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Dodge Aries
Manufacturer	Chrysler Corporation
Also called	Dodge Dart Dodge Magnum
Production	1981–1989
Assembly	Newark, Delaware Toluca, Mexico Sterling Heights, Michigan
Predecessor	Dodge Aspen
Successor	Dodge Spirit
Class	Compact
Body style	2-door coupe 4-door sedan 4-door station wagon
Layout	FF layout
Platform	Chrysler K platform
Engine	2.2 L K I4 2.5 L K I4 2.6 L Mitsubishi G54B I4
Transmission	4-speed manual 5-speed manual 3-speed A413 automatic 3-speed A470 automatic
Wheelbase	100.3 in
Length	178.6 in
Width	68.0 in
Height	52.5 in
Related	Chrysler LeBaron Chrysler Town and Country Dodge 400 Dodge 600 coupe Plymouth Reliant
Similar	Ford Tempo Mazda 626 Pontiac Grand Am

The Dodge Aries was an automobile sold by the Chrysler Corporation from 1981 to 1989. It replaced the Dodge Aspen as Dodge's family car with "mid-size room" in a size and front-wheel drive format commonly associated with compact cars. It had a much larger EPA volume than the Tempo or Cavalier which the EPA classified as compacts, or Honda Accord which was a subcompact in 1985. Ford and Chrysler would compare the K cars with the Fairmont and Tempo. The Aries was sold as the Dart in Mexico. The Aries was Motor Trend magazine's Car of the Year for 1981. The Aries sold almost a million units in a single generation.

Contents 1 Popularity 2 History 3 Quality 4 6-passenger seating 5 Production Numbers 6 See also 7 Notes

The Aries was one of Chrysler's most successful products, along with its twin, the Plymouth Reliant. They were based off of the Chrysler K platform, which the media referred to as being Chrysler's only hope to save itself from bankruptcy. The platform became so well known in pre-production that the production Aries and Reliant were known even by the most uninformed consumers as "K-cars," made easier by the fact that the constituent models had badging on the rear that read "Aries K" or "Reliant K." This car would spur Chrysler and many other automobile manufacturers to adopt front-wheel drive in many of their future models. The Aries and Reliant were strong sellers and were instrumental in Chrysler's financial recovery.

A station wagon version was available, one of the roomiest in its class. These would be replaced by the minivans (introduced in 1984) after 1989.

The K-cars were produced in Newark, Delaware, Toluca, Mexico and Detroit, Michigan. The last, a 1989 Aries, rolled off the assembly line on December 9, 1988.

After much publicity, the much-heralded Aries and Reliant twins made their debut in 1981. In response to the notoriety of the new cars, Chrysler added a small "K" emblem to the rear. The Aries was available as a 2-door coupe, 4-door sedan, or as a 4-door station wagon, in three different trim lines: base, Custom and SE ("Special Edition"). Station wagons came only in Custom or SE trim. Unlike many small cars, the K cars retained the traditional 6 passenger 2 bench seat with column shifter seating arrangement favored by many Americans. The Aries was powered by a then-new 2.2 L I4 SOHC engine, with a Mitsubishi "Silent Shaft" 2.6 L as an option (curiously this engine also featured hemispherical combustion chambers, and all 1981 Aries equipped with it featured "HEMI" badges on the front fenders). Initial sales were brisk, with over 150,000 units sold in 1981.

The Aries underwent only minor changes in its first few production years (the Custom trim line was dropped from the coupe and sedan in 1983). The first major changes occurred in 1985, when the Aries received a new front fascia, featuring a new "crosshair" grille and a new rear fascia featuring five-section taillights. A new trim line, the top-tier LE ("Luxury Edition"), was added (it also replaced the Custom trim level on the wagon).

Significant powertrain changes were made for 1986. The 2.2 L engine's carburetor was replaced by a new throttle-body electronic fuel injection system, while a new 2.5 L four-cylinder engine was added to the option list, replacing the Mitsubishi 2.6 L. The four-speed manual transmission, previously offered as standard equipment, was dropped.

