2013 Dodge Dart Limited

This week’s driving experience has come with the smell of new leather. The new Dart, which was loaned to me by Dodge, was introduced last summer. I could still smell the freshness- starting with the Diesel Gray and Ceramic White limited leather seating. Dodge has inserted a little luxury into their sporty-looking four door sedan.


The Tigershark 16 valve 2.0 liter engine with 6-speed Powertech automatic transmission is wrapped with Maximum Steel Metallic Clear Coat exterior paint and produces 160 horsepower to the 17 inch aluminum polished wheels. The fuel economy averages out at 27 MPG- 24 MPG city and as much as 34 MPG on the highway.

Some of the features you may not expect in the new Dart Limited include keyless Enter-N-Go push button start, blind spot and rear cross path detection, automatic high beam headlamp control, rain sensitive windshield wipers, heated front seats and even remote start. Some of the options that come standard in the new Dart include a power 6-way driver seat with 4-way driver lumbar adjust, passenger in-seat cushion storage, a leather wrapped and heated steering wheel with ambient LED interior lighting.

The 60/40 rear seat with trunk pass thru came in handy over the weekend. My son had a soccer tournament that required us to take some extra gear including a fold up canopy, camping chairs, blankets and soccer gear. The three of us riding in the car were still very comfortable with one of the rear seats folded down to accommodate the large canopy and all of the other gear fit well in the remainder of the trunk.

As a bit of a gadget geek, I was impressed with the 7 inch customer configuration instrument cluster display located on the driver’s side of the dash. Several digital positions within the screen are customizable to reveal multiple trip distances, current and past fuel economy, direction, outside temperature, tire pressure, and a digital speedometer- just to name a few. All of this can be controlled from just four buttons located on the steering wheel.

The Dart’s 8.4 inch satellite/navigation touch screen display is powered by Uconnect and comes with many features not found in most new cars. Of course, it is Bluetooth enabled with voice command and SiriusXM capable, but one customizable feature is that the occupants can select their favorite artists or songs and add them to a list of stored favorites to be played later. Uconnect will sound an alert when the favorite song or artist is played on any other satellite station. Favorite songs can also be tagged through the touch screen to be purchased and downloaded via iTunes when an Apple device is connected into the car’s USB port.

Driving the new Dart may bring back old memories for some, but the smell of modernity and new leather was prevalent to this week’s test drive.

You can find the 2013 Dodge Dart at Davis Auto Center in Logan located at 2900 North Main. (866) 579-6881. See Davis’ complete inventory at Cars435.com

Standard Vehicle Pricing: $19,995
Price as Driven: $25,190