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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  Get the Hemi! - 2013 Chrysler 300
  By joner800 - December 19 - 9:27 pm

  After owning two top-trim level Mazdas, I grew tired of missing out on true luxury and high-tech features. I was also looking for a more exhilarating driving experience. I looked at the Ford Taurus SHO, the Hyundai Genesis R-Spec, and some others, but nothing caught my attention like the 300 John Varvatos Edition. I love that it is so unique I will never run into another one on the road. Its an unmistakably gorgeous car and its a blast off the line with the 5.7 Hemi. I have driven it over 2500 miles and I still look forward to every time I get in this car. This car looks better, sounds better, and accelerates better than most cars in the $60-70k range - trust me.

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  Will never buy Chrysler again - 2005 Chrysler 300
  By timmay33 - December 3 - 7:52 pm

  Absolutely hate this car! I fell in love with it because of its look and the engine, but have had nothing but problems every since. Put well over $4,000 into the front suspension alone. I also had to replace fuel pumps and the radiator. Overall, i put about $6,000 worth of repairs into this car before something in the engine finally gave out and totalled it. I will never buy another Chrysler.

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  One year later, still love it! - 2012 Chrysler 300
  By wndsofchng06 - November 22 - 8:41 am

  Ive now had my 300 for a year. It is a great car. Good styling, good handling, very comfortable for my long commute. When I punch the gas to merge on to the highway, the "fly by wire" sometimes delays a second, but the car kicks up and goes! Having traded my mustang in on this car, I have no regrets. I can now carry passengers and get 31MPG on my 50 mile highway commute! Ive had no quality issues and already have 32,000 miles in the first year.

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  Nice for the price - 2004 Chrysler Sebring
  By fuzzy82 - November 18 - 7:37 pm

  While it is certainly no sports car or luxury car my sebring returns nice gas mileage, solid performance for what it is, and in 97000 miles has required nothing outside of routine maintenance. There are no fancy features like most new cars and no hi-tech info system but the simple straight forward controls have never failed to function as intended. Its a nice car for the price just dont expect a high end car at an entry level cost.

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  Would not recommend this car to anyone! - 2006 Chrysler Sebring
  By matthew_taylor - November 12 - 7:44 pm

  I bought this car used back in May of 2013 it only had 37k miles. After about the first 1000 miles the alternator went out, the doors started rattling, and the top whistles when driving down the Interstate. The Sebring has Sloppy handling in curves and has horrible braking. The headlights also are not bright at all! however the 2.7 L V6 engine offers great power and decent fuel economy.

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  Best Vehicle Ive ever owned - 2000 Chrysler Concorde
  By zenaeh92 - November 6 - 4:56 pm

  I purchased a 2000 chrysler Concorde over 2 years ago and shes my baby. 100% reliable and this year as most reviews have reflected some years are bad with leaks and so on however the 2000 was the year that they fixed the tranny and lower motor leaks and seemingly fixed the seizing motor issue.

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  Turncoat Toyota Customer - 2013 Chrysler 300
  By dworth - October 27 - 1:58 pm

  After 24 years of never owning anything but two Toyota products at a time, my wife & I intended to replace our 2011 Avalon with another, until we drove a 2013. Our desire vanished almost instantly and we looked at other manufacturers, including all the 300 comparable models. The 300 was our last stop and thats the one we bought. Our dilemma now is whether to buy an extended warranty or not, and if so, from whom to purchase it. Some say Mopar and some say the deals are better with a third party company. It would be nice to find a definitive comparison so we could make an informed decision. We love the car, but dont have a relaxed feeling about reliability...were both 73 years old.

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  I was foolish enough to get rid of 2004... - 2008 Chrysler Pacifica
  By chinatown - October 26 - 9:22 pm

  I had thought it was using oil. However, I later found out that it is normal with these cars as the lighter weight which improves the mileage is the reason. Oh well. Anyway an earlier post indicated the MP3 problem. I also experienced same. I later found this solution, after I had traded it in. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=294TFX3b5-A Hope this is viewed by the current owners.

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  Last of the 2013 300Cs - 2013 Chrysler 300
  By frank194 - October 23 - 11:26 pm

  We purchased the 300C in late September, and were fortunate to get the exact color and interior combination we originally wanted a year ago. Our main priority was a quiet highway ride, and the Chrysler delivers that in spades. Two days after we purchased the car, we left on a two week, 4,000 mile trip through NM, CO, WY, MT and SD. The car performed flawlessly, was extremely comfortable at all times, and delivered highway MPG that was incredible. During two days of primarily interstate driving, the MPG exceeded 32 miles per gallon.

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  I love this car!!! - 2005 Chrysler Crossfire
  By carjunkie66 - October 22 - 7:01 pm

  For the pice this has been a dependable Gunnar to drive. Nothing ever goes wrong with it. It is very peppy, handles well and gets folks to look at you when you drive by. Oil changes are a little high, but you only need to get one or two per year. I would recommend this car to any that are looking for a reasonably priced "fun" car that will cost little in maintenance