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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  great vehicle - 2004 Chrysler Pacifica
  By rattler - March 8 - 2:00 am

  Wonderful vehicle, but the engine needs more power. Dont get me wrong, the Pacifica has enough power for most driving needs, but it seems like it could use a few more horsepower.

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  Our Family Car - 2000 Chrysler LHS
  By zahnmann - March 6 - 2:00 am

  This is a good solid family car. I have not noticed the road noise compared to other cars we have owned. The one problem we keep having is that the computerized climate control malfunctions repeatedly and there is NO heat. We call it the ice car. It happens to be white too. We keep having to take it back to the dealership to have the computer reprogrammed at $60 plus tax. What an annoyance for an otherwise great car.

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  My 300M - 1999 Chrysler 300M
  By cfrank - March 6 - 2:00 am

  Fun car to own. No major problems, normal wear items only replaced.

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  Chrysler commentary - 1997 Chrysler LHS
  By Boisebanker - March 3 - 2:00 am

  We owned this car for slightly over one year. Bought it used with 60k miles. It ran fine until a relay failed on the cooling fan, which led to a cascade of overheating issues, ultimately causing head warping. The car was in the repair stall more that in our garage for 3 month, at which time we sold it and bought another Oldsmobile.

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  Its OK! - 2000 Chrysler Concorde
  By Adrenix - March 2 - 2:00 am

  Bought the car from my grandfather, who had bought it new. The car is nice but I have a few complaints. First the steering wheel does not return to center after releasing while turning. Also lots of road noise.

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  Gas Guzzler - 2004 Chrysler Pacifica
  By Mac3 - March 1 - 2:00 am

  Overaal we like this car, all the features we were looking for. The around town gas mileage is terrible!!! I dont think we have gotten 13 mpg around town yet (8500 miles)and thats w/out the A/C on. In the summer it was getting just over 10 mpg!!!! Ignore the sticker mileage on this one. If you drive mostly highway miles, it is a good car.. 20-21 mpg on the road. Unfortunately my wife drives it mostly around town. The dealer has completely ingnored our concerns on the mileage it is getting. We are looking to unload this thing or buy some gas stocks.

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  2004 Pacifica - 2004 Chrysler Pacifica
  By Pagerart - February 26 - 10:00 am

  This is a really nice vehicle. It looks good, handles well, rides nice and has a pretty fair amount of room inside. I didnt get any options since this is just an extra vehicle we bought for when we need to haul things or take 6 people. I have had one problem so far with a misaligned fan belt pulley, but otherwise it runs very nice. If you can pick one up at a good discount, this vehicle is great.

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  2003 sebring 4dr - 2003 Chrysler Sebring
  By white_shadow - February 25 - 2:00 am

  overall its a nice car. i bough tit for my wife. we had a child on the way and needed something else other than a mustang. this car seems to fit what we needed. i really wanted a 300m but could not find on in my price range.

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  my chrysler - 1998 Chrysler Sebring
  By your daddy - February 22 - 2:00 am

  great car until 90,000 miles. Also, expensive to repair due to mitsubishi parts.

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  Lots of Fun - 2004 Chrysler 300M
  By BillyBBB - February 21 - 2:00 am

  Over-all, my 300M offers me a lot of car for the buck but the radio and the CD Player have each had their time to blow and therefore both were replaced within three months of one-another. Also, little noises from the dash would come and go. While these little rattles didnt interfere with performance, they were annoying and of course when I would bring the car to the dealer, the noises would suddenly disappear. The car has a lot of power for its size, it responds well and I continue to enjoy driving it (with the exception of the occasional rattles).