2014 Dodge Dart Review

The big change for the 2014 Dodge Dart is expanded availability of the 184-horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine. Previously exclusive to the GT, it's now standard on the SXT and Limited trim levels as well. The fuel-economy-themed Aero is the only 2014 Dart equipped with the 1.4-liter turbocharged engine. Finally, note that Dodge has made the Aero and GT trim levels and not packages, as they were last year.

The 2014 Dodge Dart offers a lot of space, features and style for the money. But various refinement issues relegate it to mid-pack status for the small-sedan segment.

If you're shopping for an affordable compact sedan, you'll almost certainly run across the 2014 Dodge Dart. One of many capable small cars on the market today, the Dart is notable for its roomy interior, slick audio-entertainment interface and eye-catching style. But whether or not it's the best car for you will likely come down to your priorities.

On the upside, the Dart is a pretty nice car to live with. It features one of the nicer cabins in its class, and the available 8.4-inch touchscreen infotainment interface is one of the best you'll find thanks to its ease of use and expansive functionality. Safety scores are excellent, and non-GT trims of the Dart provide capable handling around turns along with a pleasant ride.

We're not fond of the Dart's engine lineup, however. The 184-hp, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine that's standard on nearly all trim levels provides fairly quick acceleration but only mediocre fuel economy. For top mpg numbers, you need to choose the fuel-economy-themed Aero trim that comes with a small turbocharged 1.4-liter engine. Unfortunately, the Aero's unrefined automated manual transmission makes it difficult to drive the car smoothly in typical traffic situations. Either of these engines is a better choice than the underperforming base engine, however.

There are other minor refinement issues as well, and they all add up to an overall "C" score for our 2014 Dodge Dart rating. For these reasons, you'll likely want to check out a few of the Dart's rivals. The 2014 Mazda 3 is one of our favorite small sedans, as it achieves a stellar balance between ride comfort and sporty handling, and has a high-quality interior to boot. Other excellent choices include the 2014 Ford Focus and Honda Civic, both of which ride exceptionally well and offer nicely furnished interiors. The 2014 Kia Forte is also worth a look, as it, like the Dart, boasts sharp styling and a very user-friendly touchscreen infotainment interface. Furthermore, unlike with the Dart, we can easily recommend the base engine offerings on the Ford, Honda and Mazda, as all deliver solid performance and outstanding mpg.

Overall, the 2014 Dodge Dart is a step behind those competitors in some notable areas. However, if style and performance (provided you don't get the base engine) are priorities for you, Dodge's compact sedan still merits consideration.

Three engines are available for the 2014 Dodge Dart. The base SE model comes with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 160 hp and 148 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed manual transmission is standard, and a six-speed automatic is optional. In Edmunds performance testing, a manual-shift Dart with the 2.0 engine accelerated from zero to 60 mph in 9.9 seconds, a slow time for a compact sedan in this price range. The EPA rates the manual version at 29 mpg combined (25 city/36 highway), while the automatic rates 27 combined (24 city/34 highway).

Standard on the Aero 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 is optional. In Edmunds testing, a Dart with the turbo engine and manual transmission hit 60 mph in 8.3 seconds, a good time for this class. The automated manual transmission added only 0.3 second to that time. EPA-estimated fuel economy is 32 combined (28 mpg city/41 mpg highway) with the conventional manual and 32 combined (28 mpg city/40 mpg highway) with the automated manual.

Standard on the SXT, GT and Limited is a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 184 hp and 171 lb-ft of torque. A six-speed manual transmission is standard on the SXT and GT, while a six-speed automatic transmission is optional on these trims and standard on the Limited. During Edmunds testing, a Dart GT with the automatic did the 0-60 sprint in 8.4 seconds, a quick acceleration time. EPA estimates for the SXT and Limited are underwhelming for the small car segment, however, at 27 mpg combined (22 city/35 highway) with the manual; the automatic is the same apart from having a 23 mpg city rating. Ratings for the Dart GT are 27 combined (23 mpg city/33 mpg highway) for the manual and 26 combined (22 mpg city/31 mpg highway) for the automatic.

Every 2014 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 on most trims. The optional Technology package on the GT and Limited includes rear parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.

In government crash testing, the Dart earned the highest possible rating of five stars for overall crash protection and in the frontal- and side-impact protection categories. It also received five stars in the Overall crash test rating. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded the Dart a top score of "Good" in the moderate-overlap frontal-offset, side-impact and roof-strength tests. In the small-overlap frontal-offset test, the Dart earned an "Acceptable" rating (second-highest on a scale of four). Its seat/head restraint design was rated "Good" for whiplash protection in rear impacts.

In Edmunds brake testing, a Dart Limited came to a stop from 60 mph in 118 feet, putting it among the best in the segment. A Dart GT performed the same feat in an impressively short 116 feet. A Dart Aero equipped with low-rolling-resistance tires, however, took 134 feet, a longer-than-average stopping distance for this class.

The 2014 Dodge Dart has responsive handling and well-weighted steering, and overall, it goes around turns with confidence. Almost all trim levels also offer a comfortable ride, making it a good candidate for road trips. The exception to all this is the Dart GT. It handles more crisply than other Darts, but the trade-off in terms of ride quality -- it gets pretty jiggly over rough pavement -- isn't worth it in our opinion.

Of the Dart's three available engines, we can recommend only one of them. The Dart's base 2.0-liter engine doesn't really have enough guts for a car this size. Acceleration is passable with the manual transmission, but the optional six-speed automatic slows the car down significantly. The Aero model's turbocharged 1.4-liter engine achieves better fuel economy and provides punchier performance, but it gets noisy during hard acceleration. In addition, the automated manual transmission that most buyers choose is slow to respond to gas pedal inputs and often feels like it's in the wrong gear. Our pick is the 2.4-liter engine. It feels considerably more lively in real-world driving situations, and highway merging and passing maneuvers are significantly easier.

The Dodge Dart features one of the nicer 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.

We highly recommend springing for the available 8.4-inch touchscreen infotainment interface, which you can get with or without a navigation system. It features straightforward menus, large on-screen buttons and an accompanying knob that makes whipping through iPod menus a breeze. Processing times are quick, too, and if you need to enter a destination on the move, the voice control works surprisingly well. In Darts without this interface, the standard stereo head unit clumsily plugs into the same spot, reinforcing the notion that you missed out on something better.

There's good space for occupants up front, but the Dart's front seats are oddly shaped and feel like they're mounted too high. As a result, longer-legged drivers may find they can't lower the seat-bottom cushion enough for optimum comfort. In addition, the steering wheel has a limited range of tilt adjustment, so you may find you can't position that low enough either.

Meanwhile, the backseat offers plenty of legroom for adults, though 6-footers may run short on headroom. Trunk capacity is 13.1 cubic feet, an average number in this class. Although the trunk holds a decent amount of gear, the hinges on its lid are unusually weak, making it all too easy to close the trunk accidentally when loading bulky or heavy items. Sharp metal protrusions from the trunk's top deck (you can scrape your hands on them when loading up a lot of luggage) are another annoyance.