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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  my200 - 2013 Chrysler 200
  By james274 - April 14 - 2:54 pm

  bought my 200 2/2/13 not a bad car lots of options but so far no problems but only has 3750 miles has the 4cly gas mileage is a little diapointing. wish it was a little wider.traded my 2011 mitsubishi galant had the same size engine and got 100miles more on a tank of feul and had same size tank so if your going to buy a 200 get the v6.sometimes i think i should have kept my galant but time will tell its to early to complain if i have any issues with the car i will let everyone know about it.watch out for the blind spots

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  200s is a very good value for the price - 2013 Chrysler 200
  By rialane - April 3 - 5:53 pm

  This is a much better riding car than my 2008 Sebring Limited Hard top convertible, Quiet, softer ride and much more comfortible seats. The motor is so quiet you can not hear it running when in the car. There is a lot of power in this 3.6 motor and seems like better gas milage on the hiway than my 2008. The S package is a real bargain for the price.Very sharp looking car, lot of compliments from people. the interrior is nothing to write home about but then i paid $12,000 less than an equal Sonata or Optima (chrysler promotion price was $ 21800.00 discounted from $27915.00 list price).Even the ford dealer salesman said for what you get for the money you better buy the Chrysler.

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  VCT Hemi Aspen. 376hp/401tq. AWD - 2009 Chrysler Aspen
  By car_enthusiast - March 29 - 2:10 pm

  Edmunds should have the option of selecting the vct hemi aspen in the menu. The vct stands for variable cam timing. This SUV is fast, especially in cooler temps and is a huge improvement over the first generation hemi. Its an excellent SUV: its safe, the interior layout is perfect, the steering is light but feels great, its quiet when youre cruising but really roars when you give it a few or more rpms. MPG can be good when youre cruising at highway speeds but watch out for stop and go traffic - then its a different story altogether. Reliability has been great so far. Also, these are incredibly rare to see. A complaint I have is that there is not a single hemi badge on the suv!!

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  Compares favoriable to German Luxury - 2012 Chrysler 300
  By dasbmr - March 28 - 4:22 pm

  I really liked the way the 300S looks very refined and strong. So, I went down to the dealership and drove the beast. I actually went down to drive the SRT, but when I learned the S has 300 HP and gets 32 MPG, I couldnt resist. It drives extremely quiet down the road and the extra gear transmission really makes a difference. Got the 20" wheels, which look great to fill out the wheel wells.

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  Reliable so far, but likely not for long.. - 2001 Chrysler Concorde
  By iknowcars2 - March 28 - 3:18 am

  Im driving this car as a hand-me-down with ~160k miles on it. It has no A/C, trunk lid hydrolics gone, weather stripping is falling completely off, two windows wont fully roll down, drivers side window has gone off-track twice, the front passenger door wont unlock without reaching over and unlocking it from inside, the auto-lock/unlock sounds hideous now, and the front passenger door speaker crackles (not from loud music, this car came from my sweet little grandmother.) The performance is acceptable for daily driving, but has unacceptable passing acceleration. About the only good thing I can say about this car is that its definitely roomy and the seats are comfortable and durable.

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  2006 Chrysler 300 Hemi died without warning - 2006 Chrysler 300
  By cathy42 - March 26 - 4:10 pm

  Best and Worst car ever owned. As far as luxury and comfort is concerned, this is the best car I ever owned. But, at 66k miles, the car died at a red light without warning or signs/symptoms of problems. It...just...shut...off! Still waiting on diagnosis from Chrysler automotive. At this point, Chrysler is charging me $320 just to tear down engine to see what is wrong. Will report back once I learn the problem. Im expecting to hear engine blown $11k in repairs. But hopefully not! BTW: I keep the car in good repair and use synthetic oil. Had a PT Cruiser for 10 years with no problems!

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  Middle front seat console - 2011 Chrysler 200
  By arnold123 - March 26 - 8:55 am

  I have a 2011 Chrysler 200 with only 13,000 miles. While getting into the car I leaned on the center console. It totally shattered. The whole thing was made of plastic holding the console on. Chrysler told me that this was not a warranty item and I have to pay for it. I even bought the extended warranty. Cheap materials make for a bad car.

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  05 crossfire roadster - 2005 Chrysler Crossfire
  By don266 - March 21 - 5:28 pm

  i bought this car last spring. traded in a 04 sebring conv a sharp car it was but the crossfire conv has it beat hands down. this car realy gets looks when me and my wife take rides. i kid with my wife saying what are they looking at it must be the driver, not. color of car is saffire silver, black top, two tone color interior. red and dark gray. realy stand offish. i added a wood grain interior dash kit looks alot better then the silver accsent, candt wait to take it out when the days are warmer. since i store it in winter living here in wisconsin,

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  Recently purchased ~ Best of all Roadsters - 2005 Chrysler Crossfire
  By bienhoababy - March 15 - 9:22 pm

  Im retired Military and currently own 3 vehicles including an H2 Hummer. I was a pilot so I am used to acceleration. I have also owned a Jag XKE Roadster, Camaro Convertible, Corvette 454 Big Block, Satellite Hemi, etc over the years. This is the best of them all. With power to throw your head back into the head rest from 0 mph or 30 mph or 60 mph, it literally jumps up on all fours from any speed and leaves everyone in the rear view mirror. Mines Black Clear Coat with Alcantara seats, 5 speed slap shift, Infinity w/Nav, stability control etc., etc. if you want a soon to be Classic, BMW, Audi! Camaro, corvette, mustang EATER, this is your Boy. It wont let you down.

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  True American Luxury - 2013 Chrysler 300
  By snickers11 - March 13 - 7:52 pm

  Traded a 2006 BMW 525xi for the Chrysler 300 awd. A very roomy and comfortable ride, absolutely quiet on the interstate. The handling is good for such a large car and more than enough power from the V6. Transmission shifts smooth. We wanted the 300C with the beige interior however the wood trim was a cheap looking school desk color so we opted to the base 300. Even with that said Chrysler has made a top notch luxury car with timeless styling.