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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  Still has some bugs - 2005 Chrysler 300
  By JP1GLM - November 28 - 10:00 am

  I really like the car but want to like it more. It still has some electrical bugs to work out-- also the quality of the mats leave something to be desired-- they already look warn in ways that my last car didnt in 100,000 miles

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  Lucky buy - 1998 Chrysler Concorde
  By TexasMopar - November 21 - 8:04 pm

  We didnt have much money then. This car worked for us. Has been a great auto. Speed sensor went out twice in first year and dealer (other than selling dealer) was great. Even lent us another car. Other than normal wear items, have had to replace only 2 O2 sensors. Great mileage and power for size of car. Wind noise developed after 4 years and mechanic realigned driver window. Says thats common with these big Chryslers. Noise much lower. I think it was a bargain after 8 years and $22K we paid for it.

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  Excelent Car but the brakes - 2000 Chrysler Cirrus
  By Chris - November 16 - 6:02 pm

  Good car overall, lots of power but needs to be improved in areas like braking, front tie-rod ends, transmission leaks and sturdyness. It looks great, the design is still very modern.

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  OK Car - 1996 Chrysler Sebring
  By Jordon - November 13 - 6:44 pm

  I bought the car with 140,000 miles on it at the end of 2004. Now it has 156,000 miles on it. It is hard to tell the mpg that it gets because the Odometer goes out for long periods of times (like 2 to 6 weeks at a time), though it does keep accurate mileage. My front passenger side wheels lug nuts came one day and the wheel came off when I pulled in my drive way. The Engine has begun to shake violently and consistently and I dont know why. The ride is OK, but could be better. The convertible top is tearing along the seams, and will be very costly to fix, approximately $1200.

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  nothing but problems - 2002 Chrysler Sebring
  By Andy - November 10 - 9:35 pm

  Although the car is fun to drive when everything is right, it has rarely been right for any extended period of time. The first three years we had 3 starter changes, one computer change, and various other engine problems. It died on us 3 times. After that a series of repairs were needed because various parts of the undercarriage support kept breaking. It felt like an old clunker. Even the new struts we bought were defective. Would strongly recommend that anyone buying a Sebring plan on also buying an extended warranty.

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  Nice, sporty and fun car - 2007 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By CA Paul - November 5 - 11:46 am

  Have had this PTC for about 2 mos. It was a previously owned rental vehicle and was in very good condition (in and out). It rides smoothly, has a nice road feel and get around 25 mpg (overall). Its not a very economical city driver (below 20 mpg) but most folks (like me) use primarily highway. I get people commenting about it all the time. They/I like the styling (the convertible looks much nicer than the sedan), the color (opal) and the fact that is can seat passengers in the back-seat with reasonable comfort. The trunk is a bit small but slightly above average, for a convertible. The 16" alloy wheels are sharp (but I will soon replace the Goodyear tires - which are awful).

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  My new beautiful sebring - 2005 Chrysler Sebring
  By Emilienne - November 3 - 6:31 pm

  I just love the way it feels and looks but the negative part is it really compresses when on cruise control downhill, I really thought it would be better on gas but I was told it does get better after usage for a while, overall its a nice car and it sure looks good.P.S.It corners like the neon use to,Thanks for reading me.

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  2018 Pacifica Hybrid Pros & Cons - 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid
  By Paul W. - November 3 - 6:44 am

  ITEM (10) below is new since original post. (1) The biggest concern - will the 2018 Pacifica Hybrid be eligible for the $7500 federal tax credit? As of today the government website, https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/taxevb.shtml shows only the 2017 model with a tax credit. The dealer misled us if we dont get the tax credit. (2) No driver memory seat even in the Limited model - pain when drivers need different seat & mirror settings (3) The "REAL" hybrid mpg once the stored electric charge is depleted after ~35 miles, is ~30 mpg with a mix of freeway and city (4) Tailgate opening height is not adjustable like the Odyssey - tailgate intentionally opens high for tall people and will likely hit the garage door when parked inside and then automatically close (5) Many of the controls are embedded in the display - in some cases would have preferred actual switches (6) The 120 volt charger that comes with the car will take 14 hours to charge fully depleted batteries. Will need to spend ~$600 for a 240 volt level 2 charger and have someone do the wiring for a quick 2 hour charge. (7) Very limited on storage compartments. (8) Mixed reviews on the 3rd row seat head rests and access. (9) The driver seat is not comfortable for short folks, edge of seat hits in the back of the knee joint (10) The U-Connect display has failed 8 times in two months, so far display recovers after ignition is turned off for a period of time. Failure modes include (2x) totally blank non-functional screen (ironically back-up camera display still works), (1x) back-up camera locked on and did not turn off when driving, (1x) vertical blue and white strips - could see icons but couldnt select, (4x) display asked for radio security code blocking rest of display. THE GOOD: (1) Handles well, nice interior and exterior design (2) Looks like we will get the CA environmental $1500 rebate and qualify for a CA green HOV sticker

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  Car is victim of general bias - 2015 Chrysler 200
  By Jon - November 2 - 7:57 am

  Car is fine. No major problems. Transmission is a bit quirky.

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  Ton of miles...Ton of Fun - 2004 Chrysler Sebring
  By john - October 25 - 10:19 pm

  Im researching cars for my wife and came across this site and decided to leave a review of what so far has been a mostly positive experience with my GTC convertible. It will be two years old next month and Im about to hit 70,000 miles! Luckily (knocking on wood) I have not had any mechanical problems to date. All the problems have been with the body. Water has penetrated my right side headlight and right side tail light, some paint chips, rearviewmirror defrost stopped working, windows rattle on passenger side when you hit bumps and ac adapter shorted out. All in all, a positive review from a happy chrysler driver minus the nagging "cosmetic" issues.