Dodge just pulled the covers its new compact sedan, the Duel. We are impressed. With a base price of $ 15.995 officer, the Dart (pardon us, please, just this once) seems to be a bulls eye at the heart of the small car segment in the United States.
We are willing to spend a few minutes behind the wheel of this agglomeration Italian / American, since its specifications seem to put at the forefront of a hotly contested segment. For starters, there’s a very good seven-inch TFT available to replace standard analog gauges, which is coupled with a 8.4 inch touch screen panel in the center of the dashboard. The digital cluster is customizable by the driver, with two different display options for the base, along with nine more of the menu.
As far as style goes, nobody is going to confuse the dart with the Alfa Romeo Giulietta on which it is based. There the expected front grille viewfinder, although it is smaller and better integrated with the overall design ethos flowing. Impressions of research are supported by the massage done to the platform of Fiat, the Dart is stretched in all directions from its Alfa-badged brother.
This means that the enlarged platform Duel is pretty well equipped for the interior space with a total of 97.2 cubic meters. Dodge has managed to squeeze in 35.3 cm of rear legroom, which is said is more than the mid-size sedan Hyundai Sonata. Buyers who want to customize their trips will be happy to see 14 internal and combinations of finishes available.
Power will come from one of three engines, two of which are naturally aspirated – a 2.0-liter inline-four producing Tigershark 160 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque and a 2.4-liter four with 184 hp Tigershark and 171 lb-ft. Of course, our focus is on the 1.4-liter turbo four with 160 horsepower and 184 MultiAir lb-ft, which we suspect will be the engine more fuel efficient of the three. Transmission at launch will all have six speeds: a manual, an automatic double-clutch gearbox with the turbo mill. A nine-speed automatic is in preparation for 2013th
