Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  Rented Once, Just Once - 2016 Dodge Dart
  By M. Schneider - January 26 - 6:07 pm

  I had this car for almost a week. Should have picked the Corolla in hind sight. The car is so-so for a rental. Id be hard pressed to buy one considering better choices out there. The 2.4L engine is smooth and adequate. As long as it holds up long term to higher reving, it will do. The biggest issue is that the transmission has copious amount of slack and Im fairly sure the whole power train sits on coil springs rather than regular mounts. Under steady acceleration the trans works just fine. When the traffic is caterpillaring down the road between 20 and 50, the power train slack and bounce when going into the accelerator is awful. The torq converter and transmission seem to be both slacking. If Dodge cannot tighten down the transmission, they should at least add shock absorbers to the power train. The front seats are mounted too high for my 61" frame. I bump my head getting out and the rear view mirror blocks a lot of my vision. The brakes only use 1/3 of the pedal travel. What the remaining 2/3 of the travel will contribute to stopping is unknown. Even still, the brakes are linear and not too squishy. Steering is good, surprisingly for this class of car. Stereo is basic in appearance, but does have SXM, Aux input and phone capability. Didnt see HD radio option. Sound is respectable. Vibrations for the road and from the A/C fan at full speed can be felt in the foot well. Handling does remind you that you are in an econo/compact car. It softens road imperfections, but is not a sports car. The switchgear is spartan. The instrumentation is nice and a little retro. Surprised to find auto-headlights. Overall, this car needs a healthy dose of power train work. Once that is done, it may be good for shorter people on a serious budget. The Chevrolet Cruz, Hyundai Elantra, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, VW Jetta, Ford Focus and most other compact cars beat the Dart. The Dart reminds me greatly of the Chevrolet Cobalt or early Kia offerings. No wonder sales are disappointing.