IGX

After my Saturn of 195,000 miles was rear ended on the local freeway, I had to go car shopping. Being from Detroit, and able to get employee pricing on GM, Ford & Chrysler I usually gravitate towards those.

It's really great to see those three brands putting real effort into the compact car segment and not just turning out the lower quality crap mobiles they did in the past.

In the end, I went with a Dodge Dart (with the 1.4L turbo engine and 6 speed manual)

It offered a slightly roomier feel to the interior over the Cruze, and you don't "sink" as low into the seating position as much as the Cruze. Seats and interior quality is higher than previous compact cars.

Handling is nice, the shifter is smooth. Not much feel to the clutch though. It's very quiet, I thought the little motor would be buzzier, but it's not. Power is OK, about what I expected. You won't be setting any speed records, but with 3 people in it, it didn't feel bogged down either.

The touch radio, with navigation and bluetooth works really well.

Been getting mid 30's in MPG so far.

The more common combination on dealer lots is the naturally aspirated 2.0L with the 6 speed automatic, which I also drove and it is a bit of a dog. Spring for the 1.4L turbo.

Mopar durability has been, and might still be an issue

Or just as much "Fix it Again Tony" as the engine and transmission are Fiat sourced, which have had their own quality and durability issues in the past.

Really good mileage so far.