The Dodge Dart Drops a Few Trim Levels Halfway Through 2016

2016 Dodge Dart (Credit: © Dodge)

Earlier in 2016, Sergio Marchionne announced that the Dodge Dart wasn’t long for this world as the company was shifting its focus to more profitable pickups and SUVs. There was no immediate indication as to when the Dart would finally die—and die it needs to do—but the writing is on the wall with today’s mid-model-year hacking of the model’s lineup.

The only reason I can think for Dodge to cut the Dart’s lineup from five trims to just three simpler ones would be the concentration of its offerings in an attempt to offload remaining inventory. This means that the Dart’s elimination is likely just around the corner.

This update completely eliminates the SE, Aero, and Limited trims, changes the SXT and GT to the SXT Sport and GT Sport, and adds a new trim known as the Turbo. The SXT Sport becomes the base model at $17,995 and it comes with features like a 160-horsepower 2.0-liter engine, keyless entry, air conditioning, 16-inch aluminum wheels, a four-speaker audio system with Sirius XM, and more. While the SXT Sport is a fairly stripped down, there are three packages available to spruce it up a bit, including the Chrome Package, the Rallye Package, and the Blacktop Package.

Moving into the midrange Turbo trim ups the price to $19,495 and adds in a 160-horsepower 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, dual exhaust, blacked-out headlight bezels and grille surround, and 17-inch wheels. Topping the range will be the $20,995 GT Sport with its 184-horsepower engine, push-button start, 17-inch wheels, fog lights, 8.4-inch touchscreen, digital gauge cluster display, and more.

The reworked 2016.5 Dart lineup is available for order starting this month.