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 Car Flying Under the Radar! - 2015 Chrysler 200
  By Rod Reichardt - November 2 - 7:12 pm

  We needed a car for my son who just got his drivers license. It needed to be safe, reliable, economical, and all the other things a parent looks for in their childs car. My son wanted a car with leather, nav, good audio system, good looks and "cool wheels". Oh, it also needed to be under $20,000. Impossible? I wasnt hopeful but started by perusing cars on Carmax.com. After a few hours I noticed a trend of nicely equipped Chrysler 200s right in the range I was looking for. I read a few online reviews and began to realize that this car is one of the few great deals of the current car market. I realize hat styling is very subjective but I think this is a great looking car. The MSRP of the 200C we settled on was $12,000 over the asking price at Carmax of $19,998. It had 3200 miles on it. It is front wheel drive with the 2.4 liter "Tigershark" 4 cylinder with the 9 speed auto and the optional 19 inch wheels. Not a fast car, but certainly not slow either. The full leather interior is good quality. Not quite Aston Martin or high end Audi but very nice. The 8.4" Uconnect infotainment system is really, really good. I wish there were physical buttons for the heated seats but the menu is only one layer deep on the screen so its not much of an issue. The optional Alpine stereo sounds decent. It has a claimed 506 watt amplifier which provides decent bass. The voice control and Bluetooth are really good. I had the 8.4 Ucinnect in a 2013 Ram 1500 and the firmware seems much better now. It seems quicker and much less buggy than the earlier version. The messaging works fine with my Galaxy Note 5 but not with my sons iPhone 6S. This car will cruise all day at 80-85 (we live near Texas Highway 130 which only has two speed limits eighty and eighty-five. After a few hundred miles we are getting an average of 26-27mpg. Most of my sons driving is around town so I am happy with the mileage so far. I was not expecting much from th 2.4 liter power plant but it seems perfect in this application. Acceleration is just fine and it s quiet. The little sound you do hear is nice. Not at all rough like some fours in midsize cars. The only complaint I have about this car is the transmission. Th 9 speed will occasionally throw out a rough shift or shift too slowly. Sometimes it will hunt for the right gear. Hopefully the software will get better with time like it did in the Uconnect system. The car was new in January of 2015 and there is no record of it ever going back to a dealer. I have no idea if there are any updates for this transmission but I will be looking into it. Its not a big issue though. I have never noticed it when I have been driving. My son is a little less decisive in his application of the throttle so that may be a contributing factor. You can probably tell that we are very happy with this purchase. We like it so much that my wife wants to get one. I think the low used price is partly due to the "rental car" nature of the previous generation of this car. I rented a 2014 just a few months ago and felt exactly like a cheap rental car. The new generation feels anything but cheap. The build quality seems really high. When youre driving it it does not feel at all like a generic mid sized car. It feels a little "special". I was not expecting that at all. The 200C is punching way above its weight. I have been shopping new ones for my wife and AWD V6 models with radar cruise control and every option in the book are selling for under $30,000. The only negatives I can think of are the slightly balky transmission and relatively poor resale value. I imagine they will eventually get the programming right in the transmission. If youre worried about the resale just buy used. This is the best I have felt about a car purchase in years. I neve dreamed we could find such a great car for such a great price. Definitely 5 stars from us.

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  Rating from a long time Honda/Acura Owner - 2015 Chrysler 200
  By dccarshopper@gmail.com - October 28 - 11:44 pm

