Overview & Reviews

Chrysler is generally considered part of the Big Three, a title that refers to the traditional triumvirate of domestic automakers. The current accuracy of this classification is open for debate, but there's no debating the fact that Chrysler has experienced a revival of sorts over the past few years.

Chrysler Corporation was founded in 1925 by Walter P. Chrysler, a noted machinist; he'd purchased the Maxwell Motor Corporation of Detroit and used it as the foundation for his new company. The automaker quickly earned a reputation for advanced engineering. In 1928, Chrysler Corporation expanded with the purchase of Dodge and the creation of the DeSoto and Plymouth divisions.

The 1930s saw Chrysler boldly looking toward the future with the introduction of its revolutionary Airflow. Powered by a front-mounted inline-8, the car was one of the first to be designed with aerodynamics in mind, and featured swooping lines and a prominent grille. Perhaps a bit too ahead of its time, the Airflow was a flop with the public. Chrysler was able to survive the lean years of the Depression thanks to strong sales of its entry-level Dodge and Plymouth brands, whose vehicles boasted more traditional designs and much lower price tags.

Chrysler shined postwar. For a period in the late 1940s, it even surpassed Ford as the No. 2 U.S. automaker. The company's storied "Hemi" V8 engine debuted in 1951. Offering 180 horsepower, it was a significant improvement over Chrysler's previous 135-hp V8. The Hemi engine was meant to trounce the V8 offered by Cadillac, Chrysler's rival, and it kick-started Detroit's horsepower race of the 1950s and '60s. The '50s also saw the debut of treasured Chrysler classics like the handsome Town and Country and the sleek 300C.

By 1961, Chrysler had trimmed its line of brands by dropping the DeSoto nameplate. New technologies were also afoot, such as unibody construction (Chrysler was the first of the Big Three to introduce it) and the replacement of generators with alternators for a car's charging system. In the latter half of the '60s, Chrysler was heavily involved with NASCAR and producing performance-oriented cars.

At the same time, however, dark clouds were gathering. As with other domestic automakers, the 1970s proved to be a difficult decade due to the oil crisis, new government regulations and changing consumer tastes. A costly and ineffective overseas expansion further hurt the company's bottom line. By the late '70s, the company was in such financial disarray that it petitioned the government for $1.5 billion in loan guarantees to save it from bankruptcy.

Thanks to impressive public campaigning by then-chairman Lee Iacocca, the debut of the well-received K-car platform and the creation of the modern minivan, sales had improved dramatically by the mid-'80s. The government's loan was paid off seven years early. The picture further brightened in the late 1980s with Chrysler's purchase of American Motors Corporation (which netted the company the Jeep brand) and a joint venture with Mitsubishi known as Diamond Star Motors.

Success continued through the early 1990s. In 1998, German-based Daimler-Benz merged with Chrysler to form DaimlerChrysler. At the time, this deal was presented as a merger of equals. But it quickly became apparent that it was more of a purchase, with Daimler being the dominant partner.

Less than a decade later, that merger was no longer, as Daimler sold Chrysler (and Dodge) to a private equity firm in 2007. However, that merger had borne some worthwhile fruit, most notably in the form of the Chrysler 300 full-size sedan. The latter shared some chassis components with an older Mercedes-Benz E-Class platform.

As such, the 300 was a highlight for Chrysler that had a pleasingly solid feel to its driving dynamics that was further sweetened via an available powerful V8 engine. But soon after the split, America's economy slid into recession. Due to poor sales and debt, Chrysler had to declare bankruptcy and the federal government intervened with bailout loans. Eventually Chrysler came under control of Italy's Fiat.

Today, the lineup has been pared down to a pair of sedans, a convertible and a minivan. However, after years of having lackluster entries in the very important midsize car category, Chrysler made major improvements in the performance, design and quality of its midsize sedan entry, the 200. The latest 300 also stands as a prime choice for a premium full-size sedan. Still, it remains to be seen as to whether this and future product releases will be enough to restore the company to its former glory.

