Used 2013 Dodge Dart
Pros
- Spacious cabin
- excellent optional electronics interface
- quick acceleration from turbo engine
- excellent safety scores
- short braking distances.
Cons
- Pokey acceleration with base engine
- unrefined performance of turbo's automated transmission
- some may find the front seats lumpy and mounted too high.
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The 2013 Dodge Dart offers a lot of space, features and style for the money, but underwhelming performance and some refinement issues dull the overall experience.
vehicle overview
It seems fitting that we first drove the 2013 Dodge Dart in Austin, Texas. You see, this up-and-coming city represents a different sort of Lone Star State that's more tie dye than 10-gallon hat, more downtown condo than Southfork Ranch. And yet there's still plenty of barbecue-tinged Texas flavor to go around.
Similarly, the Dart is a different sort of Dodge. It's a front-wheel-drive small sedan based on an Italian hatchback that's a pretty sharp contrast to the brawny V8-powered Chargers and Challengers the brand is most famous for. And yet there's still plenty of true-to-form Dodge flavor sprinkled throughout to make the Dart fit in with its siblings and stand out in a very competitive field.
It starts with its basic structure, suspension and steering borrowed from the Alfa Romeo Giulietta sold in Europe. This produces a car that can be legitimately fun to drive, albeit in an agile, corner-taking sort of way rather than the tire-shredding "yee-hah" style of a Dodge Challenger. The optional turbocharged, 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine is also shared with the Alfa Romeo, and it balances its 160 horsepower with 184 pound-feet of torque, which makes this rather heavy car deliver one of the quickest 0-60 times in the class.
Yet the 2013 Dodge Dart isn't just a Giulietta with a trunk and a Dodge crosshair grille. It's bigger than the Alfa in almost every dimension, especially its extra foot of length. More importantly, it should make Texas proud by being one of the biggest small sedans on the market, with dimensions that exceed those of the Volkswagen Jetta. The Dart is especially wide, which not only imparts more passenger space but also creates the feeling that you're driving something rather substantial. It really doesn't feel like a compact car.
That's an important point, because it makes the Dart's reasonable price seem like a bargain in light of its ample list of comfort, convenience and technology features. Plus, Dodge has gone out of its way to offer the Dart in a refreshing selection of bright colors and different trim materials as a way to bring some of the Alfa Romeo's flair to the compact segment. Going from a Honda Civic with its three choices of gray paint to the Dodge Dart and its multi-hued palette is like falling asleep in Kansas and waking up in Oz.
However, that doesn't mean the 2013 Dart hits the segment bull's-eye. The 2013 Ford Focus feels more agile, yet also offers a quieter, more comfortable ride and plenty of interior space. The 2013 Mazda 3 is more fun still, and its new Skyactiv engine is a fuel economy champ. Meanwhile, the stylish 2013 Hyundai Elantra offers plenty of value, while the Chevy Cruze's turbocharged engine is standard on all but its base model.
Yet the fact that the Dart is deep in the heart of the compact segment at all is a coup for a brand that hasn't competed in this corner of the market since the Dodge Neon. The 2013 Dart may be a different sort of Dodge, but as with Austin, different can be a cool thing.
2013 Dodge Dart configurations
The 2013 Dodge Dart is available in four trim levels: SE, SXT, Limited and GT. The GT, which Dodge originally said would be called R/T, is a midyear addition.
The base SE comes sparsely equipped with 16-inch steel wheels, power windows, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, a height-adjustable driver seat, a folding rear seat and a four-speaker sound system with a CD player and an auxiliary audio jack. The Value Group adds power mirrors, power locks, keyless entry and air-conditioning. The Aero package includes those features, plus low-rolling-resistance tires and the contents of the Popular Equipment Group (detailed below).
The SXT is like the SE with the Value Group, but also has 17-inch alloy wheels, upgraded cloth upholstery, a 60/40-split-folding rear seat, a sliding front armrest, an upgraded instrument panel and a six-speaker sound system. The Rallye package adds to the SXT foglamps, unique exterior and interior trim and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls.
The SXT is also eligible for several options packages. The Uconnect Voice Command package adds Bluetooth, an auto-dimming rearview mirror and a USB port. The Popular Equipment Group includes cruise control, active grille shutters, underbody aerodynamic enhancements, remote ignition (automatic transmission only) and an enhanced trip computer with an upgraded display and tire-pressure monitoring information. The Uconnect Touchscreen Group adds an 8.4-inch touchscreen display, a rearview camera, USB, an SD card slot and upgraded interior trim.
The Dart Limited includes all of the above, plus a six-way power driver seat with four-way power lumbar adjustment and chrome exterior trim. The Dart GT (late availability) is also well equipped like the Limited, but gets a more powerful engine, 18-inch wheels, a sport-tuned suspension, and different exterior and interior trim.
