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:

• 

  Nice Car when not in Shop - 2004 Chrysler Concorde
  By ck124 - November 20 - 2:33 pm

  Bought this car 4/09 had 42500 miles. It now has 67000 miles. Thought low mileage car would be good. Too many problems to count but I will list the major ones. Engine light comes on over the time I have had it. Cost 1000.00 at dealers. Leak in trunk. Evaporator replaced cost 1000.00. Water pump went out 1200.00. Problems with the brakes 1000.00. Car is in shop now. Not very reliable. I only drive 10000 miles per year. I am very easy on a car. I will not buy another Chrysler. I will get a toyota or honda.

• 

  Started looking at 2012 Ltd. purchased 2011 S - 2011 Chrysler 200
  By 200sowner - November 13 - 8:35 am

  Started looking at the 2012 Limited after searching the lots came across a 2011 200 S leftover For THE PRICE hands down purchased the 11 200 S with the $4,000 rebate and Fully loaded plus other dealer discounts it was a no brainer hands down. Great Build Quality So out the door Got more options looks just like the 2012 and $500.00 cheaper than the loaded 12 Limited. look at the Sonata nice car but would have paid thousands more with the options I have in this one exactly $5,000 more !!!

• 

  Comared the compition and ended up with fully loaded 200 limited V6 - 2011 Chrysler 200
  By tweet2 - November 9 - 9:50 am

  So far its decent vehicle. all issue fixed by dealer Warranty Multifunction turn signal/headlight switch was messing up when the right turn signal was on dome/dash lights would get brighter) noticed at 2000 miles when i started working night shift all 4 door fabric was pealing away from the handle that you pull the door closed from. noticed at 500 miles but it continued to get worse. replaced by dealer things to watch Transmission 6 speed. it shutters when inching forward at a stop light (weird) It has a crazy shift pattern. Drivers side floor mat moves and bunches up dealer did nothing Im 5 11" 165 LBs and my knee touches door and center console (wish it was wider)

• 

  2002 Chrysler Sebring LXi Coupe. - 2002 Chrysler Sebring
  By sxybrandon - November 4 - 6:25 am

  I Have Owed 2 Chrysler Sebring Coupes between the years of 2001 and 2002. I love the cars. The body style and the interior is very nice. I enjoy the 3.0 engine. I just wish it had a little more power. But. My issues Im having on both cars are a Over Heating Issue. Seems like when Im driving up a hill, the car over heats. And, In the summer time. The car over heats alot.. I Have to run the air constantly to keep the fans going.. I was wondering if anyone else has this issue and if anyone could tell me what that is...

• 

  Great car...unless you live in a dark rural area - 2011 Chrysler 200
  By 200_owner - November 2 - 5:53 pm

  I recently bought a Chrysler 200 and really really liked the car...until I began driving it on country roads where I live. The headlights only go out about 10 feet in front of the car and then they just cut off in a weird "Z" shaped pattern. You cant see anything at all in front of that line. There is no visibility above it (like in a regular car you can still get some illumination above the ground) it is like they hit a wall and you cant see any further. I have never seen anything like it and have taken several people out in it just to show them how odd it is. They have ALL agreed that it is dangerous. This problem does not occur on main roads where there is street lights, although, you c

• 

  The Pacifica was under-rated! - 2007 Chrysler Pacifica
  By mfj949e - October 24 - 8:07 am

  I owned a 2007 Pacifica Touring FWD for 4 years and generally loved the car. It had adequate power, had an extremely comfortable ride and a huge cargo area when the 2nd row seats were lowered. The handling was excellent and the fuel mileage was adequate for the 6 cylinder engine.

• 

  Had it a year so far. - 2007 Chrysler Aspen
  By geswho69 - October 16 - 10:56 pm

  We bought our Aspen 5.8l Limited Aspen in October 10. It was used with about 90k km. First the bad. The gas tank non-return fails. It was broken when we got it, gas spews out when its full. Tires: The shipped Wrangler tires are no longer available. 1 flat = 4 new tires :( Thats it for the bad :D Short answer, we still love it. The ride is good, and comfortable. The finish is fine and mostly solid. Mileage is fair for a beast this size. The MDS is out of your control. Highway mileage was not THAT far off from a minivan, in city mileage is not so great. The seats are very comfortable, and the uconnect is great. Towing is un-noticable! Short answer, youll love this SUV.

• 

  Better than what you might think - 2001 Chrysler Sebring
  By jbusc - October 11 - 11:13 am

  For years I was reluctant to purchase a Sebring Covertible because of the reliability issues I had heard about. However having recently sold a wonderful Saab 9-3 Convertible I decided to give a used Sebring Convertible a try. Although the build quality might not be quite up to Saab standards, it is very acceptable for this price point in the market. The LXi sold for approx. $28,000 new as opposed to nearly $43,000 for the Saab. What it may lack in build quality it makes up for with better structural rigidity, a smooth ride and smooth V6. (Just be sure to maintain the engine religiously) The most pleasant surprise is the exceptional gas mileage, and the roominess also desrves mention.

• 

  So far, exceeds expectations - 2011 Chrysler 200
  By tspitzer - October 8 - 5:01 pm

  Im pretty happy with the car when I set the cruise control and roll to work, listening to music on that nice stereo. Its when I try to actually be a driver that it displays its inadequacy as a sport sedan. When you want to pass and you step hard on the gas, there is a noticeable hesitation before anything happens. Then you go, but not too fast. The transmission is a bit weird too. Id like to talk to the engineer who decided to put a six speed in this car. Between 0 and 30 it goes from 1 to 2 to 3 to 4 and shortly after to 5. Thats a lot of shifting in a short period of time most of us 56 year olds dont need that. for full review see tkspitzernews.blogspot.com.

• 

  Money Pit - 1998 Chrysler Sebring
  By joey_r - September 30 - 3:10 pm

  Ive had my 98 Sebring Lxi for 3 years now. Ive sunk around $2500 into it. Had to replace the upper passenger side control arm, alternator, timing belt, computer, fuel pump & lines, and both tie-rods. Cheapest tire replacement was $121 each. I love the aggressive style of the car and the interior but all the money into it is not worth it.