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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  Strong performance for a big car - 2004 Chrysler Concorde
  By JLP - February 28 - 8:45 am

  Very comfortable on long trips, reliable except for an air bag light that comes on intermittently and 3 tries under warranty came up "no problem", but it will come on again, Im sure. Getting 24 mpg combination city and highway, better than I expected. Feels like a heavy car, which it is.

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  Great Car for 10 years - 1997 Chrysler Concorde
  By Penna - February 27 - 8:27 pm

  Very little maintenance required other than oil/lube. Did replace belts including timing at 120,000. Good looking car and fuel efficient.

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  What i dont like - 2005 Chrysler Pacifica
  By cfhair2003 - February 27 - 4:50 am

  My control arms right and left side had to be replaced before 10,000 miles. Bushing were noisy when braking, or turning. Console gearshift has a chessey, stainable cover.Stains (soda,coffee), of any kind can not be removed.Im replacing mine with the other flat configuration, which are on later models.$50.00 cost.I dont care for the transmissions shifting, which could be just me. Its the same as my 140,000. mile Nissan Maxima.

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  Money pit - 2005 Chrysler Pacifica
  By Tee - February 26 - 7:13 pm

  Buyer beware with this one. We bought this car used for a seemingly awesome deal. Fully loaded, cd, dvd, nav, one year old half off of a new sticker. ABS is a real issue. Now you need to replace an entire wheel if a sensor goes out. That is $500 for a $50 part. General maintenance also adds up to almost another $100/mo. New tires, and I shopped this, almost $1000! At least I didnt have to pay for the recall issue, which the dealer didnt tell me about. Also, the air conditioning is not great. Nice ride, but not worth the cost.

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  Get the extended warranty! - 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By GOGOTHECAT - February 25 - 9:40 pm

  Great looking with maintenance issues. Power steering hoses, AC freon leak, premature brake pad wear. Other than that, How was the play Mrs. Lincoln? Sporty fun has come with a price.

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  itl do - 2005 Chrysler Pacifica
  By Jedi - February 25 - 2:48 pm

  first let me say this vehicle can get the job done. bought this crossover 2 yrs ago and love way it rides, very comfortable. that being said i have also had to put it in shop 3 times. abs light came on . then some sensor went out, then control arms had to b replaced also had a recall on it for fuel pump. i think its just the downside of buying a vehicle same yr model came out, so bugs werent worked out yet. going more luxury on my next one but pacifica is way to go . bottom line ..get one but get extended warranty on it.

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  Great reliable car - 2000 Chrysler Cirrus
  By steve Sherm - February 25 - 8:54 am

  I have had this car since 2001, my son had it for 2 years and now my daughter has it. 110,000 miles and no problems. I maintain it properly, I changed the timing belt at 90,000 for safety reason, Ive had no problems with it. I think i could easily get 200k miles out of it.

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  Bad on gas & off road - 2004 Chrysler Pacifica
  By Jaime Torras - February 25 - 2:00 am

  The car looks great, confortable, drives well, exellent handling, seams a bit heavy, but outrageos gas consumption, really bad off road, the V6 3.5 Ltr. engine needs more power, very noisy engine.

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  Bills Pacifica - 2004 Chrysler Pacifica
  By Bill/Carolyn - February 25 - 2:00 am

  Great ride - quiet. Excellent handling. My wife loves the comfortable interior - seats etc. Hard to see when backing.

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  Gas mileage bust - 2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By RHerr22594 - February 25 - 2:00 am

  My biggest complaint about PT automatic is that gas mileage is a disappointment. Driving conservatively the minimum average posted city driving rating barely met(20) more often then not it has been less. Highway driving have yet to achive average posted rating of (25)best to date has been (23)