abodybill said:
On the new job and hope all goes well on the new car.
John,
Can you post up on how the new Dart meets you needs both pro and con. :yesnod:
As i'm thinking on buying one for the wife and getting rid of the HHR.
Well, we've only had my wife's for a month now and I don't get to drive it all that much! :lmao: It is her daily driver, after all. But I think I can give you my impressions so far:
1. I really like the styling. Even as a 4 door the car looks good. The front and rear styling are sharp and the lines flow well. The tail end is designed to be reminiscent of the new Charger. Mine has the "racetrack" rear LED tail lights, while my wife's does not. The difference is that her tail light display at night is only on the two ends while mine is all lit up. The AERO has pans under the car and active grille shutters which automatically divert unneeded airflow around the car which helps prevent air buildup in front of and under the car in order to mprove gas mileage
2. The interior is excellent and the seats are very comfortable. We have the basic instrumentation - no upscale digital stuff - and it works for us. We both have manual transmissions and the shifting action is very nice. The clutch pedal pressure is very light. In fact, it was so light it took some getting used to! Your left leg will definitely not get tired in the manual trans cars!
The one thing about these cars is they sit low -lower than either the PT Cruiser of the Caliber - or the HHR I am sure. It will take some getting used to - especially if you have mobility problems with your back or knees.
3. Steering feel is firm and taught - no sloppiness detected. The car feels good on the road and maneuverability is excellent.
4. The 2.0L Tigershark engine in my wife's car is rated at 160 hp and 146 lb/ft of torque. It is responsive and runs well but she is a little underwhelmed having had a 225 hp turbo in her PT Cruiser. The seat of the pants feel isn't nearly the same. She misses the turbo's power. But the fuel economy is far better and she only needs to run 87 octane instead of 93 so the savings is where it's at. She has averaged anywhere from 30-32 mpg in mixed use driving whereas the PT Cruiser only got around 22 mpg. If you switch from a normally aspirated engine in your old ride to this one you wouldn't be disappointed in how it runs. I can't speak for the automatic trans cars as I haven't driven one but I will say that the automatic's fuel economy estimates are about 2-4 mpg less than the manual trans cars ratings.
5. The 1.4L turbo engine in my car is really nice. Around town, just puttering along it feels like any small 4 banger but step into it and you feel the torque kick in. This engine is rated at 160 hp and 184 lb/ft of torque. The torque band is really good between 2500 - 4000 rpm and is addictive if you punch it but the idea is to get mileage and you won't get the best mileage if you are in it all the time! You certainly won't be bashful about passing the slow pokes if you have to!
6. A couple of things I did not know about the AERO before I bought it have made me a little disappointed. Her car has a 15.8 gal. tank which affords a really nice range. The info I saw on the AERO also indicated a fuel capacity of 15.8 gal. but upon looking in the owner's manual I found the fuel capacity to be 13.2 gal. This was done to decrease weight - as was the deletion of the underhood engine cover and hood pad as well as the spare tire. I do not have a spare tire at all. Instead the factory put a "fix-a-flat" type of contraption in the trunk that once used has to be taken back to the dealership to be recharged. Very funky!
Also, the salesmen at both dealerships we got the cars at mentioned that the turbo engine required only 87 octane. The owner's manual clarifies the matter. While the turbo engine can be operated on 87 octane fuel it is recommended that 91 octane (min.) be used for optimum performance and fuel economy. The dealership filled the car for me and I am pretty sure that they filled it with 87 octane as I have experienced some brief sputtering. From now on I will probably use 89 octane in it which will cut into my projected fuel savings. This is a bit disappointing, at least to me.
So far I am well pleased with the change from my '07 Caliber R/T. My gas mileage around town is hovering around 30 mpg (rating is 28) and I can't wait to start the new job to see how well it does on the commute. I am hopeful of 35-36 mpg. The car is a comfortable road car and has a really nice stereo for being the base model. Our systems feature 4 speakers and you can get systems with 6-8 speakers and multi-disc CD changers but the basic system is by no means a disappointment. All-in-all I am extremely pleased so far.
