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:

• 

  Unhappy with the company - 2007 Chrysler 300
  By needrefund - August 15 - 6:51 pm

  I am an owner of 2007 Chrysler 300. I got stranded 3 yrs ago. I cannot shift my gear to reverse position and was told that 2006 Chrysler 300 had the same problem. The spring inside the shifter was defective. Up to this time, I was waiting for a recall just like the 2006 models. Unfortunately, my car was broken into 6 months ago and my receipt for the repair were among the things taken. I was about to get a copy from the dealership, but they went out of business. I was frustrated to know that the main plant in Detroit does not have a main database for all record of repairs done for cars that they sold.

• 

  freakin great ride! - 2001 Chrysler Concorde
  By joe436 - August 4 - 9:44 am

  My concord has 350,000 kilometers on her and she purrs like the first day she was purchased. regular fluid changes and minor undercarridge replacements, other than that, its very quick for a large car, best car I ever had, hope to make it to 500,000 ks at least.

• 

  great lil car - 2006 Chrysler Sebring
  By cherrymarie - July 31 - 9:58 pm

  I got my Sebring just a few weeks ago, and have loaded on the miles....GREAT MPG...average 30 plus on consistent basis. Handles really well, easy to drive, fun to be in...get so many compliments on the look and color. I keep her clean, and when the standard rims are clean, they get so many compliments...stock but ever so sexy. Been easy on the wallet so far, even with 115k on it when I got it...keep up the maintenance, should be a great ride for a while!!!

• 

  So many bad things..... - 2001 Chrysler Sebring
  By jdvdsn13 - July 29 - 11:53 am

  Okay, so we bought the car back in 2005 when it had just over 100,000 miles on it. I just inherited the car, but I wish I had inherited something else. It now has 166,000 miles on it. Positives: pretty fast car for a V6, nice sound system, great handling Problems with the car: the interior driver door panel has come loose, guzzles oil, ac went out and is not repairable, passenger and back seat power window switches do not work, power locking and unlocking system does not work, starter just went out, interior overhead light does not work, had to get three new power window motors installed, and because of old age, the clear coat is peeling off the top of the trunk and the roof (normal).

• 

  fantastic car to drive - 2012 Chrysler 200
  By pierre11 - July 26 - 5:21 am

  I have had this car for 2 months and love this car,s handling and options. The engine is fast and effortless when accelerating. Feels like i am driving a expensive sport car. The sound system and navigation is fantastic and easy to use. I store all my cd,s in the hard drive. they are all automatically filed in different categories in the hard drive. The sound is fantastic. Great car for the money. I am fully satisfied with this car. Traded in a Lexus es 330 and enjoy driving this car a lot more than my Lexus that I traded in.

• 

  High Tech can Leave You Wanting More - 2012 Chrysler 300
  By taz49 - July 25 - 12:21 pm

  Purchased new and before first payment is made I am on my 4th trip to the dealer for repair. Worst yet the basic consumer relation response is once we fix the Nav youll have a great car. The vehicle ratings would certainly be higher if I was not given a brand new car with 14 miles with a broken Nav and now back up camera needs repairs. This is my 4th Chrysler product and I test drove 10 other cars before I picked the 300. The safety features combined with power and performance.

• 

  Hope you bought the extended warranty - 2006 Chrysler Pacifica
  By lovey4 - July 23 - 5:04 pm

  Overall, the car was nice looking, just issues. It was spacious and comfortable for long road trips. At 40k miles alternator went, 50k something in the frontend needed repair due to noise (never went away) then at 60k ti-rod needed to be replaced, 70k engine sensors (mulitiple), timing belt, water pump needed replacement and air conditioning needed to be recharged. Not the best in snow.

• 

  Fun car - Dont buy new !!!! - 2006 Chrysler Sebring
  By keno1954 - July 22 - 6:08 am

  The Sebring convertible is one of the few remaining fun and full sized convertibles on the market today. I just purchased my third Sebring convertible. I purchased them all used with low miles because Chryslers drop in value so quickly. I highly recommend the vehicle for numerous reasons but please be aware that these vehicles are know to require more than routine maintenance. Buy a great car at the least possible price because you will be spending money on maintanence.

• 

  Exceeds All Expectations - 2012 Chrysler 300
  By chrisg75077 - July 20 - 2:04 pm

  Mopar....to those children of the 70s it conjures up the cream of all muscle....then....KABOOM! The whole thing goes to hell. K-cars, Omnis, and the rest of the K-rap. Then....the new 300...and in 2012, the 2nd generation. All I can say is value, beauty, quickness and all wrapped in a luxurious package. Sure...it doesnt get the looks of my Jaguar...but hell it runs every time, so I am impressed. I love this car. Period.

• 

  Love Hate Relationship! - 2006 Chrysler 300
  By limopaul - July 17 - 6:20 pm

  Loved this car from the day I drove it home. One owner black beauty only mod was a K&N drop in filter and I added a Borla exhaust system. Hella fast and fun to drive. Well maintained and garage kept, used as a Livery sedan and purchased with about 93k miles. Replaced front strut assemblies and wheel bearings (pricey). Car is nose heavy by design. All went well without any issues until cruising in the fast lane at about 70mph Engine lost power without warning, barely made it off of freeway and car had died at the offramp. Stranded with clients in car 85 miles from home! Broken valve spring, bent valve and pushrod, Had heads redone and with tow bill about a $2500 breakdown. Sold it