Press Kit: 2013 Dodge Dart

All-new 2013 Dodge Dart Interior is a Modern Blend of Precision Craftsmanship, State-of-the-art Technology, Exciting Bursts of Color and Hand-sculpted Shapes that Creates a Highly Customizable Interior

  • High-tech, unseen-in-the-segment features available on the Dart include class-exclusive customizable 7-inch gauge cluster, 8.4-inch Uconnect® touchscreen, heated steering wheel and illuminated floating island bezel in the instrument panel
  • New 2013 Dodge Dart built with materials and precision craftsmanship typically found in more expensive vehicle segments
  • The highly customizable Dodge Dart gives customers 14 interior color and trim options
Auburn Hills, Mich. April 27, 2012 - The all-new 2013 Dodge Dart zeroes in on customer comfort and personal style, setting a new standard for compact car interior refinement. Starting with modern Dodge DNA and through the use of innovative ambient interior lighting, well-crafted soft-touch materials, high-tech features and unexpected bursts of color, the 2013 Dodge Dart is loaded with cool amenities and unexpected delights for both drivers and passengers.

“The new 2013 Dodge Dart is the first of our next-generation interiors,” said Klaus Busse — Head of Interior Design, Chrysler Group LLC. “We are able to give customers a well-crafted, high-quality interior similar in its execution to that of the award-winning interior of the Charger and infused with exciting colors, eye-catching ambient lighting and state-of-the-art technology.”

The Dart’s signature “driver-centric” layout is designed to put all controls within easy reach of the driver. Easily customizable displays and comfort-tuned seats are packaged in an exceptionally spacious, pleasing interior. The 2013 Dodge Dart features the footprint and value of a compact car, combined with the interior spaciousness of a mid-size sedan, and it boasts best-in-class hip and shoulder room and superior rear seat leg room compared with some mid-size sedans. The Dart’s spacious interior is noticeably refined and designed with driver and passenger comfort and convenience in mind.

Tantalizing technology
The technological centerpiece of the all-new 2013 Dodge Dart is the available lit floating island bezel that houses an available segment-exclusive 7-inch Thin Film Transistor (TFT) reconfigurable gauge cluster display. The cluster appears dark or blank until the driver pushes the start button and the animated digital and analog instrumentation comes to life. The display is intuitive and has easy-to-understand full-color visual graphics. The gauges are backlit with LEDs, which makes them appear exceptionally crisp and clear. When combined with the large, performance font of the numbers, the gauges are very easy to read.

An available 8.4-inch touchscreen media center – the largest touchscreen in the compact car class – completes the soft, partially wrapped instrument panel, which is wrapped in premium, soft-touch materials. Cut, sewn and hand-wrapped leather-like protein vinyl surfaces are used around the floating island bezel brow on all models.

The 2013 Dodge Dart features available Ruby Red LED accent lighting that frames the floating island bezel, audio and heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) controls, reminiscent of the Dart’s class-exclusive racetrack taillamps. Standard four-gauge analog design clusters are trimmed with Ruby Red LED illumination rings around the speedometer and tachometer.

Lighting in all the right places provides drivers and passengers a warm, comfortable cockpit. In addition to the available racetrack lighting surrounding the floating island bezel, ambient lighting for the door handles, map pockets, foot wells, glove box, storage bin and illuminated cup holders is both useful and provides a warm atmosphere inside the vehicle.

Surprising bursts of color
Rather than using traditional film or faux wood appointments, the Dodge Dart uses thoughtfully placed splashes of color in intuitive locations like door inserts, storage locations, stitching and seat bolsters. The fresh Dodge color concept is what differentiates the 2013 Dodge Dart from other compact cars; it’s a unique, contemporary design concept that enables the Dart to strike an emotional chord with drivers and passengers.

In fact, the highly customizable Dodge Dart gives customers 14 interior color and trim options in either cloth or leather. Leather front seats are available heated, and the Dart is the only compact sedan to offer a heated steering wheel option.

The 14 interior combinations with seven interior environments in cloth or leather include: Black Denim, Black/Light Diesel Grey, Black/Light Frost Beige, Black/Ruby Red, Diesel Grey/Citrus Peel, Diesel Grey/Light Diesel Grey and Ceramic White/Light Diesel Grey.

Soft to the touch and crafted with precision
Soft-touch surfaces of the hand-sculpted instrument panel are a result of 12 mm soft-backed vacuum-formed surfacing in the instrument panel, center armrest and door armrest on all models. Dodge Dart Limited and R/T models have additional soft surfacing in door tops and door pull handles.

The interior grain surfaces include a micro-matte gloss diffusion that ensures low gloss, high-tactility in the interior. The grain execution resists noticeable scratching or marks over the life of the vehicle.

As with the exterior of the Dodge Dart, precision crafting and attention to detail were paramount when designing the interior. For example, rather than traditional framed speaker outlets, the Dodge Dart features a triangular scatter pattern over the speaker outlets for a more creative, clean and uninterrupted look. A similar treatment is on the interior door pulls, often an area left unfinished in competitive vehicles. A wrap-around top cover takes the customer’s eye from one side of the vehicle to the other and builds on the interior spaciousness of the Dodge Dart, while eliminating any gaps between the door and instrument panel.

The all-new 2013 Dodge Dart’s seats were engineered to be exceptionally comfortable. The front and rear seats feature tri-layer lower seat cushions, which incorporate three layers of foam. A dense base foam works with the springs for primary suspension and distribution of weight, a 10 mm topper pad is glued to the top of the base pad for pillow-top-like comfort and a layer of lighter density foam is sewn into the seat covers. Front seats travel up to 180 mm forward and 40 mm rearward, 30 mm up and 30 mm down to allow drivers and passengers to find the most comfortable position. The seats have a serpentine spring suspension that distributes weight more evenly and a wide seat track to give rear passengers more room to put their feet.

Clever storage spaces keep items out of sight and securely stowed
Interior storage in the all-new 2013 Dodge Dart was thoughtfully designed with the driver and passengers in mind. Segment-exclusive front-passenger in-seat storage enables secure, undetected storage of valuables under the passenger seat cushion without sacrificing headroom. Access to the storage space (roughly 203 cubic inches) is achieved by simply flipping the seat cushion up. An oversize, deep-depth largest-in-the-class glove box can hold an iPad or other tablet so they are stored out of sight.

The center console houses a forward cubby with removable, rubberized, molded liners providing an intuitive, easy-to-reach location for items like garage door openers, sunglasses, wallets and change. Center console side pockets are within easy reach and are perfect for storing smaller items, such as personal hand-held devices and mobile phones.

Two front cup holders incorporate grips to secure different sized beverage containers and are rubber lined, which makes them very easy to clean. Select models of the Dart offer illuminated cup holders ringed with white ambient light.

The center armrest on most models of the new 2013 Dodge Dart opens up compliments of piano hinging, and it slides fore and aft. Storage under the armrest includes a large bin with an easy-to-clean rubber mat that houses consumer electronic ports (AUX, APO, USB and SD) so drivers can hook up their personal electronic devices. The center armrest also houses the CD player. The Dart features up to two 12-volt power outlets, one in the instrument panel and, on select models, a second outlet in the center console.

Available door map pockets incorporate beverage holders large enough for 20-ounce bottles. The door pull cups contain rubberized molded liners, not die cut, with embossed surfacing for tactility and sound dampening.



Download Video Embed