Both the Limited and GT can be equipped with the Technology Group, which adds keyless ignition/entry, automatic wipers and high beams, rear parking sensors, a blind-spot warning system and a rear cross-path warning system. Also available on both trims is the Premium Group, which adds leather upholstery (Limited), heated front seats, a heated steering wheel and dual-zone automatic climate control.
A navigation system can be added to models with the 8.4-inch touchscreen option. A sunroof, LED taillights, satellite radio and a nine-speaker Alpine sound system are stand-alone options that can be added to every Dart except the SE. The Limited can also be optioned with xenon headlights.
2013 Highlights
Performance & mpg
Every 2013 Dodge Dart except the GT comes standard with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 160 hp and 148 lb-ft of torque. A six-speed manual transmission is standard and a six-speed automatic transmission is optional. In Edmunds performance testing, the 2.0 engine with a manual brought the Dart from zero to 60 mph in 9.9 seconds, which makes it one of the slowest vehicles in the class. Estimated fuel economy is 25 mpg city/36 mpg highway and 29 mpg combined with the manual transmission and 24/34/27 with the automatic.
Optional on all trims but the GT is a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 160 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. A six-speed manual transmission is standard and a six-speed automated manual transmission (Dodge calls it the "DCCT") is optional. In Edmunds testing, we found that the turbo and manual transmission combo was good for a 0-60-mph time of 8.3 seconds, which makes it one of the quickest cars in the class. The DCCT adds only 0.3 second to that time.
Given its swiftness, the turbocharged engine's estimated fuel economy is impressive at 27/39/32 with the manual and 27/37/31 with the DCCT. The Dart SE with the Aero package is slightly better at 28/41/32 with the manual and 28/40/32 with DCCT.
Finally, the Dart GT (late availability) gets a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 184 hp and 171 lb-ft of torque. It gets the same transmission choices as the 2.0-liter.
Safety
Every 2013 Dodge Dart comes standard with antilock disc brakes, traction and stability control, front and rear side airbags, side curtain airbags and front knee airbags. A rearview camera is available, as are blind-spot monitoring and cross-traffic alert.
In government crash testing, the Dart earned a top five-star overall rating, with five stars for total frontal impact protection and five stars for total side-impact protection. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety similarly awarded the Dart a top score of "Good" in frontal-offset, side-impact and roof-strength tests. In Edmunds brake testing, the Dart came to a stop from 60 mph in 118 feet, putting it among the best in the segment.
Driving
With underpinnings sourced from the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, the 2013 Dodge Dart boasts the sort of lively, responsive handling you'd expect from something with Italian DNA. The steering is well weighted, and the car does a nice job of driving around turns confidently while also offering the sort of comfortable ride that you might expect from a larger car. The Ford Focus and Mazda 3 are more nimble, but the Dart's bigger dimensions make it seem more substantial when cruising down the open road.
The base 2.0-liter doesn't really have enough guts for a car this size. It can feel passably robust with the standard manual transmission, but opting for the six-speed automatic sucks even more life out of this engine, and we found that it can be slow to downshift. We recommend paying extra for the turbocharged 1.4-liter, which achieves better fuel economy, a punchier power delivery and quick acceleration.
Unfortunately, this 1.4-liter engine can sound noisy at times and its optional automated manual transmission is not a good example of this increasingly common technology. It is slow to respond to throttle inputs and prone to picking the wrong gear. We'd suggest sticking with the standard manual transmission, but obviously the number of drivers interested in that is few and far between.
Interior
The Dodge Dart features one of the nicest cabins in its class, and it only gets nicer as you move up the trim level ladder. Whereas competitors just add leather upholstery or some fake metal trim to improve the ambience, the Dart actually slathers on extra padded surfaces, dash stitching and flares of colorful trim.
The Dart's dimensions also reinforce an experience that's more than you expect from a small sedan. It's noticeably wide, with a generous amount of rear legroom, so we expect the Dart will have one of the most welcoming backseats in the class. Space up front is what you'd expect, but the driver seat feels as if it's mounted too high and can't be lowered enough for those of longer leg. Some may also find the seat cushioning to be a bit lumpy, hurting comfort over long distances. Trunk space stands at 13.1 cubic feet, an average capacity in this class.
We highly recommend springing for the available 8.4-inch touchscreen interface for the entertainment and navigation systems. Also found on some other Dodge models, it features easy-to-navigate menus, big touch buttons and an accompanying knob that makes whipping through iPod menus a breeze. On models without it, the standard stereo head unit clumsily plugs into the spot where that big screen should be, reinforcing the notion that you missed out on something better.
