The 2013 Dodge Dart is based on Alfa Romeo's sporty Giulietta.

Still remember Dad’s white ’64 Dodge Dart wagon, with red upholstery, gleaming on a summer day in the driveway. It was his first wagon, and we were all thrilled to pile into it for a trip to the Jersey Shore.

Introduced just four years earlier, the Dart had already seen some radical changes. It began as a full-size car and by ’64 was scaled down to a midsize. By 1969, the Dart got tougher, joining the muscle car crowd with a GTS model powered by a 440.

Fast forward 37 years: The Dart nameplate is resurrected by Chrysler/Fiat, ready to do battle in the competitive compact segment. It is not a midsize. It is not muscle-bound. And, in the early going, it has not done well on the sales graph — it has struggled against the likes of Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla.

Still, I like the young Dart’s chances. It is surprisingly frisky, has good acceleration with the turbocharged engine and is quite agile on the twisty roads.

Well, wait a minute. Since it is based on the sporty Alfa Romeo Giulietta, maybe all this shouldn’t be such a surprise. There’s a lot to like inside, too, with quality materials used throughout — but more on that later.

Know that this is not your father’s (grandfather’s?) Dodge Dart. They took a Giulietta, widened its track and stretched it an entire foot. It has a smirky front end with sweeping headlamps that are the biggest you’ll find on a Dodge. And across-the-rear taillights surely will be compared to the Dodge Charger.

Power bears no connection to your father’s Dart, either, not that anyone who remembers the famous slant-6 would register a complaint about it.

This time around, though, the front-wheel-drive Dart offers an optional 1.4-liter turbocharged engine that’s good for 160 horsepower and an impressive 184 pound-feet of torque. With the manual tranny, it’ll go 0-60 in around 8.3 seconds, among the quickest in its class.

That is the engine to get, and I’m guessing most will. The base 2.0-liter engine is rather lackluster, harnesses the same 160 horses but manages only 148 pound-feet of torque. That will cost 1.6 seconds in the 0-60 figure, which makes it one of the slowest in its segment, according to Edmunds’ testing.

And get this: The swifter choice gets the better mileage: 27 city, 37 highway for a combined average fuel economy of 31 mpg with the automatic. The 2.0 comes in at 24 city, 34 highway and 27 combined. No-brainer, right?

For the sport-driven, Dart R/T provides a 2.4-liter engine that produces 184 hp and 171 pound-feet of torque.

The Alfa DNA is apparent on the road as the Dart offers an eager performance with good steering response and a nimble feel. A 6-speed automatic tranny shifts smoothly and on cue.

On the open road, the ride is nicely composed; the MacPherson struts with gas-charged shocks up front and a multilink system in the rear discipline all the bad boys on the pavement. The Dart, essentially, drives bigger than it is.

Inside, the Dart feels like a pricier car. Most of the materials look and feel richer than they should in this segment. And Dodge offers a multitude of combinations in fabric and interior colors.

The dash is clean, attractive and well organized. One should definitely opt for the 8.4-inch touch screen that accesses entertainment functions and navigation. Comprehensible menus and nice, big touch buttons make it a breeze to wade through.

Seats are comfortable, and legroom is adequate in the front, substantial in the rear. A cavernous glove box is unheard of in this segment, but it’s here.

This segment, by the way, is not so easy to define. Some will call it a compact, others say it borders on a midsize. Trunk space — at 13.1 cubic feet — is not up to snuff for a midsize; for a compact, it’s competitive with the class.

Every Dart gets traction and stability control, air bags in front and rear plus side-curtain and front knee air bags. Optional: rearview camera and blind-spot monitor.

There are five trim levels. The base SE is really base — no air-conditioning, even, and steel wheels. But it does have power windows and tilt/telescoping wheel, so if you’re looking strictly for economy, that’s the way to go.

The SXT adds alloy wheels, six-speaker sound and upgraded instrument panel. Next, the Rallye sports it up with fog lamps, snazzier trim inside and out, and a leather-wrapped wheel.

The Limited gets more refined with six-way power seats and power lumbar adjustment and Bluetooth. An R/T gets 18-inch wheels and more horses. A Technology group of options can be added to both the Limited and R/.T, and features automatic wipers and headlamps, rear parking assist and the blind-spot warning.

And a Premium group of options adds leather and heated seats.

So, no, this is not Dad’s ’64 Dart. I’m reasonably certain his did not offer the UConnect Touch Multimedia Center with iPod interface. It is Dodge’s Alfa-based entry into the small-car segment, and it’s ready to dance with the champions from Honda, Toyota and Mazda.

———

2013 DODGE DART

—Base price: $15,995

—Price as tested, including destination charge: $24,965