Interactive First Drive: 2013 Dodge Dart

Here's a question: When are we giving you lessons on how to drive a manual?

step one: press in both brake and clutch.

step two: turn ignition key until engine fires.

step three: make sure you are in the correct gear.

step four: whilst keeping your right heel on the brake, feed in the throttle with your right toes and slowly feed out the clutch pedal with your left foot.as you're doing that, release grip on the brake with left heel and slowly transfer entire left foot to gas pedal....

step five: you've done it too fast, and that violent lurching was the clutch slipping and the engine coughing until it's passed out, and the car is once again off. start over from step one.

seriously, though, it sounds like a sweet heart. I'm hearing some good things about it. Edmonds IL did a review of the Rallye and they were rather impressed by it.

Cool! Waiting on more..

PICS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's a question: When are we giving you lessons on how to drive a manual?

Whenever we decide to stock up clutches

PICS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They're coming..

step one: press in both brake and clutch.

step two: turn ignition key until engine fires.

step three: make sure you are in the correct gear.

step four: whilst keeping your right heel on the brake, feed in the throttle with your right toes and slowly feed out the clutch pedal with your left foot.as you're doing that, release grip on the brake with left heel and slowly transfer entire left foot to gas pedal....

step five: you've done it too fast, and that violent lurching was the clutch slipping and the engine coughing until it's passed out, and the car is once again off. start over from step one.

seriously, though, it sounds like a sweet heart. I'm hearing some good things about it. Edmonds IL did a review of the Rallye and they were rather impressed by it.

Wow you must have learned old school with the heel on the brake while appling gas.

In a level parking lot, release the brake and apply gas and slowly release the clutch so it slips and you get forward motion. Practice going in and out of gears as you $h! from 1st to 2nd to 3rd and back down. Get a feel for how the clutch grabs. The transition needed to get moving without killing the engine.

Trust me, it is not that hard nor will you burn out the clutch learning to drive a manual.

This is where I feel we need to increase the level of Drivers ed an ALL students MUST learn to drive a manual tranny.

Mud, I like the review, looking forward to pics and hearing more about the car.

Trust me, driving a manual is not hard, it is just time behind the wheel getting a feel for the transition of shifting. My 98 Dodge Dakota has 250K miles, survived 2 kids and a wife learning to drive and my original clutch finally went out at 157k miles. So I know you can learn with out burn!

I burnt out the clutch in my Mustang GT at about 60k miles...must have been too much hooning around that i did as a teenager when it was new. Never had problems w/ the one in my M3 or the non-performance manual cars & SUV I've had.

About the Dart...listened to the latest Autoblog podcast yesterday, they had a very positive review of it... so what is the on-sale date?

step one: press in both brake and clutch.

step two: turn ignition key until engine fires.

step three: make sure you are in the correct gear.

step four: whilst keeping your right heel on the brake, feed in the throttle with your right toes and slowly feed out the clutch pedal with your left foot.as you're doing that, release grip on the brake with left heel and slowly transfer entire left foot to gas pedal....

step five: you've done it too fast, and that violent lurching was the clutch slipping and the engine coughing until it's passed out, and the car is once again off. start over from step one.

seriously, though, it sounds like a sweet heart. I'm hearing some good things about it. Edmonds IL did a review of the Rallye and they were rather impressed by it.

Wow you must have learned old school with the heel on the brake while appling gas.

In a level parking lot, release the brake and apply gas and slowly release the clutch so it slips and you get forward motion...

I live in California though. Level ground is a luxury, especially the farther you get inland (though it's still not as bad as, say the Bay Area; SF's roads kinda scare me lol). So heel-toeing (or having feet quicker than gravity) is an invaluable skill for me. If you do live in a more level place, you won't have to worry so much about that, and you can get away with ignoring the brake without worry of rolling back or forward.

The Sonic and Cruze have brake hill hold

dart looks nice in silver.....didn't expect that......

why do cars with such large wheelbase lack rear leg room (also see cruze)

dart looks nice in silver.....didn't expect that......

why do cars with such large wheelbase lack rear leg room (also see cruze)

Not sure I would say lacks rear leg room as much as in this class they are trying to fit everyone including us tall guys (6'6") and so I have noticed the driver seats seem to go back farther than you get in bigger auto's. I think this gives the impression of smaller rear leg room.Course as a compact sedan, this does have limitation on rear leg room and over all interior room.

About the Dart...listened to the latest Autoblog podcast yesterday, they had a very positive review of it... so what is the on-sale date?

Next month.. R/T and the 2.4L will follow along sometime in the third quarter

why do cars with such large wheelbase lack rear leg room (also see cruze)

While I haven't checked out the Cruze's rear leg room issue, it seems to me that the room under the seats has disappeared, where one would normally park their toes. In some cars, the room under the seat is so narrow, you can only fit one foot... in others, there is a big cross brace across the car. Also, it seems to me that the seat back is pushed forward, I suppose to help the ever-shrinking trunk room numbers.

While I haven't checked out the Cruze's rear leg room issue, it seems to me that the room under the seats has disappeared, where one would normally park their toes. In some cars, the room under the seat is so narrow, you can only fit one foot... in others, there is a big cross brace across the car. Also, it seems to me that the seat back is pushed forward, I suppose to help the ever-shrinking trunk room numbers.

My Impala's back seat legroom is largely hampered by this since you can't get your feet under the seats if you are wearing shoes. I have found even compacts (Verano) that don't suffer from this issue. I finally got around to driving one recently and also tested out the back seat. Got both feet all the way under no problem, although I have small feet for a man (American Size 9 shoe size). Nonetheless, small feet or not they don't fit under the seat in a W-Body Impala.