There’s not a whole lot to be said about the bigger engine, which only manages to put out a paltry 184 hp while returning an estimated 24 mpg combined. It moves things along, sure, but it doesn’t always seem to be happy about it: Mash the throttle to make a pass at expressway speeds, and the transmission drops a gear or two, sending the engine screaming to redline. The little 2.4-liter might not be on the verge of exploding, but you’d never know it from the stressed engine note. If you need a car that makes a modern Mazda feel adequately powered…
Though the Dart GT is better in some respects than our long-termer (namely the suspension), it remains lacking in others (six-speed auto and an underpowered engine). The large infotainment screen found across the Mopar range still works great, and there are enough nice features, like a good stereo, leather seats, arresting paint and cool wheels, to keep the average buyer satisfied for under $25K. But it’s still not the car for the enthusiast, and I’m left wondering what’s preventing Dodge from doing something edgier with this platform.
ASSOCIATE EDITOR JAKE LINGEMAN: I like this Dart GT a good bit better than our Limited long-term car, especially the wheels and interior trim.
It feels tighter all around than our long-term car. Of course, it’s a year newer, but you can really get a sense of what these cars go through. I didn’t hear any squeaks or rattles, and even the suspension sounds rock solid.
The six-speed automatic was better in some respects, but worse in others. It did do a good bit of gear hunting when I was cruising down Woodward at 35-55 mph. Whenever you need speed, it will shift down.
It’s probably still a good value buy, but there are a handful of cars I’d advise to check out first, the Ford Focus and Mazda 3 being the first two.
Six-speed automatic gearbox package including leather wrapped shift knob, AutoStick, 2.4-liter Tigershark engine including multi-air turbo system, dual rear exhaust tips ($1,250); customer preferred package including 18-inch aluminum wheels, sport tuned suspension, frequency damping shocks, black crosshair surround, black chrome headlights, Napa leather seats, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, dual climate control, SiriusXM radio including one year subscription, universal garage door opener, LED taillights ($1,000); Uconnect including AM,FM,SAT,NAV, SiriusXM traffic ($495); nine Alpine speakers including subwoofer, surround sound amplifier ($495); 18-inch by 7.5-inch black aluminum wheels ($395)
