2014 Dodge Dart Now an Easier Choice than Ever

As the compact segment gets more and more competitive, the 2014 Dodge Dart will be chasing sales with fewer ordering combinations and more engine choices. As regards ordering, the brand noted that, when it debuted, “buyers could customize the Dart in more than 100,000 days”; but for the next model year, backed by 12 months of customer feedback, Dodge is: “taking the features customers order the most and bundling them so they’re easier to order and deliver an even greater value.”

Be that as it may, the 2014 Dodge Dart will be offered in five models when it arrives in dealerships in the fourth quarter of the year, starting with the 2014 Dodge Dart SE. Here, the key news is that the entry model remains entirely unchanged from the 2013 version—right down to its MSRP of $15,995. The value proposition should be weighed carefully, however, as that price includes plenty of content, but not air conditioning, which requires the “SE Convenience Group” package.

As a quick recap, the 2014 Dodge Dart SE is configured with a 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder “Tigershark” engine that serves up 160 hp and 148 lb.-ft. of torque, along with EPA grades that can reach 25 mpg city/36 mpg highway/29 mpg combined with its standard six-speed manual transmission.

2014 Dodge Dart: And Now, The Rest of the Story

Moving up the roster, the 2014 Dodge Dart SXT brings a new standard engine to drivers, in the form of the 2.4-liter “Tigershark” four-cylinder engine with the automaker’s MultiAir valve technology. EPA ratings have yet to be released for the new powerplant, but will produce a relatively potent 184 hp and 171 lb.-ft. of torque, mated to either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. Those numbers reflect jumps of 24 horses and 23 lb.-ft. of twist over the Dart SE’s 2.0-liter Tigershark powerplant. The bigger engine also is standard in the 2014 Dodge Dart Limited and GT, and the SXT and Limited trims also get new standard content including:

• Dodge Dart SXT (MSRP: $18,495)—16-inch aluminum wheels, a black cross-hair grille set off by dark-tinted automatic headlamps and featuring active grille shutters, Dodge’s “Racetrack-style” LED rear lighting, an underbody aero kit, speed control, steering-wheel-mounted audio controls, premium cloth seats, and a Uconnect media system with Bluetooth and voice command.
• Dodge Dart Limited (MSRP: $22,995)—Six-speed automatic transmission, keyless entry, pushbutton start, premium Nappa leather seats with a heated front row, a heated steering wheel, dual-zone automatic temperature control, power sunroof, Racetrack LED lights, and the Chrysler Group’s Uconnect 8.4N media and connectivity system with an 8.4-inch touchscreen, Garmin navigation and SiriusXM TravelLink.

Along with the performance-oriented 2014 Dodge Dart GT, priced from $20,995, Dodge’s compact crew also includes the Dart Aero. The most efficiency-minded member of the Dart family relies on a 1.4-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged engine, also with MultiAir technology, and it delivers 160 hp and 184 lb.-ft. of torque backed by EPA marks of up to 28/41/32. New for the 2014 Dodge Dart Aero are 16-inch aluminum wheels, a voice-controlled Uconnect system with 8.4-inch touchscreen and Bluetooth, a reconfigurable 7-inch thin-film transistor (TFT) information display, rearview camera, auto-dimming rearview mirror, and, in models with the cutting-edge dual-dry clutch transmission, remote start.