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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  Good Look but poor suspension - 2001 Chrysler Sebring
  By bison - January 3 - 11:15 pm

  I purchased my convertible new and enjoy driving it with the top down but it needs better suspension for bumpy roads. The engine is quiet but having a convertible makes it noisy. I have had some leaking from the top and rear defroster not working. I have 35000 miles and it has been reliable. But I am disappointed of the poor resale value of these vehicles. Chysler has a good visual look but in- town ride is rough.

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  Needs improvement - 2004 Chrysler 300M
  By Mar - January 3 - 1:06 pm

  Well first of all, I bought my car used, the a/c vapourcore has a leak so I cannot use my a/c. The cost of fixing it is $1100.00. I live in Florida and a/c is necessary. I have come to find out that, the a/c unit is a common problem in Chrysler automobiles. The rear right window does not work and my trunk button on the inside does not work as well. The alignment needs to be fixed as well. Other than all that I like the car, the space is great. I believe they need to improve their a/c unit in their automobile.

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  Cross Country Ride - 2017 Chrysler Pacifica
  By CSB - January 2 - 10:32 pm

  We bought our 2017 Chrysler Pacifica on May 5, 2016 from the Baumann Auto Group store in Fremont, Ohio. We bought the Touring L model. On August 1, 2016, we took a ”shake-down” trip to Denver, Colorado, driving from Tiffin, Ohio to Denver, a trip of about 1200 miles on the interstate. On the trip west we averaged 70 miles an hour and averaged 32 miles per gallons. While there we drove up to the Trail Ridge Road in the Rocky Mountain National Park and experienced no difficulties with the car. On our return home trip drove 75 miles per hour and the mileage dropped to 29 mpg. In November of 2016, we drove to Florida and again never experienced any problems. We were very pleased with the performance of the car.

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  its been good to me - 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By ptbubba - December 30 - 10:00 am

  So far so good the build quality has been a very pleasant expierence. In the year and a half ive had this pt, it has not had, one problem at all that it needed to go back to the dealer for any warrenty work. And is it usful little hauler the amount of stuff it can hold is surprising. Even with auto. trans. performance is okay 90% of the time. im very happy with my PT

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  Design Flaws Kill this car for me. - 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By aut0savant - December 29 - 10:52 am

  The problems start by design. This car is not user friendly when it comes to roadside emergency. the way the engine is set up, its almost impossible to simply replace a tire under an hour. the spare tire retainer is bolted under the car that must be accessed from the trunk. If you ever wanted to replace your spare tire with a full sized tire, the retainer is far to small. The thermostat retainer is very poorly designed. Chrysler has made it in such a way that its almost necessary to remove the intake manifold rather work around/under it. When the thermostat seizes -- rather than have a high-pressure release, it will just rupture a hose (usually the smallest near the air filter.)

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  2004 Pacifica 4WD - 2004 Chrysler Pacifica
  By benneyb - December 29 - 5:33 am

  Overall, a very good vehicle that does not live up to the "designed/influenced etc. by Mercedes" line the dealer trys to push. Excellent for 4 people, but flipping the middle seats down to get 2 additional in the back is a problem. Decent performance held back by 4 spd transmission and peaky motor. Very good handling until limited suspension travel used up, with a thud. Very little stowage space with all seats up, decent with rear seats folded. Outstanding in snow and poor conditions (4WD model). Overall, a feeling of lack of refinement. Others likely not as demanding nor push as hard as me - YMMV.

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  Love my bad boy, so far. - 2005 Chrysler 300
  By drywallguy - December 24 - 2:50 am

  My last two cars were Maximas. They are fabulos cars. But when I first laid eyes on the C coupled with the motor and price, I was sold. Dont think you can buy this much car for the $$$. I dont put that many miles on my car so it will be awhile before I can comment on reliability and build quality. If its anywhere near that of my Nissans, this car will have turned the page on North American automobiles.

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  Not enough gears/ room - 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By KEN KNOWLES - December 20 - 2:46 am

  Needs to have more gears 4 isnt a enough. Rpms go way too high at higher speeds.

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  Fun for the Family - 2005 Chrysler Sebring
  By RBR - December 18 - 2:53 am

  We have 3 small kids and a Honda minivan. I traded in an Accord for the Sebring. I bought the car for my wife and I to enjoy and still have something big enough to meet the demands of a second car for a family of 5. We primarily plan to use the car for "date nights/weekends" and time together, and I use it as a work car. With the rebates and great honda trade-in values we got the car at a ridiculously low price. We rented a Sebring in Hawaii on our honeymoon and 8 years later we feel like we are back on that honeymoon.

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  Still love this car! - 2000 Chrysler Sebring
  By Chrysler guy - December 11 - 11:02 pm

  Was reading some other reviews and thought Id put my two cents worth in: Bought my Sebring new in May, 2000, and for the first 3 years only had put about 33,000 miles on it, using it every day but for a mostly local lifestyle. Then I moved about 20 months ago and have been commuting about 100 miles a day since then. My mileage is up to 73000+, and the car is holding up just great! I still love the exterior body style and stance of the car the original top is in perfect condition the car never has leaked and has needed NO repairs beyond routine maintenance except for having to replace the front brake rotors, which warped due to my putting brake dust shields on the wheels.