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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  Sweet... - 2004 Chrysler Sebring
  By jcr - February 4 - 10:00 am

  For what ever reason, My 2004 Sedan is a LXi version?? Ive been a Chrysler buyer for over 15 years and they havent let me down yet! The Sebring sedan is no exception. Made the mistake of buying a 2003 Malibu to try and stay with a US product (Chrysler now being owned by a German company) was a BIG BIG mistake...dumped the Malibu at a considerable $$$ loss ASAP! Im sticking with Chrysler!

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  300c - 2006 Chrysler 300
  By Wayne Merris - January 29 - 7:26 am

  This is a great car very powerful. So far the gas mileage is not as good as i expected but i guess it would be if i drove the car decent, but who can drive a car like this decent. Rear view mirror hard to adjust.

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  SEAT42 - 2004 Chrysler Crossfire
  By HUGHTON KELSEY - January 29 - 2:00 am

  I LOVE THIS CAR "SHORT HISTORY" I HAD 99 HONDA SHADOW MC 00 ZX7 " 01 CBR929 " 02 CBR954 " 02 FZR R1 " NOW I HAVE A CROSSFIRE YES I LOVE MOTORCYCLES,THEY ARE FAST AND FUN BUT THIS CAR IS ALL THE FUN I WILL EVER NEED. EVERY ONE LOVES THIS MACHINE EVEN THE STATE POLICE...I KNOW. IF YOU KNOW MOTORCYCLES THEN YOU KNOW I HAD SOME OF THE BEST... THIS CAR IS A DREAN COME TRUE. SO LONG FROM SEAT 4 2"

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  Just got it! Love it! - 2004 Chrysler Pacifica
  By Sitedrifter - January 29 - 2:00 am

  Purchased a 2004 AWD Inferno Red Pacifica last Saturday. This truck? This Car? This crossover? This whatever it is, looks great, rides great and has all the cool toys like NAV and DVD video. Got a great deal on it and I hope in 3 years it rides and looks just as it does today.

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  Third Cruiser - 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By Andy - January 25 - 5:13 am

  This is our third PT Cruiser. We had a 01,03 GT, and now our 05. The GT was probably the best car of the three a lot of fun to drive and it was a 5 speed, the other 2 are automatics. Until now we have had good luck with the cruisers. We should have researched this year a little more before we bought it. At 45,000 mile control arm bushing are bad, had to have them replaced, at 48,000 miles fan motor had to be fixed drawing to many amps when air conditioner is on. We do like the Chrysler car styles, but workmanship seems to be fair. Good thing i have the extended warranty 7/70000. this will probably be our last Chrysler product.

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  Black2006 300c - 2006 Chrysler 300
  By Fraank Akerley - January 24 - 4:16 am

  Love the car but brakes pulse right off of the show room. I think the car sat to long without being moved and the rotors got pitted. Only have 500 miles on it and its not getting better. I hope I dont have to fight about getting it fixed.

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  Look at other crossovers - 2007 Chrysler Pacifica
  By HSV - January 23 - 3:36 pm

  Blame myself for buying but Chrysler also guilty Was dusk and raining so didn’t look closely at delivery Over next few days driving and inspecting was increasingly disappointed Exterior paint looked like red orange peel Almost every body seam not straight Interior center console, dash, door panels have large gaps and not aligned Leather seats have puckering on seams and easily scuffed Rattles from center console and dash Speakers rattle and have very noticeable distortion Steering wheel not aligned When accelerating has loud exhaust roar Transmission jerky when shifting Poor fuel economy Impossible to drive with either one or both rear windows down has loud pulsating buffeting airflow

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  I like it - 2005 Chrysler Pacifica
  By mt - January 23 - 3:56 am

  The Pacifica is an enjoyable car to drive and ride in. Great for long trips.

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  Gas - 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By Wifes car - January 22 - 9:23 pm

  I bought this car for my wife and we just went on a trip from Jacksonville to Miami. We got 24 miles to the gallon. I drive a 1997 Caddy with a Northstar V8 and 110000 miles on it. On a recent trip to tampa I got 27 MPG. My wife loves the PT but a brand new 4 banger should get better gas mileage.

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  Half Price Mercedes - 2006 Chrysler 300
  By Doug - January 22 - 5:46 pm

  This is the best overall car I have ever owned. I traded a 1997 Mercedes because I wanted to gain heated seats, satellite radio, navigation, and stability control and was put off by the Mercedes prices for a new model with these features. This has those features for half the price, and I get far more compliments and strangers asking how I like it than ever happened with the Mercedes. I have the 3.5 V6 and am very happy with both the power and freeway mileage of 32, better than the EPA estimate. My only wish is for a little less road noise, but there is no wind noise and the ride and handling are wonderful. The black metallic paint is much better quality than my wifes 2002 Mercedes.