Dodge Dart SE or Chevy Cruze LT1?

[dareo]

I'm not sure how you arrived at those two cars but there are many good cars to consider.
2014+ Jetta 1.8t
2013+ Accord
Hyundai/Kia stuff
Toyota Corolla
You can even get into a Chevy Volt near that price range.

Reliability is all going to be luck these days.

 

[JHZR2]

The dart rental I had was perfect except for the headlights. More or less useless.

The Cruze rentals I've had have been fine, but the lyrics trim one I had really did well including stereo and a few other things.

I'd probably go Cruze unless some quality oe headlight upgrades were available.

 

[Nick1994]

LOL I'd hardly call that a win for the Dodge Dart on the Consumer Reports reliability list. Chevy scored better than Dodge, Dodge made it to number 17 reliable automaker, pretty sad.

Meanwhile Toyota sits in the number one spot on that list.

Hmm, what a hard decision. Number 1 reliable automaker or number 17? So close...

 

[dishdude]

Those lists are worthless and all cars are reliable. People need to buy the car that they like best.

So someone buys a car because CR's inaccurate surveys report one brand has 71 problems per 100 cars over the 79 out of 100 problems per car. Great, but the seat hurts their back after they're in it for more than 20 minutes.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Nick1994
I'd go for the Cruze. If it's the same 2.0L that they put in the new Jeep Patriots then it is the slowest car I have ever driven, I suspect even the 2.0L Plymouth Breeze in my family is faster. My Camry is like a rocket ship compared to it.


2000 Camry 2.2L:
EPA: 21/29
Power: 136HP
Torque: 150lb-ft
0-60: 10.5 seconds
1/4 mile: 17.5 @ 78Mph
Top speed: 110Mph

2016 Dodge Dart 2.0L:
EPA: 25/36
Power: 160HP
Torque: 148lb-ft
0-60: 8.8 seconds
1/4 mile: 16.5 @ 85Mph
Top speed: N/A

While certainly not fast, the 2.0L Dart is significantly faster than your Camry.

 

[Nick1994]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
I'd go for the Cruze. If it's the same 2.0L that they put in the new Jeep Patriots then it is the slowest car I have ever driven, I suspect even the 2.0L Plymouth Breeze in my family is faster. My Camry is like a rocket ship compared to it.


2000 Camry 2.2L:
EPA: 21/29
Power: 136HP
Torque: 150lb-ft
0-60: 10.5 seconds
1/4 mile: 17.5 @ 78Mph
Top speed: 110Mph

2016 Dodge Dart 2.0L:
EPA: 25/36
Power: 160HP
Torque: 148lb-ft
0-60: 8.8 seconds
1/4 mile: 16.5 @ 85Mph
Top speed: N/A

While certainly not fast, the 2.0L Dart is significantly faster than your Camry.
I wasn't talking about the Dart, I was talking about my grandmother's 2012 Jeep Patriot 2.0L CVT. It's molasses.

Interestingly enough, Motor Trend tested these vehicles and wrote an article about how the Dart and the Patriot are of the 10 slowest vehicles they've tested. 0-60 times of 9.9 seconds for the Dart and 10.1 seconds for the Patriot

http://www.motortrend.com/news/top-10-slowest-0-60-mph-vehicles-motor-trend-tested-in-2012-307101/

 

[itguy08]

Originally Posted By: silveravant
What rating puts the Dart 2.0 as the most reliable domestic car. Just curious, haven't been able to find that.


You won't. Chrysler builds garbage and has for years. The statistics don't lie no matter how the Mopar fans like to spin them. It may score well in initial quality but there is a reason the bottom of the barrel for long term dependability is Dodge, Ram, Jeep, Chrysler, Fiat. The article ram_man linked to is almost 2 years old now!

You don't go bankrupt twice in your history, have the highest incentives, and lowest profits by building great cars. You go bankrupt by building junk and you have the other 2 because you have to sell vehicles cheap to dupe buyers into buying them.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
I'd go for the Cruze. If it's the same 2.0L that they put in the new Jeep Patriots then it is the slowest car I have ever driven, I suspect even the 2.0L Plymouth Breeze in my family is faster. My Camry is like a rocket ship compared to it.


2000 Camry 2.2L:
EPA: 21/29
Power: 136HP
Torque: 150lb-ft
0-60: 10.5 seconds
1/4 mile: 17.5 @ 78Mph
Top speed: 110Mph

2016 Dodge Dart 2.0L:
EPA: 25/36
Power: 160HP
Torque: 148lb-ft
0-60: 8.8 seconds
1/4 mile: 16.5 @ 85Mph
Top speed: N/A

While certainly not fast, the 2.0L Dart is significantly faster than your Camry.
I wasn't talking about the Dart, I was talking about my grandmother's 2012 Jeep Patriot 2.0L CVT. It's molasses.