User Reviews:

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  Excellent car.. - 2004 Chrysler Concorde
  By Bobby - March 30 - 7:42 am

  In 2009 i sold my 96 concorde and bought my 2004 with 42000kms.. until now i am happy with its performance.. Its almost 175000 now.. Willing to change the car as it is getting old.. But sad to leave her..

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  "BLESSED" 5 Years strong - 2007 Chrysler Aspen
  By JBranch - August 7 - 6:41 am

  Ive finally paid off this great SUV, 159,000 miles, traveled across country..... Keep the oil change and keep good tires, and this baby floats. Air conditioner just went out, minor problem.

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  Great Little Car - 2012 Chrysler 200
  By Leonora - December 17 - 9:57 am

  I bought my car from Carvana with 32000 miles. So far, in the four months of owning it, I have made no repairs. The sound system is great. Passengers constantly remark about the nice bass. It is a comfy car that handles speed bumps and pit holes fairly well. I enjoy driving it. I also have no difficulty recognizing it in a parking lot- as the lovely white paint is still in great condition.

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  2011 Chrysler 200 - A Great Year - 2011 Chrysler 200
  By Deidre Burke - December 1 - 4:09 pm

  On the highway it rides like a luxury sedan, around town its adequate. Getting in and out of the car is perfect, not too low or high.

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  Love my girl! - 2006 Chrysler Sebring
  By Dawn - November 5 - 12:15 pm

  I bought in 2007 Apr with 17k miles on it. Overpriced for sure. Have finally paid it off and not wanting to get into another car pmnt. First thing fixed was the fuel tank...then the drivers window motor... now it is 10 yrs old since it was built and it needs new passenger window motor and some dumb head removed the interior door lock mechanism so I am having to get that installed as well And needs a paint job! The all leather seats were awesome until my husband had to use my car for a few years, so I just bought slip on seat covers. The trunk donut cover broke the first time my husband pulled it out, so need a replacement for that. I love this car, rides great and is smooth on the highway. Gas mileage, not so good, about 23 mpg. it is now at 118k and just starting to have some things that need to be addressed like ball joints and steering belt Firestone replaced the alternator a couple months back...

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  Rating from a long time Honda/Acura Owner - 2015 Chrysler 200
  By dccarshopper@gmail.com - October 28 - 11:44 pm

