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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  Love it, love it, love it! - 2008 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By pkkitty - May 17 - 9:30 am

  My husband and I both have a 2008 PT Cruiser. Mine is Cool Vanilla and his is Blue. Being retired we wanted something that was dependable and comfortable to drive. It is easy to get in and out of and I sit higher than my Chrysler LeBaron that I owned before. I just heard they are being discontinued this month and was hoping to purchase another PT Cruiser in 2012 but now that wont be happening. Sorry to hear this!

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  Vic says - 2002 Chrysler 300M
  By Victor G. Young, Sr. - May 17 - 2:00 am

  Its a great ride!

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  Concorde - 2002 Chrysler Concorde
  By Librarian - May 17 - 2:00 am

  This is a great car. Lots of get up and go. Looks good. Good handling with a smooth ride. Really comfortable, great on long trips. Loads of interior and trunk room. Stereo sounds good.

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  Quality Concerns - 2001 Chrysler Sebring
  By Pontiac - May 17 - 2:00 am

  This car was running great until about 10k miles. Since then I have replaced the tie-rods 3-times, the steering gear twice, the key cylinder once, and just got done replacing the front wheel bearings - all before 28000 miles. The front drivers seat has been loose since purchase and the 2nd dealership Ive tried is actually going to repair it . If I had to do it over again I wouldnt have purchased this vehicle. I am concerned about the repair costs once the warranty period expires. Not what I expected from the "top-of-the-line" model of this vehicle.

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  Bought to use as a 100,000 mile/year delivery van. - 2017 Chrysler Pacifica
  By David Reinke - May 16 - 6:07 pm

  My opinion through experience of buying American cars is that they are sub par quality. I switched to Honda over ten years ago and have had great luck with them... AI drove a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica as a rental vehicle for vacation (needed a gear hauler) and fell in love. Quiet, most comfortable seats in a vehicle I have ever experienced. I have a severely herniated disk in my lower back and, thanks to the inflatable lumbar, tilt seat cushion and general cushion feel (soft but supportive), I was able to drive 700 miles in a day with only the slightest stiffness versus my partners Honda Element that has decent seats but I’m sore after an hour (same with Civic’s Accords...). The general driving dynamic are that of a mid range luxury sports car. The steering is both tight and responsive while the ride is soft and cushy. At nearly 300 horse power, it is faster than my 2016 Civic 6spd was (20% more power to weight)... and yet, with a couple hundred pounds of gear in the back, two passengers and two kayaks stacked on their sides on the roof, driving 70-90mph all day returned 24mpg. Now, owning one for a couple weeks, I have gotten 26-27 on highway journeys though this is winter. The stow and go seats are well designed, the general feel of the vehicle is minimalist but quality (LX base model with no features) with the exception of the hood which I can lift on while shut and it moves and clanks slightly. I think the latch has a little too much slack or the weather stripping could be thicker. It doesn’t make any sound while driving. Another critique would have to be the dash interface which is mostly horrible. The rental one was better being a higher trim, it had more and better organized features. With mine, if you turn the radio off (at least there’s a knob for this), it turns back on automatically the next time you turn the vehicle on. This is not a problem if you’re listening to the radio as you can just turn the volume down. But I hate that I turn a podcast off half way though, stop to get gas and it starts back up when the car is started again! And, if you’re listening to a podcast or song and you want to scroll to another selection in the same folder, you have to go back to the beginning, hit menu, scroll down past ten options to folder, hit folder, then from the top, scroll down to the selection number which for me could be number 179!!!... or you have to manually scroll through the folder one by one. So to skip from episode or song number 179 to say 112, it takes about a minute to do and incredibly distracting while driving. I had a 2012 Civic with a much better interface for external audio. Similarly adjusting the heat requires hitting up or down about 40 times manually, holding the button in which it takes about 20 seconds for the digital arrow to go from all the way cool to all the way hot or you have to go through two or three screens to get to the climate adjuster icon and tap the area on the vertical line where you want the level at!! I know I will get more fluid with it but you can’t help being frustrated with the distraction from driving. I hate people who play on their phone but I feel like I’m texting just to change a song. An area of concern is that the transmission is a little jerky when hard launching (not flooring it necessarily), as well as at speed acceleration. Sometimes it seems to argue with itself about which gear to select and will go up down up shift within a second sometimes mid acceleration. So I might be going 45 and need to accel to 60 quickly and it will downshift, speed past 50 then upshift a gear or two, downshift back again and continue accelerating to 60 even though my foot on the gas hasn’t changed. I don’t know if it’s anything to do with it being a 9 speed... As for price; I got a base price of 24,117 at Falls Motor City (Cleveland). Though it was a two hour drive from Pittsburgh, they were a good 3-4k cheaper than anyone here and the cheapest place in the country!! The hitch is you have to finance through Chrysler and they gave me an 8.6% rate even through I have a 740 credit score. So I gave up $500 of the incentives to get a 4.6% rate also through the dealership through Huntington bank. And they charge $200 loan origination which is unheard of with other brands (bought three Honda’s new and got 0.9to 1.9% APR on every one). Total price $24,617 plus loan fee = $24,817. I have AAA so my $250 dealership doc fee was $75. Tags at $36 for a financed grand total (less tax) of $24,948. Still a great deal. Note, you can get your own financing or pay cash but you lose another $1500 in incentives. Lastly, finance will try to sell you an extended warranty through Mopar. Dont get it. I read through the terms and you pretty much have to go to the dealer for every oil change and make no mods (aka after market hitch) or warranty is void. If you own your van long enough for value to drop below repair cost, they will pay only value! If youre in an accident, yep, void!

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  Chrysler Limited 300C - 2005 Chrysler 300
  By Joanne - May 16 - 3:13 pm

  It is a beautiful looking car. I am disappointed with it however and it is the little things that are adding up - My ride is not as quiet as it is being advertised and dealer does not offer any suggestions other than that it will be different than my previous vehicle. I feel like I am in the cabin of an airplane. I am also having electronic problems - various lights on the dash come on and off- parking brake, traction system. (It does not happen when brought to dealer)

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  Good looks, poor view - 2003 Chrysler Sebring
  By Medium Height - May 16 - 2:00 am

  The oncvertible looks great and feels pretty good. Its biggest draw back is the limited view that a moderately tall driver has out the front window. Even with the drivers seat all the way down, the drivers view is blocked by the top of the front wind shield. In addition, the locking mechanism for the roof and the sun visor hing on the convertible are unecessarily large and block an unecesarily large part of the drivers vision. In addition, if the seat is lowered to accomodate a moderately tall driver, the back of the seat remains in the same position and, as a result, the lumbar support is in the wrong place.

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  Its a great vehicle - 2017 Chrysler Pacifica
  By luca tortorelli - May 15 - 10:49 am

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  Same Ol Problems - 2002 Chrysler Concorde
  By WhyIdidthis - May 15 - 2:00 am

  After Caravan, Intrepid and now Concord: Air conditioning bad - 2 compressors already. Engine missfires, in shop 7 times no solution. Car is comfortable and when working fun to drive.

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  LOVE IT! - 2006 Chrysler Pacifica
  By Julie - May 14 - 10:20 pm

  I love this car!! Had a Sienna mini- van before, and while it was comfortable, convenient, and practical, just didnt have the style that I was looking for. The Pacifica has all that and more! I love the way this car looks and drives. Love the interior - sporty and roomy. The one major negative is the gas mileage. It is not good at all around town. I get in and can see the gauge go down after each small trip around town. Having said that, I would still buy another because I just love this car!!