the new Verano. Very nice!

 

I still haven't seen one in real life either. I saw the pictures early, and I thought the car looked great.

 

I am looking forward to seeing it in Calgary in a few weeks. Looks good in pictures. Plus I like the colours--14 of them? Plus interior choices.

I do question having three engines all within 24 HP. That 2.4L Multi-Air is too low--I wonder if it is faster then the 1.4L Turbo, which has more torque.

R/T stands for really tepid in this car. 12 more HP then my old Cobalt and 200-300lbs more weight.

I don't put much stock into a super low base price though. Who buys that model? I wonder how much a real world, typically equiped one costs.

 

Like all cars, I have to see it in person to past judgment. Chrysler, however, has been on a roll. In fact, all Big three seem to be swinging to the fence. In retrospect, it is really nice to see the big three become leaders instead of followers for their given markets.

 

Don't fix my words, let's look at facts. Cruze came out in 2008. This is 2012. Four years is the lifespan of a model for most manufacturers. Recent designs are a great departure from what Cruze delivers.

It was an exciting car when it came out, and then 2 years ago when it appeared in North America. But not anymore.

 

I agree, Ford is doing very well (at least in Canada) with their Focus. They finally had the sense to unify European and NA design. They have great models of the Mustang, and their trucks are legendary.

Chrysler has a hit on many levels - the new Dart is a great package on wheels for the price, it has a fantastic JEEP lineup, it offers an unmatched SRT-8 Grand Cherokee, and so on... Mopar is getting busier and busier with mod parts.

GM was drawing crowds for its Cadillacs... People show respect to the V-series, they know this is THE bad-*** car. Liked the ATS, though didn't have much time to spend at GM. They had a great marketing tool - Hot Wheels lime green Camaro. Get your kids hooked

It has been several years since people were in awe of domestic cars, but this time I noticed people's reaction, and the big three were really impressing people (ZL1, Cobra, SRT-8).

 

Ill fix some again...

You can state all the facts you want, but looks is a matter of opinion... Also, you cant really say that the cruze has been out since 08. 95% of the American public didnt see the car until it came out in 2010 as a 2011 model. A car also doesnt have to have a brand new design to have the best appearance. In my own personal opinion both the silverado and sierra are better looking trucks than the ram or ford offerings, despite the fact its several years older. My dad is someone who I know for a fact agrees with me... You might have an argument on what is offered on a newer car, whats standard, how its built, etc etc, but dont act like its a FACT that the dart is a better looking car than the cruze (or even that its a good looking car at all).

I love the chevy face that everyone else seems to hate with a passion. I LOVE the new sonic, and think they hit a home run with it like they did with the cruze. Im not just a gm humper though. If I was being totally honest, I would probably put the new fusion above the cruze as far as looks go. The Dart is definitely last though, without a doubt in my mind.

 

I think the Cruze looks better as well. Its just a great looking "normal" car, especially with the 18" double spoke wheels. Now lets get the new 2.0 turbo in there with a stick GM and I would be a new car owner again.

The Dart, imo looks really as well. Dodge dealers gotta be elated to have, not only a competitive small car again, but one at or near the top of its segment. Its been a long time since that could be said, if ever.

 

I cannot believe that it has been 4 years since the Cruze came out. Man...

What does everyone think of the name "Dart"? I myself don't think it is the best name for a car. To me is sounds difficult to take seriously, like the Gremlin (although not as bad).

 

I like the name...but it feels like is does not suit this car. This car is too tame to be called Dart.

 

Also, Cruze was in Europe at least a year before we saw it here, and it also was designed a few years before that, so we're talking about a car that was designed possibly as early as 2005-2006. That's 6 to 7 years ago..

The new Dart was designed to fit over a Fiat chassis (as opposed to Chrysler's modified Mitsubishi) so that makes the Dart's design less than 36 months old.

 

IMO, Snuze = and had been since the day it showed up over here.

 

I saw the Dart tonight at the auto show and I must say that I was impressed! It definately looks better than the Cruze and the Cruze isn't a bad looking car either. I was diggin' the l.e.d tailights like on the Charger and overall aggressive styling compared to the more passive styling of the Cruze.

I was considering purchasing a Cruze but after a visit to the auto show I might have to rethink that after seeing the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Dart.....