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:

• 

  great pt - 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By scooterguy - December 9 - 12:33 pm

  Just bought my pt about 6 weeks ago, so far am really impressed with the way it handles. Smooth handling and ride. It is a base model but has a lot of options that others dont offer. Have had a lot of compliments from people ive never seen before. Only thing that Im not really thrilled about is the gas mileage , or should i say the lack of gas mileage. Highway mileage averages about 23 or 24, not good. Other than that its a really awesome car.

• 

  My Dream Cruiser - 2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By TnsRef - December 9 - 2:00 am

  Love my Dream Cruiser and absolutely think the Tangerine is fantastic.

• 

  Great car if you can stand the ride. - 1998 Chrysler Cirrus
  By Sam - December 8 - 8:52 am

  This is a great looking car, very reliable, fun to drive, easy to maintain and a great car for the money. The downside, it rides like a truck, you feel every bump in the road and you will have to utilize the radio to drown out the wind and road noise. Will I keep the car long term, without question considering the cost of new cars.

• 

  Love it - 2008 Chrysler Crossfire
  By Orlando Realtor - December 5 - 6:14 pm

  Had to downsize from a 06 Vette, (times are tough for realtors) Love my new Crossfire which I bought for 22k with only 1200 miles. Spoiled as I am from the Vette I truly lo the styling. Everyone in the office said they liked it better than the Vette, looks like my bosses 500SLK without the price, test drove one of those too and still decided on a Crossfire. Havent tried the navigation yet and miss it from the Vette. Seats stink comparably, however with a lumbar pillow I suffice. Flawless power top although its slow. Decent stereo for the price. Good pickup even if its not lightning fast. Stupid cool active spoiler makes people look. Love the side fins! Half the payment of the Vette so Im very happy

• 

  giddy up ah... go - 2006 Chrysler Sebring
  By sloroller - December 1 - 3:12 am

  We have the GTC model which has the sporty front end and hugs the turns nicely and does not sway. I put some self stick weather striping across the top at the front so closure would quiet the wind draft. It worked. Everything is ok about the car except for the quick stop and the quick start which it can do sporty but It seems the torque converter cant find the right gear to catch the engine at the sudden drop of the higher rpm then gassing it quickly. I have always thought that a 5 spd transmission could solve the problem. So we dont do any Hollywood stops and let the car come to a complete stop before hitting the throttle.

• 

  Road Machine - 2002 Chrysler Sebring
  By geezer51 - November 27 - 10:00 am

  Very pleased with this car. Comfortable on long trips and has plenty of power.

• 

  Fun to Drive - 2008 Chrysler Crossfire
  By Len - November 26 - 9:39 am

  I bought this vehicle new some 10 months ago. I use this car exclusively for pleasure driving and consequently have less than 3,000 miles on it. The car handles well and is fun to drive on back roads. It lacks raw power and is not a head-jerker off the line. The auto transmission is slow to shift. I dont regret buying this car but would buy a Vette if I had it to do over again. But the price difference between the Crossfire and Vette is steep - I believe the Crossfire is a better value for the buck.

• 

  Very Good Car - 2001 Chrysler Sebring
  By Mark - November 22 - 11:27 pm

  Car rides and handles quite well. Comfortable for long trips. Looks pretty good with some decent quality to the interior materials, not full of cheap plastic. Very good stereo. Have had no real problems with it, so very reliable. Much better in that regard than my 2004 Hyundai Accent, or 90s model Ford cars. On the downside the fuel mileage isnt great. The visibility and maneuverability are somewhat lacking but Im used to compact cars. This is a bit of a boat. Windshield defrost takes forever, very ill conceived big center vent in the dash. Low ground clearance. Only a four speed automatic, should be five or six gears. Overall pretty happy.

• 

  love the car - 2005 Chrysler Crossfire
  By Jon M. Martin - November 22 - 10:00 am

  love the car, have issues with the service department with the company i bought it from. there was a puncture in the drivers seat when i bought it.they said they would fix it but have not heard from them. it runs a little ruff at stop lights while in idle. and still have not heard from the leasing dept. for any of my payments. which is coming up fast. i need to know where to send my payment!!!

• 

  Yes no maybe - 1999 Chrysler LHS
  By TR - November 21 - 10:27 am

  130000m on now with no reverse, heater control sometimes works and air conditioner and chrome rims leak air being the only problems. Otherwise love the car