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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  Underated gem! - 2004 Chrysler Pacifica
  By Schmidski - November 1 - 2:00 am

  To date this is the nicest vehicle I have ever owned. Just as functional as my former Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee but easier to drive, exceptionally luxurious, better fuel consumption and more comfortable for trips and going "out on the town".

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  MY VERY OWN PT CRUISER - 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By fun girl in the sun! - October 31 - 10:00 am

  I have had a ton of fun driving my jet black PT.CRUISER. It looks awsome when its cleaned up. Everywhere I go everyone is staring trying to see in, to see whos driving it. Now everyone knows its mine, I live in a small town so of course evertime they see me they have to ask about it. I was the first to get one here, now there are 4 more in my town, but not like mine. Every time me and my husband decide to go somewhere we always chose my PT. to drive. I will not go anywhere unless Im in it. To sum it all up its the funnest and greatest vehicle I have ever owned.

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  2.7ltr has alot of power - 2006 Chrysler Sebring
  By dongts - October 30 - 1:33 pm

  interior room is far better than most of the cars in this class. the 2.4ltr is not a good engine but the 2.7ltr is better than most cars,and gets great gas mileage on the the road.

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  Questionable experience - 2004 Chrysler Pacifica
  By michelle borzick - October 27 - 10:00 am

  The moon roof exploded and pushed the glass in small pieces up and out of the vehicle. Glass came back into the vehicle. The dealership was not concerned with safety. They were unable to understand the safety concern. A 2nd moon roof was installed. The weatherproof strip buckled in less than a day. The dealership could not explain the previous so we were concerned this buckling may create the same accident. The owner of Norco Motors Pacifica moon roof has no signs buckling. A 3rd moon roof will be installed in the vehicle. They apologize that we feel unsafe. They are sure we are not. They cannot explain why it happened.

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  Happy Pacifica owner - 2004 Chrysler Pacifica
  By happypacificadriver - October 27 - 10:00 am

  Love everything about the Pacifica except the gas milage. Cant complain too much it is better then my Durango was! Styling is fantastic. Cant understand why a lover of the Japanese car makers would by it but to each his own. I love everything about this car!

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  Chry. Pacifica - 2004 Chrysler Pacifica
  By Ron Heege - October 27 - 10:00 am

  Hot looking with performance

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  PT Touring Convertible - 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By alyne - October 27 - 10:00 am

  Purchased April 6 2004. This car has a blind spot the size of an elephant, use of the side mirrors may help to correct this. I love the intuitive and ergonomically well-placed control buttons on the dash. Lots of head and leg room – front and rear. The colour matched sport bar looks great. The cute little trunk is a tad awkward to access. The 2.4L Standard Turbo, using regular gas, provides plenty of power for city and highway driving. Assembled in Toluca, Mexico. . I love it!

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  INFO ON PT CONVERTIBLE - 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By Roberto - October 27 - 10:00 am

  If a person buys a PT Cruiser Convertible that is a turble. They are going to pay a lot of money for car because it uses up more gas, but the good thing is. It takes off fast because it has a fast pick up!

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  I LOVE MY NEW 300C - 2005 Chrysler 300
  By williams41 - October 27 - 10:00 am

  JOB WELL DONE THIS CAR IS BREATH TAKING

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  Ton of miles...Ton of Fun - 2004 Chrysler Sebring
  By john - October 25 - 10:19 pm

  Im researching cars for my wife and came across this site and decided to leave a review of what so far has been a mostly positive experience with my GTC convertible. It will be two years old next month and Im about to hit 70,000 miles! Luckily (knocking on wood) I have not had any mechanical problems to date. All the problems have been with the body. Water has penetrated my right side headlight and right side tail light, some paint chips, rearviewmirror defrost stopped working, windows rattle on passenger side when you hit bumps and ac adapter shorted out. All in all, a positive review from a happy chrysler driver minus the nagging "cosmetic" issues.