Interestingly enough, Motor Trend tested these vehicles and wrote an article about how the Dart and the Patriot are of the 10 slowest vehicles they've tested. 0-60 times of 9.9 seconds for the Dart and 10.1 seconds for the Patriot

http://www.motortrend.com/news/top-10-slowest-0-60-mph-vehicles-motor-trend-tested-in-2012-307101/


The 2016 is faster 0-60 (as you can see from my post above) but your post was certainly unclear as you stated "car" and the Patriot isn't a car

I'm not saying the 2.0L Dart is fast. It is far from it. But your Camry isn't a rocket either. In fact, based on what you've just posted, your Camry is slower than the Patriot if we are comparing 0-60, as your car is 10.5 and the Patriot is 10.1. So I'm not sure how your car feels like a "rocket ship" compared to it......

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: itguy08


You don't go bankrupt twice in your history, have the highest incentives, and lowest profits by building great cars. You go bankrupt by building junk and you have the other 2 because you have to sell vehicles cheap to dupe buyers into buying them.


Curious how you view GM then? I mean Chrysler was purchased by FIAT (so we the taxypayer have no legacy costs from Chrysler) so they were obviously something worth purchasing. GM on the other hand ended up being owned by the government and the UAW and has cost us billions.

I've historically always been a Ford guy. I've always been leery of Chrysler's transmissions (and the track record of their trucks at work show that to be a well founded concern). The Dart is not really a Chrysler, so it will be interesting to see how it stacks up. Similarly, the LX cars were heavily Mercedes derived and our '06 Charger has been excellent. My '14 SRT is too new to have any sort of judgement on quality other than initial and it scores well in that department.

IMHO, and I've said this before, Chrysler's biggest issue has been inconsistency, particularly between product lines. I do IT for a Chrysler dealer as an aside from my full time job and I know that the LX cars (other than the issue with the Pentastar heads early on) and the trucks are the least common to be in the shop for things other than general maintenance. Vehicles I normally see are the vans and smaller Jeeps. The Pacifica is on the "most hated" list.

 

[dishdude]

I've always had good luck with Chrysler vehicles, but will add the caveat that the last Chrysler in the family was a 2002 Liberty (which was a good car) until my latest purchase of the 2015 Grand Cherokee. We weren't impressed with the Diamler era vehicles (never were impressed enough to own one after they went to the square exterior and rubbermaid interior), my parents went to imports and I went to GM. My GMs were much more reliable than their Acuras and Nissans...the Hyundai and Kia they bought have done well though.

 

[ram_man]

Originally Posted By: Nick1994
LOL I'd hardly call that a win for the Dodge Dart on the Consumer Reports reliability list. Chevy scored better than Dodge, Dodge made it to number 17 reliable automaker, pretty sad.

Meanwhile Toyota sits in the number one spot on that list.

Hmm, what a hard decision. Number 1 reliable automaker or number 17? So close...


Have you been in a new Corolla? They feel so cheap and boring compared to the Cruze and definitely the dart, every Toyota of the last 5 years or so I get in and think good lord these feel cheap . While is say Toyota builds a decent drivetrain the cars don't feel as solid or comparable and they're boring!

 

[ram_man]

Anybody who says Chrysler builds terrible junk cars simply just hasn't been in one lately. The 90's and early to mid 2,000's were terrible but now they're owned by a company that actually cares about the product.
Also in regards to being slow the dart is not a race car but neither is any other car in its class. If you want a race car you better be willing to fork over more than 15-$20,000.
That being said my dart is quicker than the Cruze's I've driven and the Corolla or the Elantra. The focus was a tick quicker until probably 40 or so. But the 2.0 tiger shark is a well made reliable engine. Very few complaints from them that I've seen. Also on the headlights they focuses were better on high beam not a huge amount but we're better I can't speak about the Cruze I've not driven one at dark. That being said I find them completely adequate .

 

[Nick1994]

Originally Posted By: ram_man
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
LOL I'd hardly call that a win for the Dodge Dart on the Consumer Reports reliability list. Chevy scored better than Dodge, Dodge made it to number 17 reliable automaker, pretty sad.

Meanwhile Toyota sits in the number one spot on that list.

Hmm, what a hard decision. Number 1 reliable automaker or number 17? So close...


Have you been in a new Corolla? They feel so cheap and boring compared to the Cruze and definitely the dart, every Toyota of the last 5 years or so I get in and think good lord these feel cheap . While is say Toyota builds a decent drivetrain the cars don't feel as solid or comparable and they're boring!
No doubt it's boring, but I was speaking of the reliability ratings on the Consumer Reports list.

I drive an extremely boring car, I know boring, but I'm thrilled with it over the fun VW I had. I have money in the bank with the Toyota!

 

[dishdude]

Originally Posted By: Nick1994

I drive an extremely boring car, I know boring, but I'm thrilled with it over the fun VW I had. I have money in the bank with the Toyota!



You can't really compare a diesel VW to other compacts in terms of reliability and repair costs.

