With a Cheerleader in the Trunk and Some Change in My Pocket
If at first you can't make a decision, ask your kid.
"Alexis, should we test drive a Dodge Durango, a Caravan, or a Dart?" I asked.
She picked the Dart. She's a smart, smart girl.
But here's the problem -- after going to the Dodge dealership to test drive a car, so I could write this post for BlogHer and Dodge, now I want the car. Seriously. I WANT A DART IN OUR DRIVEWAY.
There are lots of reasons. Let's start with this one:
While the Dodge Dart is considered a compact car, it's the biggest compact car I've ever seen. The trunk alone has enough space for AT LEAST eight little cheerleaders. Possibly nine. You can try and tell me that there's no reason to stuff that many cheerleaders in a trunk, but have you seen how much stuff those cheerleaders carry around? There's plenty of space for pom-poms and posters and megaphones and all of the stuff Alexis tries to drag everywhere.
And then there's this:
That's the passenger side front seat. REALLY. It flips up for storage, and there's enough space there for my camera bag in there. Partner that with the glove box that was seriously big enough to hold my laptop, and suddenly the Dodge Dart is a compact car that is big enough to hide all of my favorite things.
As a matter of fact, yes, I am impressed by storage space. Always. I'm not used to seeing it in a car, so it's extra impressive in my head.
So. The test drive. I should probably tell you about that.
Both the husband and I took a turn driving the Dodge Dart. We didn't drive a special model or anything -- we actually drove one that we would consider buying because it gets 39 mpg but costs under $20,000. Yet, even with that gas mileage and price, we found it to be a very suitable car. It's certainly not the zippiest thing ever, but HELLO, GOOD GAS MILEAGE MATTERS MORE.
The dash and controls made sense and were legitimately nice, the cup holders were in the exact right place, and I was able to figure out the radio in no time at all thanks to the large (8.4") touchscreen right in the middle of the dash.
That touchscreen switches to a video display when the car is in reverse, by the way.
I have the same sort of thing in my current SUV, but this one was better. It's bigger and easier to see, with a guide overlay that makes it very easy to figure out if you are OK to back up another four inches or not. If you've never had a backup camera, let me just tell you that they are FANTASTIC in parking garages and when parallel parking.
I will never have a car that doesn't have one again. Ever.
I'm also one of those people who insists on a solid safety rating for a car. The Dodge Dart passes my test. It has ten airbags, blind spot monitoring, and all sorts of other things that helped it to earn a 5-star rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
And it's available in orange. Have I ever mentioned how much I love orange cars? Because I really, really do.
Alexis wants gray. She's boring.
The long and the short of it is that we will be looking for a compact car that gets crazy good gas mileage next year. We always have one of those around. We have kicked the Dodge Dart to the top of our list because it has the nicest interior I've ever seen in a car at this price range, because it has storage that goes on for days, and because I'm pretty sure Alexis will never forgive us if we don't buy one.
She was sold at the trunk, for what it's worth. She has talked about how cool that trunk is for days.
To celebrate the release of the Dodge Dart (it was new for 2013!), Dodge and BlogHer have teamed up to give you a chance to win a $100 Shell gas gift card. To win, all you have to do is tell me which car you would have picked if asked to test drive something -- a Caravan, a Dart, or a Durango.
Sweepstakes Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winner will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 12/10/13 - 12/31/13.
Be sure to visit the Dodge Brand Page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Reader Comments (300)
Now you've foot me thinking I need to test drive a Dart too! And yes, I would have to get it in orange!
I would test drive the caravan
I'd like to try the Durango for a road trip to the beach! The Dart looks awesome - great use od space!!
Dart. This looks to be a very cool car.
I would love to drive the Durango!
I would pick the Durango since I have wanted one for years.
the durango
Tweet https://twitter.com/ArtsyChaos/status/417468565969575937
i like SUV's so I'd drive the Dodge Durango
I would test drive a Dodge Dart.
i posted a tweet:
https://twitter.com/bellows22/status/417469286773301248
A Dart, I think. Looks right up my alley!
coriwestphal at msn dot com
I'd choose the Durango!
Tweet: https://twitter.com/coriwestphal/status/417479350926061568
coriwestphal at msn dot com
tweeted: https://twitter.com/KerryBishop/status/417482693744422912
I like to drive the Dodge Dart out of these cars listed.
i would choose the Dart
I would have picked the Dart because I like smaller cars :)
I'd test drive a caravan
I would have picked the Durango
I was ready to choose the Caravan, but now I don't know... that Dart sure looks great! So I guess I'll go with the Dart. My aunt and uncle had a Dart in the past and they absolutely loved everything about it! Katharina angelsandmusic[at]gmail[dot]com
I'd love to try the Dart. We've been talking about looking into a small, efficient car for my travels for work - I hate putting all the miles on our big car.
I tweeted about the giveaway: https://twitter.com/stephanienola/status/417705320379846656
duragano
Out of those three choices, I would have picked the Dart because of its MPG rating.
I tweeted here: https://twitter.com/MsTofuFairy/status/417736034273619969
Please bring me a Durango.
https://twitter.com/ky2here1/status/417748130440806400
I'd choose the Dart
I'd test drive the Durango!
I would pick the dart.
Caravan
I would like to test drive a Dodge Dart
yes this vehicle is reliable
I would pick the Dodge Dart.
I'd like the dodge ram.
Definitely the durango, I love the new ones esp. since they look so spacious. Would be perfect for out growing family!
I would of picked to test drive the dodge 2014 durango
https://twitter.com/gummybear1975/status/417813617715589120
I would pick the Durango
Caravan - practical for a family
Of the three, I would take a Durango for a spin.
tweet
https://twitter.com/eswright18/status/417824931288596480
definitely the Durango! we have an '02 and love it
I love Dodge. They have great cars. I'm going to test drive a Dart soon.
I love the Dodge Dart.
test drive the Durango
I'd have to drive the Caravan just to see if its as comfy as my 2001 Caravan that I refuse to give up.
Wow, I was so impressed with all of the storage space with the dart. The gas mileage is good and it looks great, so based on your review, I'd pick the Dart to test drive!
Tweet! https://twitter.com/xocaisgood/status/417857213504299009
Would like to check out the caravan