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More About This Model
Cheap is a four-letter word. Inexpensive is the description most compact sedans aspire to, but even that's not enough anymore. In just a few short years, the compact sedan segment in the U.S. has grown from a barren wasteland into a thumpin' nightclub, and buyers are now spoiled with choice.
The 2013 Dodge Dart is arriving just as the party reaches critical mass. It's an all-new (well, to the U.S.) sedan that is one of the fruits of the Chrysler-Fiat mind meld, and it's vying for your attention with the promise of Italian roots and Dodge attitude.
Imported From Detroit by Way of Italy
You probably know by now that the Dodge Dart started life as an Alfa Romeo Giulietta that underwent that very American process of reconstructive surgery. Dodge engineers widened the track, lengthened the wheelbase, retuned the suspension and worked up some new sheet metal in the process. Assembled in Illinois, the Dart fills the void left by the Neon while overlapping somewhat — on paper, at least — with the Chrysler 200.
By the time the rollout is complete, you'll be able to buy the 2013 Dodge Dart in a bewildering mix of trim levels and powertrain choices. Our tester, a Limited, starts at a fiver shy of $20 grand and was optioned to $23,875, near the pointiest end of pricing for the compact sedan. It's a not-inconsiderable slice of skrilla but not out of whack with its crosstown competition, the Chevrolet Cruze and Ford Focus.
Downsized Engine and Manual Gearbox
Headlining our tester's options list is its Fiat-sourced 1.4-liter turbocharged MultiAir four-cylinder engine, which promises to deal from both sides of the power and efficiency deck. Power delivery from the little engine that could is at once impressive and frustrating. It's got an unexpectedly rorty exhaust note, delivers plentiful midrange torque when you give it the spurs and spins with little vibration.
If you catch the engine below 2,500 rpm, however, it's flat-footed. The little engine doesn't build meaningful boost that low in the rev range. So in situations like leaving a light, or trying to frogger into a hole amid creeping freeway traffic, you're basically trying to accelerate 3,253 pounds of sedan with a normally aspirated 1.4-liter engine, the results of which are predictable. As a result you find yourself holding onto gears longer than you otherwise might in order to avoid being caught out.
Keeping the Dart on boil involves palming its perfectly sized metallic shift ball and rowing the six-speed manual at a vigorous pace. Its throws are longer than we'd like, but the upside of this geometric equation is that the associated shift effort is light. Light, that is, except for the 2nd gear gate, which exhibited a sticky resistance. The remaining gates engage positively, and the clutch take-up is smooth and predictable.
Proper Quick
Be generous with the throttle and the 2013 Dodge Dart scoots enthusiastically. At the test track we clocked the Dart from zero to 60 mph in 8.3 seconds (8.0 seconds with 1 foot of rollout as on a drag strip) and through the quarter-mile in 16.1 seconds at 85.4 mph. This performance bests both the last 2012 Ford Focus Titanium we tested (8.7, 8.3, and 16.4 seconds at 85.4 mph, respectively) and the Chevrolet Cruze (9.6, 9.3, and 17.1 seconds at 80.4 mph, respectively).
We used 87 octane fuel in our testing of the Dart and things likely would have perked up a bit on premium. There is no requirement to run premium in the Dart, but small-cube turbo engines can return better drivability and fuel savings when run on premium, particularly in hot weather.
Fuel economy will be a big factor in determining whether you feel the need to pony up the extra $1,300 for the 1.4-liter turbo found in our tester. Its window sticker reads 27/39 city/highway mpg, a rating we'll put to the test with our upcoming long-term Dart. The 22 mpg we measured during this short test was the result of a single fill and is not statistically significant.
Substance in the Mix
Another concern surrounding the purchase of an inexpensive car is the fear that you'll get, well, a cheap car. There's usually some kind of coarseness or corner-cutting evident in the way it takes to the road. In many ways, however, the Dart drives like a more expensive car than its price point suggests. From the good noise isolation to the way the suspension picks up its feet over road zits, there's real substance to the Dart. The steering is another high point. Though not brimming with feel, the rack is quick, builds effort in a natural way and has great on-center characteristics — rare traits for an electric power steering system, especially one found in an entry-level-ish car such as this one.
In our testing the 2013 Dodge Dart ran through the slalom at 65.1 mph and generated a maximum of 0.86g on the skid pad. Note that even with the stability control system switched off, it wasn't fully off. This likely left some performance on the table, not that we expect this will be a sticking point for the majority of Dart owners. Braking from 60 mph required just 118 feet, a solid result that's among the best in the segment and even more impressive considering the Dart rolls on all-season tires.
