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 Little Car - 2012 Chrysler 200
  By Leonora - December 17 - 9:57 am

  I bought my car from Carvana with 32000 miles. So far, in the four months of owning it, I have made no repairs. The sound system is great. Passengers constantly remark about the nice bass. It is a comfy car that handles speed bumps and pit holes fairly well. I enjoy driving it. I also have no difficulty recognizing it in a parking lot- as the lovely white paint is still in great condition.

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  Beautiful car!!! - 2015 Chrysler 200
  By Miguel M - December 16 - 11:28 pm

  I bought it is with 18 k miles and it has been running great! A lot of people like the car and it does well during snow in Utah. The v6 is great and pretty fast... And the AWD IS GREAT during long snow days.

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  missed the mark - 2015 Chrysler 200
  By james - December 16 - 7:24 am

  I never was a Chrysler guy.. nore imagined me considering one.. after all my research I kept going back to this Chrysler 200 limited just something about its look but price point.. now first my intial test drive was a good experience.. The car has the means to fit anyones needs..Now I do wish this car had more room to breath with power the 4cyl 2.4 def has the get up an go but the 9 speed tranny really holds it back and keeps it clunky more than 40 per of the time.. taking corners can be alittle sketchy but overall not to bad.. road noise was good and it glides over imperfections in the road..I really wasnt a thrilled owner after 3 weeks of having the car and at barely 600 miles I had to send car in for a new tranny and headliner due to it buckled and creased front to back on driver side.. I was startingto think this was a bad purchase.. but I took a breath and figured all new cars have there hickups from time to time.. but now with the new tranny in I started to notice even more roughness with the tranny esp when coming to a stop it seems to want to buck u around like a bull at a rodeo now Chrysler says this is normal for this style and not to worry.. kinda makes you wonder with that response..now entering the car can be tricky esp if your a tall person.. Im only 57 and have hit my head couple times already.. the a beams are very oversized and can block your view.. fuel economy isnt bad currently getting 33.6 highway so not far off from there projected 36.. rear seats and legroom.. this Is where your eyes can play tricks til you actually get in.. and tend to notice foot room is bare minimal and comfort lacks just alittle...My overall rating on this would be 6 out of 10.. style is great but Im very unsure if Chrysler should stick with there 9 speed tranny.. For the money not bad but sometimes i wonder am i really getting what i truly thought i was.. guess only time will tell..

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  Love - 2008 Chrysler Sebring
  By Faith - December 11 - 7:02 am

  Love this car:) So fun to drive. Heated seats are wonderful during the winter. Convertible is a blast during the summer. Downside- truck space and backseat are smal.

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  First and last Chrysler products for sure! - 2015 Chrysler 300
  By Erik Jamin - December 10 - 11:59 pm

  Bought this 5.7l V8 Chrysler 300S in June 2015. Couldnt get any happier when I first saw this vehicle on the lot, it looks incredibly good looking for its price. Then, Ive learned a very valuable lesson to not ever judge a car just from the outside as this garbage keeps letting me down. The 8-speed transmission is a freaking joke. Poor downshifting from 3-2-1, very clunky coming from the transmission. Every time I drive this vehicle, its mandatory to crank up the sound system so that I wont hear any unwanted mysterious noises thats coming from the transmission. The car only has 8000 miles at this moment and already felt like its transmission is about to fall apart when driving it. When I paid $45k for a car, I would expect it to work like a charm and satisfied me as a consumer. But this car fails so bad in that aspect to the point that I cant wait to pay off the loan and get rid of this junk forever from my life. My previous 2007 350Z that I traded in drives so much better than this crap. So if you value your money, please dont ever buy any Chrysler products.

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  2011 Chrysler 200 - A Great Year - 2011 Chrysler 200
  By Deidre Burke - December 1 - 4:09 pm

  On the highway it rides like a luxury sedan, around town its adequate. Getting in and out of the car is perfect, not too low or high.

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  Word to the wise! 2015 Chrysler 200 c fwd - 2015 Chrysler 200
  By john sweatman - December 1 - 2:19 pm

  First 4200 miles car serviced for hard starting and two times for transmission failure. Before 6000 miles got recall to replace entire trans-axle unit however, Chrysler advised it would be six months minimum before providing replacement unit. My car could not be driven but Chrysler had plenty of units for their "state of the art" assembly line. After much ado we managed to shorten time to about six weeks. 10/23/15 received recall on connector which may stall engine or shift tranny to neutral while underway with no warning. Chrysler has known of this since 2/13/15 according to NHTSA but still no part to correct this dangerous situation. Based on conversations and performance I am convinced their priority is assembly and sales- not the well being of those who purchased their product in good faith. This has been my worst new auto experience in my 70 years of life . Sorry for the wordiness but this is the SHORT version.

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  Sharp Looking Chrysler - 2015 Chrysler 200
  By Susan O - November 28 - 8:31 am

  Be careful not to speed, was on the highway, and have to use cruise control so I wont speed. Smooth car.

