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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  Way too many problems-time to recall!! - 2005 Chrysler Pacifica
  By kelly021480 - March 3 - 8:38 pm

  Within 3 months of buying our 2005 Chrysler Pacifica Touring we started having problems. First the rear brake sensors went out. This caused the cars brake pedal to grind when pushed, and sometimes, not stopping like it should. those were replaced at $200 each. Two weeks later, front sensors went out. Car has stalled 2 times while making a sharp left hand turn. Currently, front sway bar is bad, and causing a loud roaring sound while driving. I am not the only one having these problems, Ive read HUNDREDS of reviews with the same problems. When is Chrylser going to do something about this?? What a waste of money buying this car!

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  I love our new Chrysler 200 - 2011 Chrysler 200
  By ron5613 - March 3 - 6:56 pm

  We have put about 1000 miles on our new Chrysler 200 and we love it. Great ride, a pleasure to drive. One of my co-workers liked our 200 so much that they bought one too. A great car. Go drive one at the dealer and see for yourself. Love the 30+ mpg too !

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  what a POS!!! Transmission Timing belt! - 2001 Chrysler 300M
  By ambiegirl - March 3 - 5:39 pm

  i bought this car with only 68,000 for what i thought was a deal, a week after buying it the acceleration was off & would jut after 20mph, the allignment was so bad it balded the left front tire & the gas mileage...good lord i had a aztek before this car and my aztek suv got better gas mileage. so i take it to a mechanic to see why it would shake and jut after accelerating past 20 mph and it turns out a cost of $2000 min would fix the transmission, and a min of $1000 to fix the timing belt. 3 grand in just a week after having it? the mechanic told me to get away from it as soon as possible cuz chryslers are known for transmission issues, so thats what i did. She was a beauty on the outside

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  Try one, youll like it! - 2011 Chrysler 200
  By baldude - February 27 - 8:57 pm

  Just bought a 200 Limited after having a Sebring Limited for 5 years and this is a much nicer car. All the plastic interior is gone or at least covered in what seems like real padded leather. The interior is BEAUTIFUL! The Pentastar V-6 is great, lots of power on the freeway, better then my sons 2010 Challenger. There are what seems like a zillion controls inside between the steering wheel and dash but its well thought out and fairly intuitive. That said, I have yet to remote start the car and not have the alarm go off when I open the door.

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  Too Many Problems - 1999 Chrysler Sebring
  By derek704 - February 26 - 3:48 pm

  Bought the car used with 37,000mi on it CarMax 7 yrs ago. 2 years after purchase, we had a random transmission leak. Cost around $1500 to fix. 3 years ago the A/C suddenly stopped working in the middle of the summer. Spent many hours and over $300 getting the A/C fixed, and it just went out again today. Few years ago we smelled gas every time we got in, spent $200 to find out there was a gas leak above the tank?? And last summer the battery light came on and I was told the alternator was going bad. Spent $250 part and labor. 4 mos. ago dash gauges keep going dead w/ ABS light on and batt light. Replaced alt again $175. Now the 3rd one is bad w/ dead dash guages again, still cant fig. it out.

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  Nice Car - 2011 Chrysler 200
  By mb200 - February 25 - 5:14 pm

  Purchased a Chrysler 200 Touring, burgundy with black interior. Very nice car to drive. I would encourage anyone thinking about purchasing a sedan to test drive this vehicle. I test drove several other brands and none compared in my opinion to the Chrysler 200. Excellent interior and fun to drive.

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  Cirrusly - 1998 Chrysler Cirrus
  By earzy - February 21 - 5:47 pm

  Car handles well, and seems to hold the road greatly. I never feel like I"m going to go out of control. The gas mileage isnt great considering its such a small V6. The airy cabin provides a lot of sunlight which can make the a/c work harder in the summer, but helps warm the car in the winter. Plenty of headroom for 6+ footers, and the large bottom seat cushion provides good thigh support not found on most imports. A lot of standard features make you feel like youre in the top of the line Chrysler model, and not the lesser equipped Dodge Stratus/Plymouth Breeze. The engine wants to rev to make its best power, but doesnt require everything its got to pass people.

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  Great car - 2008 Chrysler Sebring
  By idav - February 19 - 5:23 pm

  I have the car for 2.5 years now and so far it does what it supposed to be , a fun car with more interior room then almost any convertible on the road. i dont understand why the car have bad reviews, you cant compare it to Mercedes or BMW but i can buy two of them compare with their price. currently 43,00O miles and done only regular service.

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  This car is better than the reviews - 2010 Chrysler Sebring
  By itguy55 - February 19 - 8:50 am

  I recently purchased a 2010 Sebring Limited with the 2.7L V-6 engine. At first sight I liked the Sebrings European styling cues...It seems these days that every American mid-size car on the road wants to look like a Camry--even the venerable Taurus, and I am just tired of that look. My Sebrings lines seem to me much closer to an E-Class Mercedes. When Im sitting in the cockpit, theres also something very Benz-like about a tilt/telescope steering wheel that pushes almost flat against the dash, which at 62" / 260, I appreciate while getting in and out of the car--I can actually turn in the seat to get out, instead of sliding out sideways, which is what I have to do in most cars .

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  It is fun to drive - 1999 Chrysler Sebring
  By kadelman - February 15 - 9:17 am

  The driving fun ends quickly because you cannot keep the thing on the road. The tires are crappy in winter, the rims are horrendously expensive and you can bend them with your bare hands so be careful when changing a flat. The hubs will not come out of the steering knuckles even though they are threaded. To fix the belt you have to go in through the wheel well. I am a fairly competent average joe. I know what I am doing for all these little things. However on this car, it is built in such an obnoxious way that even the little things take 3-5 days to fix.