2013 Dodge Dart long-term test: Final thoughts

After one year and 17,392 miles, our long-term 2013 Dodge Dart test car is heading back home to Michigan. Like a loyal hound, the car proved to be a versatile companion for Yahoo's staff, who between us, utilized the four-door compact sedan for road trips, daily commutes and even a bit of spirited canyon drives. For the most part, the Dart performed admirably.

Our tester was the SXT Rallye model, featuring the optional 1.4-liter turbo from the Fiat 500 Abarth. With a 0-60 mph time in the mid 8-seconds, it's not particularly fast, but it doesn't feel slow, either. Turbo lag is less noticeable than in the Abath, although the Fiat's Lamborghini-esque bark is tuned in favor of a more sensible hum. Perhaps our biggest critique with the Dart is its sluggish dual-clutch automatic transmission; it's not so much the speed of the shifts, rather the time it took to find the right gear upon acceleration. The optional manual gearbox is without question the way to go.