The Aries underwent only minor changes throughout the rest of its production run. The SE trim line was dropped after 1986, while the LE and base trim remained the only trims till the end of production. The base trim line was renamed America in 1988, offered as relatively inexpensive, basic transportation. The station wagon was dropped after 1988, while the sedan would last for one more year, ending production in 1989, after nine years and nearly a million units sold. The Spirit unofficially replaced the sedan for 1989.

Dodge Aries station wagon with second facelift

1983-1984 Dodge Aries with a vinyl roof, which was an extremely rare option. Fewer than 10,000 Aries got this option from the factory.

Dodge Aries coupe with first facelift

Fit and finish on the Aries was marginal at best, from sloppily mounted turn signal indicators in the instrument cluster to poorly mounted dry cleaning hooks. Furthermore, the K-cars were built to be very lightweight for fuel economy reasons.

The then-new 2.2 L engine had issues with cylinder head gaskets until approximately 1985. All 2.2 L engines and the derivative 2.5 L engines had aluminum heads on iron blocks; the different expansion rates of the metals caused stress on the head gaskets. However, most of that generation of front-wheel-drive cars, regardless of make, had this problem. All vehicles equipped with this Chrysler engine must be very carefully monitored to prevent overheating — if not already equipped, a temperature gauge must be added, and the radiator, electric fan and thermostat must be checked carefully with every oil change. A peculiarity of this family of engines is their normal operating sound — every different internal combustion engine will have a characteristic "sound" dictated by its geometry; the 2.2 L/2.5 L engine sounds "clanky" and "unhealthy" at its best. If valve and ignition timings, and the air-fuel mixture is good, then the engine is operating normally.^{[citation needed]} If the engine is still worrying, then the connecting rod play should be checked.

Offered as an "American car with a Japanese engine", the 2.6 L Mitsubishi "Silent Shaft" I4 engine was intended to compete with Toyota at a time when Americans were very concerned with the erosion of the American manufacturing base. However, the Mitsubishi, nicknamed the "Bitsumishi" or "Mr. Squishy" by service technicians, had a tendency towards grenading due to poor connecting rod forgings and cylinder head castings. As early as the late 1980s, rebuildable Mitsubishi 2.6 L cylinder heads were rare and commanded a high price at automotive wrecking yards; many K-cars have had their Mitsubishi engines removed and replaced with the more durable American engines.

As with most Chrysler small cars, they were butt of many jokes while in production (Dart/Valiant, "ASSpain"/Volare). But in keeping with Chrysler tradition the K-car's long term reliability has been good, as K-cars are still seen on the road on a regular basis 25 years after its introduction. K-cars equipped with the 2.2 L or 2.5 L engine are easy to service; parts are cheap, and the essential components (engine, transmission, body) survive high mileage and many years if properly maintained.

Although many would call the Aries (and its twin the Plymouth Reliant) "compact cars" they were so generously sized inside they were classified by the EPA as mid-size. They were the smallest "compact" cars to have 6-passenger seating with a 3 seat per row setup, similar to larger rear-wheel drive cars such as the Dodge Dart and other front-wheel drive cars such as the Chevrolet Citation.

Production numbers for the Aries are as follows:^{[citation needed]}

Year	Units
1981	155,781
1982	104,663
1983	112,539
1984	120,032
1985	117,975
1986	97,368
1987	99,299
1988	111,363
1989	53,196

Total production for the Dodge Aries was 972,216 vehicles.

• Chrysler K platform

Both the Aries and the sister car Reliant were sold in Mexico — the Aries was badged as the Dart K, and the Reliant was badged as the Volare K. The naming scheme was similar to the Dodge Aspen sold in Mexico as the Dart 4-door sedan and the Valiant Volare coupe.

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