  Totaled my Acura RL on the highway. This rating is based on a car rental of the Chrysler 200 for 2.5 weeks. I am a long time Japanese car driver. I have rented Ford Mustangs, driven Ford Fusions ect. I never thought once about a Chrysler and this is the first time I have driven one in my life. I have driven some american made cars like Ford Taurus, Pontiac Grand Am. I have driven Lexus, bmw. I have to say, for a medium size sedan this car has decent acceleration, the drive is nice and the interior and body styling has a nice clean look. It does not have as much horsepower as my rl. But for a 4 cylinder this car can go when you need it to in traffic. I saw one on the road earlier this year and thought it looked great. I really thought this car was the size of my wifes civic. But, when I parked next to it, the car is almost the size of a Honda Accord. It takes up more space in my garage than the RL. The exterior body style has some bold and larger shapes to it than I am used to. So it throws me off a little when I try parking it. That is just a personal thing that one can get used to easily. The voice commands are easy to follow. The technology in this car is also easy to figure out rather quickly. Without reading any manual I figured out bluetooth, radio, media, voice calling ect. It is much easier to figure out than the Ford Fusion, which I am still baffled about. I didnt have time to read the owners manual driving 100 plus miles per day sometimes. I drove this car 1500 miles in 2 weeks. So, I put it to the test. The one thing I found quirky was in the voice command it is difficult to navigate to send a text message. It is easy to respond to one. But it asked me for some predefined responses to incoming text messages sometimes. And then sometimes the voice commands work, sometimes it shuts off and makes a weird noise. I think this all could be cleared up if I had time to read the book. But for the most part, the systems in the car were easy to figure out. And this is my first upgraded car with newer wireless and blue tooth since 2004. The model was a 2002 I last owned. Last new car we bought was in 2010. Cars have come a long way. Cons: the hazard light button is directly underneath the center graphic console where you access the radio/ media source ect. I found that while i was fidgeting in traffic with the radio the hazard lights would come on. I probably turned them on by accident about 15 times over the course of two weeks. They need to move that somewhere further away from a high traffic hand area. The other part that I dont necessarily like is the compartment that is underneath the console in the middle of the front seats. It is hidden underneath and a little difficult to access. Especially when I commute nearly 3 hours a day. I need to pay full attention all the time I am driving so this is not the best place for a compartment when i need to grab things. However, it does have a nice slick look to where you cant see that console. So, function is my main priority, but if you like slick looks then it does look very nice. Last thing I disliked, I felt like there was a lack of areas to put things I need access to. I commute a ton so I have to bring a bunch of things with me. I had piles of stuff on top of every surface. Even the cup holders that had cups in them had things piled on them. And when the wife took a ride I had to take the entire seat full of things out. The other cars ive owned have had bigger center consoles along with a slightly better thought out configuration that is a little more space efficient. Not a huge biggie for everyone. But when I drive hours to job sites. I need ease of access and efficiency. One thing I will say though, when I was younger I would have been in the market for a car more like this. I would say 20s to 30s. I can take a guess on price and personally I think this is a great car for the money. The interior I had only had some trim leather. The seats were fabric but the wheel and some other areas had leather. The seats were very comfortable. The black powder coated metal along with the chrome accent inside has a really nice look to it. Aesthetically, this car is really nice. Even though much of the interior is plastic, the designers thought it out. The positives far outweigh the negatives and I feel this is a great family car. This rental has given me a great first impression of Chrysler. I never really thought much about a chrysler or even contemplated ever driving one. I will say, this makes me want to test drive a Chrysler 300. The new styles they have out look very slick. It is one of the best looking cars on the road. The entire time I was test driving hybrids due to needing great epa for the driving. I drove a brand new 2016 Ford Fusion Hybrid. This is also a very nice car, drives well and has a nice slick look. I think both the chrysler and Fusion have a really nice look to the body style. The car is peppy and fun.