  Totaled my Acura RL on the highway. This rating is based on a car rental of the Chrysler 200 for 2.5 weeks. I am a long time Japanese car driver. I have rented Ford Mustangs, driven Ford Fusions ect. I never thought once about a Chrysler and this is the first time I have driven one in my life. I have driven some american made cars like Ford Taurus, Pontiac Grand Am. I have driven Lexus, bmw. I have to say, for a medium size sedan this car has decent acceleration, the drive is nice and the interior and body styling has a nice clean look. It does not have as much horsepower as my rl. But for a 4 cylinder this car can go when you need it to in traffic. I saw one on the road earlier this year and thought it looked great. I really thought this car was the size of my wifes civic. But, when I parked next to it, the car is almost the size of a Honda Accord. It takes up more space in my garage than the RL. The exterior body style has some bold and larger shapes to it than I am used to. So it throws me off a little when I try parking it. That is just a personal thing that one can get used to easily. The voice commands are easy to follow. The technology in this car is also easy to figure out rather quickly. Without reading any manual I figured out bluetooth, radio, media, voice calling ect. It is much easier to figure out than the Ford Fusion, which I am still baffled about. I didnt have time to read the owners manual driving 100 plus miles per day sometimes. I drove this car 1500 miles in 2 weeks. So, I put it to the test. The one thing I found quirky was in the voice command it is difficult to navigate to send a text message. It is easy to respond to one. But it asked me for some predefined responses to incoming text messages sometimes. And then sometimes the voice commands work, sometimes it shuts off and makes a weird noise. I think this all could be cleared up if I had time to read the book. But for the most part, the systems in the car were easy to figure out. And this is my first upgraded car with newer wireless and blue tooth since 2004. The model was a 2002 I last owned. Last new car we bought was in 2010. Cars have come a long way. Cons: the hazard light button is directly underneath the center graphic console where you access the radio/ media source ect. I found that while i was fidgeting in traffic with the radio the hazard lights would come on. I probably turned them on by accident about 15 times over the course of two weeks. They need to move that somewhere further away from a high traffic hand area. The other part that I dont necessarily like is the compartment that is underneath the console in the middle of the front seats. It is hidden underneath and a little difficult to access. Especially when I commute nearly 3 hours a day. I need to pay full attention all the time I am driving so this is not the best place for a compartment when i need to grab things. However, it does have a nice slick look to where you cant see that console. So, function is my main priority, but if you like slick looks then it does look very nice. Last thing I disliked, I felt like there was a lack of areas to put things I need access to. I commute a ton so I have to bring a bunch of things with me. I had piles of stuff on top of every surface. Even the cup holders that had cups in them had things piled on them. And when the wife took a ride I had to take the entire seat full of things out. The other cars ive owned have had bigger center consoles along with a slightly better thought out configuration that is a little more space efficient. Not a huge biggie for everyone. But when I drive hours to job sites. I need ease of access and efficiency. One thing I will say though, when I was younger I would have been in the market for a car more like this. I would say 20s to 30s. I can take a guess on price and personally I think this is a great car for the money. The interior I had only had some trim leather. The seats were fabric but the wheel and some other areas had leather. The seats were very comfortable. The black powder coated metal along with the chrome accent inside has a really nice look to it. Aesthetically, this car is really nice. Even though much of the interior is plastic, the designers thought it out. The positives far outweigh the negatives and I feel this is a great family car. This rental has given me a great first impression of Chrysler. I never really thought much about a chrysler or even contemplated ever driving one. I will say, this makes me want to test drive a Chrysler 300. The new styles they have out look very slick. It is one of the best looking cars on the road. The entire time I was test driving hybrids due to needing great epa for the driving. I drove a brand new 2016 Ford Fusion Hybrid. This is also a very nice car, drives well and has a nice slick look. I think both the chrysler and Fusion have a really nice look to the body style. The car is peppy and fun.

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  its a beast when taken care of properly - 1997 Chrysler LHS
  By George s - October 8 - 7:30 am

  My Chrysler lhs is a beast for one reason for having 250,000 miles still going

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  God Blessed Me and My Kids - 2004 Chrysler Pacifica
  By Takwana Pinson - October 5 - 8:08 pm

  First off I just brought this car last week. It only had 84,670 miles on its 11 years old for someone with 3 kids and 2 of them are still in car seats, the space is awesome. Gas is great, I live in Killeen, TX and work in Austin an hour away. I only use a quarter tank of gas to get to and from work. Love it buy it if the price is right!!!! Only paid 7364 for mines!!! No problems yet!!! Thank God for blessing us with this excellent crossover!!!

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  great car - 2015 Chrysler 200
  By allie murray - September 2 - 8:13 am

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  Impressed with the V6!! Not so impressed with tran - 2015 Chrysler 200
  By Ryan - August 27 - 2:26 pm

  Overall I am satisfied with my Chrysler 200, its my first chrysler product, I love the styling of my car, its worth the extra money for a V6 and the black/grey rim option upgrade like I chose. However my only complaints is the transmission shifting, its mostly rough 2nd to 3rd gear often, also when i have my iphone plugged in to the entertainment system, the music played through my speakers is very static, bluetooth audio playback is fine, also there are misc noises rattles from sunglasses holder and center console that I shouldnt hear at 5600 miles, but I have to take it in for recall anyway. Other than that the engine is great, lots of power and looks like a nice car, I have 3 year lease, so awhile to go!! but I love it!!