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  1 Year Review - 2015 Chrysler 200
  By Ryan - November 25 - 11:37 am

  I am coming up on owning this vehicle for 1 year now. I have the C level trim with AWD and it has not been disappointing. Having come from only SUVs, I was not sure how well I would like adjusting to a sedan especially in snowy and wet weather. I did my due diligence in test driving almost every car in this segment, and this one stood out more than any of them. The most appealing for myself was having AWD and the V-6 as well as a very nice interior that is comfortable to drive on long trips and my daily commute to work that is 41 miles round trip. I really appreciate the reviews I see on here that actually tried other cars for comparison and other trim models. If I only went off the base model rentals cars I have had in the past, there would be some pretty terrible reviews but unjust reviews. You really need to try the 6 cylinder versus the 4 to get your own opinion, but it has more power and boost than any v-8 I have owned in the past. Looks (Exterior & Interior): Looks I feel are like comedy...very subjective. At very first look, I loved the rear end lines and tail lights on this car. I was not as much of a fan of the front end. What I did love about the front was the LED running lights that really stand out. As far as the interior goes, I couldnt be happier. The Nappa leather with heated/cooled seats as well as the hand stitched leather steering wheel that is heated is wonderful! The remote start (which many other brands will have as well) is amazing for those hot and cold days, as your car knows what to automatically adjust to warm or cool the car. The navigation Uconnect 8.4 is very easy to use and has great traffic and weather outlooks and updates, as well as letting you know when your favorite sports team is playing and the score. The panoramic sunroof is one of my favorite options that really opens up the ride. Performance: The quickness of the v-6 has been very impressive. I have not had any issues with any weird shifts with the v-6 so I am not sure if that is more of problem with the 4 cylinder but something I would recommend driving both. I drive mostly in dead stopped traffic both ways and will end up around 23-26MPG. When I actually get to do more freeway and long trips over the mountains, I will average around 32-34 mpg. The second day of ownership I had to drive over the mountains to the central part of the state in very large snow storm. I was very nervous coming from Jeeps that have always fared me well with their 4wd and ground clearance. Again, I was very surprised! This model uses the same base AWD system that the Jeep Cherokee uses and handles great. I have had zero slipping issues and control as been spot on. I am not recommending this as an off road AWD rig, again this is just a 4-door sedan. But if you are looking for something that is extremely safe and handles snow and other bad weather well than this works great. The 9-speed that is made by ZF which also makes the same trannys for Bentley, Rolls Royce, Maserati (sister brand) etc... I was very concerned about so many gears, but this 9-speed has been 100 times better than my previous 5-speed Mercedes transmission that was always clunking into gear especially on hills. Conclusion This 200 and a complete 180 from the previous generation and has made leaps and bounds to make it one of the tip rated in safety, and interior qualities. The combination of the Jeeps AWD system, ZF transmission, same chassy and brake calipers as the alpha Alfa romeo Giulia (check out the 2017 model), and the award winning interior made by Chrysler has been a great combination. The lane detection feature has been great, and will easily put your car back in the lane if you drift. The park sense has many levels of sensitivity and has done a great job keeping me from scraping my wheels and has stopped my car completely in a parking lot when a car was rushing behind my car backing out. The self parking either parallel, or backing in is a nice feature but not something I use too often. The automatic cruise control has been great for long trips on the freeway as it will adjust your speed according to the car in front of you and the car spacing you set it too. I have read a lot of issues with complaints on the rear head room. This is another issue I have seen on other cars and is more of an issue if you plan to haul a lot of adults. I am not a tall individual at 510 and have had no issues. My friends are all around 63 and will definitely be more cramped in the rear. Luckily we typically never ride together as we all have our own cars. For kids, I have used this numerous times to haul my niece and nephew and getting the car seat in and out was not difficult at all. At the end of the day anyones taste as far as looks are subjective. But I would highly recommend at least trying to test drive this model, especially the C trim. MSRP was around 38K, and got it with no money down for $28,995 with every option.

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  I regret buying this car. - 2000 Chrysler Cirrus
  By B - November 23 - 2:25 am

  I bought this car back in April 2015. 2000 Chrysler cirrus. With 193,000 miles on her. It is now November 23 rd 2015 and Im ready to drive this car into the river and let the fish make it their new home. When I first got it we had to replace the sway bar, then the tie rod end in August. Come mid to late October the car starts cutting off. Everything dropped to 0 the transmission would jerk and she was back firing and missing pretty bad and I had about 20 seconds to get off the road before she cut off. But she would start right back up and go again. So I had several different mechanics check it out. The fuel pump had gone out so we replaced it and put spark plugs in it. The car still shut off again but this time nothing dropped to 0 it just straight cut off, and the missing and the back firing stopped It didnt matter if I was in a intersection or on interstate doing 75 mph ( I had both happen) so we replaced the manifold air intake censor and the map censor and she did great this morning going to work but coming home she cut out on me again but did not turn off. They said next thing to replace is crank censor. Sooooo before we started replacing things, I looked up this car and read issues with it etc. so basically from all the posts Ive read, around 200,000 miles the computer chip screws up. I cant tell you how many posts I read trying to figure this out. Those folks replaced everything and some including the computer and it still didnt help. Soooo Im going to replace the crank censor if that doesnt help. Im getting rid of this car. I can not afford to put a computer in it and I only paid a 1000 for this car Ive put a 1000 into it. Im a single mother and i cant afford to keep doing this. If anybody out there has a solution please let me know. [contact info removed] Id greatly appreciate help. Im really sick of sitting on the side of the road or taking a bus to a certain place and having to walk the rest with a 1 year old. I just for once would give anything to drop my baby off and get to work on time and not have to worry or beg someone to pick my baby up and take us home. Thank yall. Love and light to you all.