 

[stephen9666]

Originally Posted By: Silverado12
Thanks for the link, Ram man. I see the Dart 2.0 is the most reliable domestic and CR doesn't think much of the Cruze, although no one I know has had any issues with their Cruzes except for the recalls. BTW the car you have is exactly what I'm looking for. I just need to find a used one close to me in the right color (I know, I'm picky).


I'm not sure where that article got the claim that the 2.0 Dart was the most reliable domestic that year. I don't see a CR article that says that.

I just checked CR and the Dart is rated significantly worse for reliability than the Cruze. The Cruze is 26% worse than average and the Dart is 80% worse than average.

Also, where do you get that CR "doesn't think much of the Cruze"? The Cruze and Dart have nearly identical numerical scores in the CR tests.

It really comes down to what you like better. I drive a manual Dart and manual Cruzes and the Cruze drove better to me, specifically in the area of manual transmission driving dynamics.

 

[stephen9666]

I can't update my above post, but I'll add that I see some articles from 2013 showing the first year survey of Darts showing them to have average or above average reliability. That hasn't held out as they've gotten a couple years under their belts, as I noted above.

 

[ram_man]

Originally Posted By: stephen9666
I can't update my above post, but I'll add that I see some articles from 2013 showing the first year survey of Darts showing them to have average or above average reliability. That hasn't held out as they've gotten a couple years under their belts, as I noted above.


And the opposite is true. They had some bugs when the first hit market mainly the manual trans and the 1.4 turbo. Really these articles and what not don't mean much. A lot of praise was given to the focus and having owned one and worked at a ford dealer I can assure you your more likely to get a bad one than a good one yet a lot of car magazine boast how great they are.
The reality is the dart is a very nice car the 2.0 is hands down the overall best engine it's smooth refine and reliable it will provide miles of good service. I have worked on more focuses and cruzes than any other make. I have yet to have to do a real repair on a dart. The darts are a good solid car . The fact is either a Cruze or dart would be a good car but the dart looks rides and drives better. The Cruze to me felt light and fake the dart feels more substantial. A lot of people complain with how the dart clutch feels once it wears in it feels pretty good when it's brand new they feel odd. I'd buy mine all over again and again. I'd never buy another ford and considering how GM has cried about some of their recalls and tried to get out of them idk that i would buy a vehicle from them either. Just my opinion and Toyota well they don't appeal to me at all. Boring!!! Sure they are reliable usually! But I want to like what I'm driving and guess what every dodge I've ever owned has allowed me to have money in my pocket and enjoy my vehicle. Lastly the Corolla and civic cost so much more for what you get and they aren't as comfortable or nice or quiet I couldn't justify spending that much more on what feels like a second rate vehicle.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: itguy08


You don't go bankrupt twice in your history, have the highest incentives, and lowest profits by building great cars. You go bankrupt by building junk and you have the other 2 because you have to sell vehicles cheap to dupe buyers into buying them.


Curious how you view GM then? I mean Chrysler was purchased by FIAT (so we the taxypayer have no legacy costs from Chrysler) so they were obviously something worth purchasing. GM on the other hand ended up being owned by the government and the UAW and has cost us billions.

I've historically always been a Ford guy. I've always been leery of Chrysler's transmissions (and the track record of their trucks at work show that to be a well founded concern). The Dart is not really a Chrysler, so it will be interesting to see how it stacks up. Similarly, the LX cars were heavily Mercedes derived and our '06 Charger has been excellent. My '14 SRT is too new to have any sort of judgement on quality other than initial and it scores well in that department.

IMHO, and I've said this before, Chrysler's biggest issue has been inconsistency, particularly between product lines. I do IT for a Chrysler dealer as an aside from my full time job and I know that the LX cars (other than the issue with the Pentastar heads early on) and the trucks are the least common to be in the shop for things other than general maintenance. Vehicles I normally see are the vans and smaller Jeeps. The Pacifica is on the "most hated" list.


Very well said. Just as Michelin doesn't make the "best" tires in every segment. Chrysler has had some dawgs, and I believe EVERY major automaker has a few. But they also make some real noticeable cars that perform well and last.

ITboy is just on a rampage to convince us all that Ford is the only good car in the world and he is the smartest because he can cleverly say he wasn't "duped'...

 

[Tdbo]

Buy the one that YOU like or the one that you can get the best deal on.
The choices are comparable and wash out about the same.

 

[itguy08]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL

Curious how you view GM then? I mean Chrysler was purchased by FIAT (so we the taxypayer have no legacy costs from Chrysler) so they were obviously something worth purchasing. GM on the other hand ended up being owned by the government and the UAW and has cost us billions.


Personally I think Chrysler should have died in the 80's just like all the previous auto companies that came before that got no special help. And truth be told, GM should have been let to go bankrupt too. Someone would have bought them or filled the void. You don't lose that many vehicles without SOMEONE coming in to fill that gap. Same for the financial institutions we bailed out.

However, I think GM makes good vehicles. Sure they have made their share of lemons as everyone has but on a whole they are fine.