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  averaged- not the quality I was expecting - 2012 Chrysler 200
  By Lorri C - October 28 - 12:42 pm

  I actually sought this car out it was everything I was looking for. I purchased my 2012 200 Limited convertible in April 2015 with under 30,000 miles on it for $21,800.00 (a bit over priced but at the time I was ok with it). We test drove it at high speed on the highway, with top down and up, as a driver and a passenger. Since we travel one of the top things I was looking/listening for was noise, and the only noise at the time was a small wind coming through the rear driver’s side window- I decided to deal with it since it wasn’t in my ear as a passenger, proving I’m not unreasonable. Then the fun began. I used to have a 2008 Mercury Sable Premier, so I was spoiled. Even though they were both priced at almost $30,000 new, the 200 has nothing on the Sable. I have had several issues since buying it and after several trips to the dealer I’m left with ‘It’s normal’. The top squeaks when it’s up, sometimes worse that others and after a rain I can NOT put my windows down without a flood of water coming in… consistently. Not drips either. The drives side window would catch on the trim but they adjusted that. I have a bad wind noise in the car now, not sure where the hell that cam from but… IT’S NORMAL! During this process I had been emailing Chrysler and they were getting back to me and following up regularly. After I got the final exam done on the car with the same ‘it’s normal for a convertible’ I then responded to Chrysler telling them I expected more for a 30,000.00. They did talk to the dealership and agreed… here’s a quote. “ they drove your vehicle and found the noise was the air rush on the outside of that car that would be due to it being a convertible. It is a normal noise. He stated you may experience a creek noise as it will move due to it being a convertible. They found no water or air leaks. He stated there is nothing wrong with the vehicle. He stated the body shop adjusted the windows. Some water will come in when the windows are put down. This is a normal condition when dealing with a convertible sports top. After thoroughly reviewing your request and the files on this matter, we respectfully concur with the decision rendered by the dealership.” So I’ve owned a had top and a soft top, the hard top was a Mercedes so I can let that slide but the soft top was either 96’ or 97’ Sebring. I wanted a better car and a quieter car which is why I got the hard top AND the Limited. What a waste of money! I could have spent less money and got the same quality. Other issues: Delay in transmission- after you accelerate then let off the gas it will hesitates and drag back down. I was also told this is normal. Uncomfortable- even if it’s listed as ‘premium’ leather. Navigation- Pain in the butt. Gas millage- not so good I wish it had memory seats and retractable gas peddle (I, only 411") Pros: Drives nice, little actual road noise, takes bumps well Tight steering Looks nice Heat and air work well Heated seats go up the back

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  Knockoff of a Mercedes-Benz ML Class - 2008 Chrysler Aspen
  By Chrysler is the Wal-Mart of Mercedes Benz - October 26 - 5:11 pm

  My dad drives this car. Hes had it since I was in the second grade. This car has had its ups and downs. It has a great radio. The wood is beautiful to look at. The suspension is buoyant. With interior quality, DiamlerChrysler cut corners. It feels like a cheapened Mercedes-Benz ML Class. If you want a family SUV, there are better choices out there for much less. Examples: Honda Pilot Toyota Highlander Ford Flex Mazda CX9

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  Love Hate Relationship - 2012 Chrysler 300
  By Judy Matthews - October 25 - 9:43 pm

  I love my 300s comfort level and look, however, I am extremely disappointed with the electrical features. My BlueTooth is inoperable, USB ports stopped working, reverse camera blinks, and cruise control works just sometimes. Other than that, which is a great inconvenience, I love the vehicle.

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  Glide in This Ride - 2015 Chrysler 300
  By Chris Brown - October 15 - 12:18 am

  I absolutely love my Chrysler 300 . This car is the full package and it is affordable. Performance ,style and is loaded with tons of additional features. The color of my 300 is granite crystal it is stunning. The vehicle handles really well and it packs plenty of punch especially in sport mode.