There's a bit more compliance to the suspension underpinnings than you'd want for truly vigorous drives, as its suspension bushings are half as firm as they should be. Nevertheless, the Dart is surprisingly satisfying to thread through a smooth canyon road if you're just trying to make brisk work of it and not set a time-to-distance record. Find the groove and you can find enjoyment in orchestrating its swell of torque and pivoting its nose through compressions and apexes. There's a latent spirit in the Dart, a fundamental goodness about the chassis that is evident in these driving conditions. This chassis might just be a terrific starting point for the upcoming SRT Dart.
The Elements of Style
What's more, this is a good-looking car. It won't stop anyone in their tracks, but its crisp styling elements come together cohesively with just-right proportions and a minimum of fussiness. Hard to say that about the Focus sedan.
Our tester's black-trimmed cabin looks anonymously inoffensive at first, but a few areas will rouse persnickety observers. On sunny days the flat expanse of dashboard reflects prominently on the inside of the steep-raked windshield, and the hard surfaces that make up the lower half of the dashboard are mismatched in color to those above them. This lower piece might have been carried over intact from a mid-'90s Chrysler Cirrus, shaped as though recently pressed out of a Jell-O mold. The omission of any kind of trunk grab handle is a strange one, too. Minor quibbles, to be sure. Fortunately the Dart's designers resisted the temptation to slather the interior with cheesy faux-chrome accents, so there's that.
You might not guess that the Dart is a compact car from sitting in the driver seat. To lift a page from Pontiac's forgotten "e aho laula" ad campaign, wider is indeed better — the Dart's generous width makes the cabin feel spacious and beefs up the car's stance. The seats are comfy and plush, if a bit overstuffed in that traditional Detroit way. Even the normally detestable touchscreen multimedia interface works well, owing to the screen's ample size, uncluttered format and intuitive screen flow. Equipment in our top-trim Limited tester was plentiful, including dual-zone climate control, a back-up camera, heated steering wheel and front seats, automatic headlights and leather. There's even a little hideaway bin built into the bottom cushion of the passenger front seat.
The Right Mix of New and Old
So while the Dart may unearth a name from the company's past, it is a thoroughly modern compact car. You can feel it from behind the wheel and see it when you approach it from across the parking lot.
It's a competitive sedan, too, offering space, refinement and satisfying dynamics. An even more powerful R/T version will be available later this year, but even the 1.4-liter outmuscles its current competition. So yeah, the 2013 Dodge Dart may be a little late to the compact sedan party, but it just gave the segment a second wind.
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.
Used 2013 Dodge Dart Overview
The Used 2013 Dodge Dart is offered in the following submodels: Dart Sedan. Available styles include SXT 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 6M), Limited 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 6M), and SE 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 6M).
What's a good price on a Used 2013 Dodge Dart?
Save up to $287 on one of 38 Used 2013 Dodge Dart for sale at dealerships within 25 miles of Ashburn, VA with prices as low as $5,990 as of12/09/2018, based on data from dealers and consumer-driven dealer ratings ranging from1 to 5 out of 5 stars.
Price comparisons for Used 2013 Dodge Dart trim styles:
- The Used 2013 Dodge Dart SXT is priced between $5,990 and$11,888 with odometer readings between 491 and134006 miles.
- The Used 2013 Dodge Dart Limited is priced between $7,117 and$11,985 with odometer readings between 0 and108635 miles.
- The Used 2013 Dodge Dart SE is priced between $6,000 and$7,999 with odometer readings between 48861 and101337 miles.
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Which used 2013 Dodge Darts are available in my area?
Shop Edmunds' car, SUV, and truck listings of over 6 million vehicles to find a cheap new, used, or certified pre-owned (CPO) 2013 Dodge Dart for sale near. There are currently 38 used and CPO 2013 Darts listed for sale in your area, with list prices as low as $5,990 and mileage as low as 0 miles. Simply research the type of car you're interested in and then select a used car from our massive database to find cheap prew-owned vehicles for sale near you. Once you have identified a used vehicle you're interested in, check the Carfax and Autocheck vehicle history reports, read dealer reviews, and find out what other owners paid for the Used 2013 Dodge Dart. Then select Edmunds special offers, perks, deals, and incentives to contact the dealer of your choice and save up to $287 on a used or CPO 2013 Dart available from a dealership near you.
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Should I lease or buy a 2013 Dodge Dart?
Is it better to lease or buy a car? Ask most people and they'll probably tell you that car buying is the way to go. And from a financial perspective, it's true, provided you're willing to make higher monthly payments, pay off the loan in full and keep the car for a few years. Leasing, on the other hand, can be a less expensive option on a month-to-month basis. It's also good if you're someone who likes to drive a new car every three years or so.
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Check out Dodge Dart lease specials