Dodge Dart in Egypt

Dodge Dart in Egypt

I was happy to see Dodge Dart released in Egypt and I thought that it will change the market for the key competitors such as Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Kia Cerato.

Before you buy a car, just look for its price in the international market such as US or Europe just to be sure for how value for money is your car especially in Egypt.

I have done that comparison to see how Dodge Dart will compete actually.

The US Market

2013 Dodge Dart - Price Range: $15,995 - $22,495

2013 Honda Civic - Price Range: $17,965 - $26,465

The Egyptian Market

2013 Dodge Dart - Price Range: 279,000 EGP - 319,000 EGP

2013 Honda Civic - Price Range: 198,500 EGP - 214,900 EGP

The comparison shows that Dodge price is overestimated in Egypt as it is over the double of its price in the US. The Dodge has no value of money at all. Why? Let us see below the test review.

2013 Dodge Dart Limited 1.4T DDCT

Laggy turbo and a clumsy gearbox frustrate in Dodge's new compact.

On paper, a turbocharged engine, a dual-clutch automatic gearbox, and an Italian-derived platform—like those found in Chrysler’s new Dodge Dart—sound like nice ingredients for a modern, fun-to-drive compact sedan. In this case, however—well, you might see where we’re going here.

Just Go, Already

Labeled DDCT for “dual-dry-clutch transmission,” the Dart’s six-speed setup is offered as an $1100 extra on models equipped with the 1.4-liter MultiAir turbocharged four—itself a $1300 option over the standard 2.0-liter engine. Both powerplants make the same 160 hp, but the port-injected 1.4 turbo produces 36 additional lb-ft of torque for a total of 184. Unfortunately for the heavy Dart—3338 pounds as tested— the 1.4-liter turbo’s peak torque comes at a relatively high 2500 rpm. The DDCT is the Dart 1.4’s sole auto-shifting option, but unlike the synaptic-shifting dual-clutch gearboxes in many VW/Audi and Porsche cars, this one feels programmed to mimic the mushiness of a conventional torque-converter automatic. If we wanted one of those, we’d opt for the Dodge’s base engine, which is available with a conventional six-speed autobox.

The Dart’s 1.4 MultiAir four is similar to that in the Fiat 500 Abarth, which is nearly 800 pounds lighter and less affected by the little four’s substantial turbo lag and dearth of low-end power. The standard manual transmission offers the driver more flexibility to keep the engine in its power band, but the DDCT upshifts early for efficiency and hesitates whenever you put your right foot down. Combined with a much heavier car, there’s a lot of twiddling of thumbs before sufficient boost is available.

If there is one big positive, the Alfa Romeo–based chassis underpinning the Dart is solid and offers good road feel. Our car’s 178-foot stopping effort and 0.84 g of grip around the skidpad on 17-inch Continental all-season tires were respectable, although rather softly sprung suspenders made for a large dose of body roll and had us moving around excessively in the short-cushioned, unsupportive front seats.

Definitely there is a lot of other attractive cars with the same price in the Egyptian market; It maybe attract customers if not overpriced like that.