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  Great... Sometimes - 2006 Chrysler Pacifica
  By sbernal - October 9 - 8:54 pm

  I bought this car in July 2014 with exactly 100K miles, maybe a few over. It is now October 2015 and the car has about 118K. Id say its appearance is good and holds up decently in terms of newer vehicles. People ask the year of the vehicle and are surprised it is a 2006. The quality of the ride is excellent due to the attention Chrysler put on the suspension and the spaciousness of the cabin is enviable in the 6 cylinder class. That said, I think the engine is too small for the vehicle. The acceleration is terribly sluggish and I always think Im driving faster than I actually am. I think Im doing about 50 and look down to see Im barely breaking 40. I feel like a V6 engine should be adequate, but the way they did it in this car is NOT adequate. The transmission is fully functional, but I kind of fear for it. It can be slow to shift and occasionally give an ugly clunk upon both acceleration and deceleration. I think 118K is far too early to be fearful of a transmission replacement. The AWD feature on most models is a huge positive. After the torrential New England winter last year, this vehicle performed exceptionally well. I drove the car for the first 10 months of our ownership. However, my wife works in a location where the driveway in is nearly a vertical slope -- and the Pacifica made it up regardless of the quality of the weather. She asked me to borrow it so many times, I eventually told her it belonged to her. In terms of instrumentation, I am disappointed. Chrysler had always billed this vehicle as one with luxury styling. The dash display is nearly identical to a Town & Country years older. We had a friend who drove a 1998 T&C and the instrumentation was nearly identical. Very basic, as far as I am concerned. Speedometer, gas gauge, tachometer. Where is the engine thermostat? Ive never owned a car that didnt have one. How about a display showing the temperature outside? Miles to empty display? I realize there are different "grades" of this car, however this was is not the total base model. I replaced a 2001 Volvo with this one also labeled "luxury", so I figured 5 years was enough for Chrysler to catch up. Not so much. Its sorely lacking and seems like the primary place Chrysler cheaped out on. Speaking of "cheaped out on", Chrysler installed a DVD player in my vehicle beneath the radio, but did not install a monitor. So... you have exactly half a unit. I have looked into installing a monitor multiple times. The cost is astronomical. If you have a third party do it, the cost can be in the thousands (on a now-9 year old American car... Ill pass). If you attempt it yourself, youd be better no less than "Level: Expert". The number of items you have to disassemble inside and the number and cost of the parts you have to buy is enough to destroy your will to live. You need to be both mechanically and electrically inclined with precision -- this requires replacing the headliner with a brand new one and re-cutting the fabric to match all the things sticking out like it did from the factory.

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  its a beast when taken care of properly - 1997 Chrysler LHS
  By George s - October 8 - 7:30 am

  My Chrysler lhs is a beast for one reason for having 250,000 miles still going

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  Very Impressed & Pleased with my 2013 Chrysler 200 - 2013 Chrysler 200
  By Patricia - October 8 - 5:35 am

  Purchased this car Sept 19th.2015,,,,,first of all, I never knew what it really had til after the first week. when I saw the car it was love at first site. sunroof leather all pwr everything. baby blue, new tires, 35,000plus miles. 3.6 v6l engine, etc...interior leather is awesome with heated seats both driver and passenger. the stereo system is boom box fantastic. the tires are new, but they keep reading differently. Im guessing it could be the weather or condition of the roads. the gas is about 19 mpg city, and 22 hwy. its not bad, the a/c works great. the sunroof is fun. the trunk space is pretty big. If you have sorta big feet it can hit the hood release easy,,, but okay here it is. it rained on Monday,and I barely went threw a puddle going about 40. it scared the life out of me. my steering wheel went back and forth like crazy sideways with the puddle. gotta stay away from that for safety!!! but im In Vegas hardly ever rains! in 5yrs,ill be giving this car to my daughter for school if she keeps good grades!!! You wont be sorry for this purchase thats for sure,,,enjoy!!!!

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  God Blessed Me and My Kids - 2004 Chrysler Pacifica
  By Takwana Pinson - October 5 - 8:08 pm

  First off I just brought this car last week. It only had 84,670 miles on its 11 years old for someone with 3 kids and 2 of them are still in car seats, the space is awesome. Gas is great, I live in Killeen, TX and work in Austin an hour away. I only use a quarter tank of gas to get to and from work. Love it buy it if the price is right!!!! Only paid 7364 for mines!!! No problems yet!!! Thank God for blessing us with this excellent crossover!!!