2013 Dodge Dart SXT Rallye Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.com

2013 Dodge Dart SXT Rallye Long-Term Road Test

Our 2013 Dodge Dart test car has a great sunroof. But would you buy the Dart for that reason alone?

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fordson1

No. Well...maybe a couple of features.

legacygt

No. But a lot of people must really fall for a sunroof. Think about how so many cars are opening up more and more of their roof to the sky. It seems like visibility of the sky is increasing on so many cars even while visibility out the front, sides and back (big pillars, bigger blind spots and narrow rear glass) is getting worse.

throwback

I didn't untill my most recent car purchase. I REALLY miss heated seats. NO, I don't live in Cali, but it gets cold (to me) in the northeast.

duck87

Not for me particularly, but I'm pretty sure most folks in my generation don't really care about what car they buy, as long as it syncs with their smartphone...

@legacygt: It's a pretty funny observation, isn't it =/

stovt001_

Legacygt is on to something. I think sunroofs may be popular BECAUSE of shrinking greenhouses. I'm sure most people don't want to feel like they're hiding in a bunker in their car. They want airy openness, but they've also totally bought into the marketing hype of high up-swept beltlines, slammed roofs, tiny rear windows, and ridiculously thick A-pillars (which isn't marketing but safety regulations gone wild). I think I'd be more likely to go for a sunroof if the car I was buying had a small greenhouse for that reason.

agentorange

I won't buy or rent a car without cruise control. But I have walked away from cars because they package in an option I do not want at a price I will not pay. The sunroof is usually the thing I don't want. I walked out on a truck deal because to get a LSD you had to buy a $1200 package that included a sunroof.

gslippy

"Were you ever so attracted to one feature that it made you ignore the rest of the package?"

In dating, this can be dangerous. Heh.

Seriously, I'll probably never own a car with a sunroof. At 6'6", sunroofs steal 1-2" of headroom I can't afford, while adding to the cost and complexity of the vehicle.

robs249_

Sunroof for me, I will not buy another car without one. I feel similarly with leather, heated seats but I can deal if it has nice, dark, sport cloth seats

darthbimmer

Shirley your friend had other criteria besides "anything with a sunroof". I imagine she was considering only cars within certain ranges of price, quality, and size. Of course, it's less fun to say, "I'm looking for a compact around $12,000 that's not going to cost me an arm and a leg on maintenance and doesn't smell like someone's dog died in the rear footwell. Oh, and it's got to have A/C because, WTF? Who actually buys cars without A/C anymore? Oh, and an auto transmission, because I never learned to drive stick."

yaymx5_

"Were you ever so attracted to one feature that it made you ignore the rest of the package?" Yup. Well, 2 features: RWD and communicative steering. I like these things enough to have a Miata as my only car, despite the fact that I don't care very much about having a convertible top. It's a shame that so few simple/affordable cars have RWD.

ed124c

So, all cars with fixed roofs get beefier pillars, but convertibles-- with only one pillar-- are still around. Here's another question: Why doesn't the Mustang have a sliding sunroof, but the Camaro does? My feeling is that Ford wants to sell convertibles. Anyway, it has been 15 years since I have had a sunroof, and it's about time I bought a car with one. (Convertibles just have too many downsides, like smaller trunks, narrow rear seat, vulnerablility to vandals or crooks, etc.)

schildt

Kind of. A few years ago I bought a Jeep Patriot Limited because I liked the Jeep name and wanted something 4 wheel drive that was fuel efficient. Without really driving the competitors, I bought the Patriot because I liked its looks and it seemed like it was a good overall package. A year and a half later, I sold it because I was tired of the gutless engine, horrible CVT, and horrendous road noise.