Dodge Dart

Where did Chrysler go wrong? Did they seriously screw this up or did the boomers kill it by only buying SUVs?

>Where did Chrysler go wrong
>Amerishart engineering blended with spaghetti engineering
What else do you need?

Everyone knows it's just the Neon 2.0 and avoids it.

To be fair that thing looks dangerously close to a rebranded Fiat Tipo

apparently it wasnt very reliable

It does look pretty good tho

Terrible launch ruined it's reputation.

I test drove one when they first came out. The auto was fucking HORRIBLE. Rumors were still around about an SRT version. The dealer wanted to take a down payment from me to hold one (lol) and low and behold, no SRT dart ever appeared.

They're not horrible. Same engine as the abarth when you get the small turbo. With how cheap they're getting, I think they would make a decent DD with a manual.

It just wasn't any good. It had the looks but not the performance to back them up. The interior was outdated and crappy. The reliability sucked. They couldn't get a good auto out there at launch, which is a must in the states. Most importantly though, FCA didn't have the funds or patience to keep it alive and improve it over time.

Italian design can't save it cuz of Italian reliability + American reliability = pure garbage.

Anybody who wanted a fast Dodge bought a Challenger.
Anybody who wanted a small, economical four door bought a Focus
Anybody who wanted a boy racer bought a GTI or a Subaru.

Chrysler/Dodge just doesn't seem to understand that small, practical cars are an important cornerstone of any large automaker's business.
No, they are not sexy or exciting but they are incredibly profitable. You can sell a lot of them and then you don't get bought out by some greasy Degos that just want to piggyback on your dealer network so that they can sell their small car in America.

If they wanted to revive a small Dodge car they should have brought back the Colt. Then they should have offered it with multiple body styles, like a four door, a coupe and a hatchback (like you fucking do with an economy car) and then they should have offered a proper SRT version.
The only people who were nostalgic for the Dart badge were musclefags and they all bought Chargers and Challengers.

it'd be fucking awesome if they could've stretched out the fiata into a four door. might even appeal to people who like the rx7

And it isn't?

Chrysler doesn't believe that making money is all that important to running a business.
They also have access to the SX4 platform, which Fiat co-engineered with Suzuki, so they could make a killer little AWD adventure wagon. That's actually one of the best performing segments of the market right now, but Chrysler/Dodge just isn't interested in turning a profit.

I've been seeing some millennials around here putting exhaust on them or stancing them

making anything that doesnt just go in a straight line isn't their style
I.e. Hellcat and Demon.
Forever shitty garbage

desu user that's not a dodge that's an Alfa, which is a brand that simply does not pull its own weight as a mainstream brand because of its poor build quality

They're going cheap enough second hand now that the modder boys can afford them. Same thing happened with the Neon, coincidentally enough.

Seriously, of all the Fiat owned platforms they could have picked why they picked an Alfa for the small car that Fiat told them to build is a head scratcher.

does anyone actually own one of these? theres one going near me at a Auto sales place for 7700 for a 2015 1.4L Tarbo. Although id have to trade in my FiST for it but I would at least have lower payments

This wasn't a car Chrysler wanted to make, this was a car they were OBLIGATED to make.
Fiat told them up front that they had to offer a small, affordable car or the deal was off.

whoops its actually the 2.4 NA 6 speed

Lower payments but likely higher maintenance costs. Remember, that's not really a Dodge, that's an Alfa Romeo.

hmm I suppose that's true, I guess i need to read more reviews like common problems, im gonna check it out though and see if I like it or not, the looks are great and interior is definitely nicer than the FiST but I'm wondering if ill get the same smile or driving feeeell

Should have remade it into a new gen Neon.