Dodge Dart Gets "Aero" Package To Break 40 MPG

Derek Kreindler
by Derek Kreindler

Looks like the Dodge Dart will apparently break 40 MPG adjusted in the end…but you’ll need a special option package to do it, just like its chief domestic rivals, the Ford Focus and Chevrolet Cruze.

We weren’t invited to the launch of the Dart, but reports from the event state that the 1.4L MultiAir turbocharged engine with the dual clutch transmission will return 27 mpg city and 39 mpg highway. Dodge will release an “Aero” package that will help them return “ at least 41 mpg“. No word on what the 6-speed manual will return, or the 2.4L engine for that matter, but the base 2.0L “Tigershark” will get 25mpg/36mpg with the 6-speed manual. We’ll have our impressions as soon as we get our hands on one.

Derek Kreindler
Derek Kreindler

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  • PrincipalDan PrincipalDan on Apr 30, 2012

    I like the car and the option packages I was able to put together on Dodge's site while they still had the "build your own" up for it. However I'm still disappointed that this car with the sloping backside isn't a hatchback. I predict that in and of itself would steal a few sales from the Chevy Cruze.

    • See 1 previous
    • Geozinger Geozinger on Apr 30, 2012

      I haven't seen the car in real life yet, but judging from pix, I can't imagine putting something bulky through the back end of the car. You're 100% correct, Chrysler should have gone back to the future and made a 21st century version of the 80's Lancer/LeBaron GTS hatchback. EDIT: I see Nickoo addressed my concerns. I also would rather have a Dart hatch than a Chrysler hatch. I'd believe the MSRP would start out lower...

  • SherbornSean SherbornSean on Apr 30, 2012

    This looks like a great car, and a unique entry with its additional size and power vs. class favorites. Long term reliability remains a concern, and I wish there were an interior color besides black.

  • Ryoku75 Ryoku75 on Apr 30, 2012

    Why don't they design these aero-packages into cars from the start?

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    • Psarhjinian Psarhjinian on Apr 30, 2012

      @PrincipalDan Eventually they did offer the aero bits on the normal GMT-900s. I suppose the reason they don't make it standard on those, the Dart, or other cars is twofold: * Some people don't like the looks or the functional compromise the aero kit implies (on the trucks, it would hurt ground clearance and/or approach angle; on some cars you get Eco-grade tires, which have their own tradeoff) * The cost savings from economies of scale don't quite overcome the margin you'd make selling the Eco option as an extra-cost trim/package.

  • APaGttH APaGttH on May 01, 2012

    ...but you’ll need a special option package to do it, just like its chief domestic rivals, the Ford Focus and Chevrolet Cruze... And foreign competitors like the Honda Civic, but hey, lets leave those facts out.

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