Two important cars revealed: Dodge Dart, Cadillac ATS

[Jesda]

The Dodge Dart replaces the Caliber, and the Caliber was awful. Chrysler hasn't offered a genuinely good small car since... ever? So, for Chrysler, it's a critical release in a segment they've never been very competitive in.






[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrdxDk_jWkQ[/youtube]

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The other important one is the Cadillac ATS. 3400lbs, 316hp, with styling that looks like a CTS that's been melted a bit. The interior is nice as is the BMW-like short front overhang. Comes with a 6-speed auto or 6-speed manual, magnetic suspension, and an LCD-based gauge cluster.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXXAX9Xh28o[/youtube]









It will probably be priced similarly to the G sedan. A coupe and wagon are coming. The convertible was canceled.

It's coming out right after the new BMW 3-series, which means GM might be a generation behind in benchmarking its main competitor. The F30 3-series has gotten slightly softer and larger, so maybe the ATS can carve out a niche.

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Bonus: Lincoln MKZ

These are the only pictures available for now:

[Jesda]

And the new Fusion:

[Jesda]

[kouki munster]

The dart looks like a revamped neon,(probably is) and it looks a hell of a lot better than the caliber it is replacing.


I think that the design team responsible for that fusion have an affinity for aston martins.

[Bubba1]

The dart looks like a revamped neon,(probably is) and it looks a hell of a lot better than the caliber it is replacing.


I think that the design team responsible for that fusion have an affinity for aston martins.

I've never been a fan of the cookie cutter Caddy styling, but the softened angles of the ATS kinda works IMO. Cadillac has always made crappy compact cars. (can't sugarcoat the Catera or Cimarron, They sucked more than a Hoover). Hopefully this one will be better.

I haven't read aboutthe underpinnngs of the new Dart yet. I assume they're not using the ol' indestructible 225 Slant six, which helped make the original Dart so beloved. The styling is pretty good, though styling has never been a problem with Chrysler products.

It'll be interesting to see if Lincoln regains its senses by abandoning the putrid toothy "brand identity" look of their front ends. Acura has been making the same mistake with their goofy smile grill.

I also see the Aston Martin look in the front end of the Fusion, but I don't mind the overall style. Not bad.

[themadscientist]

PRETENDER! From the tire smoke of yore I stab at thee!

[frapjap]

I was feeling the car until I saw that high line in the trunk it looks off.

I also see the Aston Martin look in the front end of the Fusion, but I don't mind the overall style. Not bad.

Definitely- thats what I thought when I looked at it. However, the raised hood lines that look borrowed from Chrysler need to go.

[MinisterofDOOM]

I almost snorted casserole up my nose yesterday when reading about the Dart on my lunch break at work. A commenter on an article was supremely excited because, he said, the Dart was going to do for small cars "what the Neon did back in 1995." You mean...feel super cheap, look goofy, and not sell very much? 'Cause that's (fortunately) not the impression I'm getting from the Dart.

The Dart looks almost-good. I'm not sure about the grille, though. The crosshair is so smashed it's barely recognizable...why even bother with it in that case? And I don't like the gaping hole in the bumper any more than I like the Focus's Darth Vader mask. The interior looks like it's probably fairly cheap feeling on non-leatherized models, but at least it isn't laid out like a mess (CIVIC!).

I breathed an ENORMOUS sigh of relief when I saw the ATS pictures, too. It looks good. Yes, a little...melty, and maybe a little "I'm a mutated CTS skin on a 3 series" but still genuinely good. The proportions work, the headlights are nice, it doesn't-really-have-but-tries-visually-to-have a solid rear deck behind its cabin, and I love that it has 17'' wheels standard. Cost-performance-looks wise, 245-45-17 is THE sweet spot for wheels in my book. I don't care to pay for 19 or 20 inch tires just because the neighbors have then on their Taurus. Nice-looking factory 17s are something more cars need to offer again.

The new Fusion looks GREAT. It actually almost looks like a Henrik Fisker design. I still like the more conservative 3-box of the current model perhaps a little better, but the new design looks thoroughly modern and still nice. I think the real question is: does it weight 4000lb.

[Kompresshun]

I'm very interested in the Dart, just from what I've read so far. I missed the mention in my reading about it "doing what the Neon did in 1995", which I will assume that the writer was just an idiot and ignore his stupid remark. I would be a lot more interested if it were RWD and offered a V6 and V8, but it will still offer some nice options and will hopefully be the first promising small car Dodge has made. It's based on an Alfa Romeo platform(Guiletta I believe) and will offer a 2.4l 4cyl, a 1.4 multi-air turbo(from the Fiat 500 and Punto), and one other engine. There will be three transmissions available - A 6spd manual, a 6spd automatic, and a 9spd automatic. They claim the 9spd, which will come later after its release, will bring the cars fuel economy to 40mpg. Go figure, no hybrid drive and 40mpg out of a decent looking little car. So far I like it, but let's hope it lives up to the hype.

I LOVE the new Fusion. Of course I've liked every model of them so far, but this one is exceptional. I'll definitely be going to take one for a spin once they hit the lots. I agree that Ford has really been taking more of an Aston Martin approach to their front fascias lately and I like it.

I'm not so sure about the ATS. I guess I don't really understand its purpose, since I looks so much like a CTS in size, but maybe the photos are just fooling me. It's a much better looking car than I anticipated though.

[Rev_D21]

The Dart looks exactly like the Neon from the 3/4 profile.

[MinisterofDOOM]

I guess I don't really understand its purpose, since I looks so much like a CTS in size

It is NOT AT ALL much like the CTS in size, which is precisely it's purpose. The CTS started off as a 3-series fighter that was a little on the big size, so it appealed to 5-series cross-shoppers as well. Since it wasn't priced like a BMW, it became a very appealing alternative to the 5-series. The 2nd gen CTS got bigger, still sort of straddling the line, but much closer to the 5 than the 3 in size. This was intentional, but I don't think Cadillac realized how much it would alienate the former 3-series buyers who were NOT looking at 5s. Thus: the ATS. 3-series sized, much smaller than the CTS, which will win back the 3-series shoppers Cadillac lost by enlarging the CTS. And the CTS is now free to get bigger and actually close in completely on the 5-series, which is exactly what will happen.

The ATS is what the first-gen CTS and even the Catera were trying to be: a genuinely entry-level Cadillac that holds its own against the Germans (ironic...the Catera WAS German). It's got smaller powerplant options on par with what the Catera and first-gen CTS offered, but scales up to the LFX for those looking for some fun. But it's at the lower end that it'll do most of its work, just like the first-gen CTS did, and just like the 328i does for the Bavarians.

The really exciting part is that, if the ATS and CTS can be successful together, Cadillac will have two biggest-volume slots covered. So an STS-replacement sized like a 7-series can happen without having to worry about selling a lot.

[sbird1]

ATS looks like a grandma version of the CTS. The Dart looks like a Charger that got punched in the nose. Yawn.