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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  1990 Chrysler Imperial - 1990 Chrysler Imperial
  By NY3UVL714 - February 17 - 7:46 pm

  Big luxurious 1980s style American boulevardier. Quiet and comfortable on smooth roads, rough pavement causes abrupt and harsh ride. Poor handling, with loose floating motions on quickly undulating freeways. Spacious, first class looking, fully equipped interior Impressively roomy rear seat legroom. Disappointingly, the first class interior styling is betrayed by average contstruction and assembly. Rattles in doors and dash occasionally sour the luxury ambiance. Powerful but boomy 10 speaker Infinity Ultimate Sound system. Overall a nice blast from the past available for bargain prices. Imperials do not stand up well to abuse or neglect, watch out for well maintained examples.

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  LOV my 2006 300 Limited - 2006 Chrysler 300
  By Asim - February 17 - 1:13 pm

  i have been a proud owner of a 06 300 limited, it was love at first sight and obsession at first test drive. i regularly extract 30+ MPG on hwy and city is 17.5/18.5 MPG depends how u use it. its a real show stopper, and and head turner, it has this presence on the road which commands respect from other motorists.

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  Less than pleased - 2009 Chrysler 300
  By Pete - February 16 - 1:31 pm

  This car is fairly fun to drive, good acceleration, and fuel economy for a large, heavy car is good, 19-20 in town and 26-28 on the road. It has HORRIBLE ground clearance, the front air dam cannot even clear a normal 5- 6" high wheel stop and drags when turning in to a driveway that has any kind of drainageway on the side of the road. In 5" of snow, the bottom of the vehicle dragged. Also, the doors do not stay open if parked on the slightest angle. The color options were poor in Phoenix, there was only Cool Vanilla available with the GPS navigation option.

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  Great Car!!!!! - 1999 Chrysler LHS
  By srhall89 - February 16 - 12:35 am

  Purchased the car brand new, havent had a major problem yet! Rear shocks squeak a bit, squeaking noise when i turn the wheel, and front speakers blew out, but other than that no problems. Great car! When I first got behind the wheel I expected it to be slower, but its pretty fast! Not as fast as my 03 Hyundai Tiburon, but still has lots of get up and go. Rides smoothly. Great features that come with and can be added on to car. Had the car 10 years and clear coat still intact, headlights havent even fogged over, still crystal clear!

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  Such a deal (so far) - 2008 Chrysler Sebring
  By MelH - February 11 - 11:55 am

  Purchased off rental with 12000 miles for $13000 in Feb, 2009. Thus far the car has been comfortable, reliable and fun. Good room for four adults and good trunk for a convertible. Radio and CD changer work well with excellent sound. Before purchasing drove a Toyota convertible, used with 10,000 miles and a $25,000 purchase price. Frankly the cars were comparable in all respects exept Toyota was faster with larger engine. For $12000 less, it allows a large reserve for reliability issues, if any arise. I spoke with four others who have owned current and prior versions of the Sebring convertible, and none had any serious complaints.

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  Still going! - 2001 Chrysler 300M
  By Firefly - February 11 - 10:07 am

  I bought the 300M new and now have 181,000 on her. I have had to do no major repairs just belts and brakes. I have owned a dozen new cars and this may be the best one. It rides great, seats are wonderful, good performance, good mileage 19 city 24 hwy. Im not getting rid of this one until it something major dies on it.

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  Buyers Remorse!! - 2004 Chrysler Crossfire
  By ITMATRS - February 10 - 12:59 pm

  Looked great, and preformed ok on the small test drive but by the time we hit the freeway the truth became clear. 1st - Road noise> lots of road noise in the cabin, reminded me of a Dodge Caliber i rented and hated!! Feels cheap and plastic 2nd - Blind Spots - small rear window with blind spots from the rear body lines - again like the Caliber <:os 3rd - Door windows are so narrow you can barely see out 4th - Cramped. Im 54" and reach the brake and gas fine but have to have my knees in the dash to get the clutch all the way in <:o| 5th - Gear gates are small! Clunks into 2nd and hard to get to 3rd w/o hitting 1st or 5th..not 4 me..<:o(

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  an ugly old thing, but we love her - 1994 Chrysler LHS
  By Megan - February 9 - 5:09 pm

  Big, clunky, boat-like: these are all adjectives I could use to describe our 94 LHS. Fuel economy is lacking. The paint is peeling on the trim surrounding the car. The rims look terrible. As others have mentioned, A/C is GONE. Blows hot no matter what temp--luckily we live in Washington state and dont really need an A/C. Other than these few issues (easily dealt w/ b/c we only paid $1200 for her in 06), we have got a sturdy, long-lasting, comfortable family car. Were driving it until it dies, and saving plenty of money for a replacement in the meantime. Weve replaced the brakes, tires, and done regular maintenance. $1200/48 months=$25/month. FYI: car = no more than 20% income.

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  Total SAFETY & Total QUALITY - luv em! - 2007 Chrysler 300
  By 300C Fan Club - February 9 - 10:39 am

  300C/Hemi is a total underdog in the luxury sedan class. Its built with Mercedes Benz M-series body so its got the comfort, roominess, and smooth marshmallow ride. Most importantly, 300Cs SAFETY Rating (esp. Frontal Crash Test which is the most fatal) is one of the tops in this category of sedans per research data. And, at the current market price, its a steal!!! Also, as a Petite Female Driver, I appreciate Chryslers foresight in providing features like adjustable pedals, highly adjustable seats, etc. to make it possible for me to drive a rather voluminous car despite my height. Owned this car since 07 and had 0 problem. LUV em and will only buy Chryslers from now on.

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  Love it, and love hurts! - 1999 Chrysler LHS
  By Albee - February 5 - 7:10 pm

  I love this car, I have owned many Chrysler/Dodges from 70s, 80s 90s and 00s. I currently own a 60 Dodge Charger R/T. This LHS is great but some of the problems included replacing trany at 142,000 miles but hey thats 10 years. Plenty of power for the freeway passing and dusting kids in lil toy cars like Hondas. Smooth but noisy and bumpy on bad roads, almost rides like a sports car and feels better in high speed corners than my Charger R/T. Gas mileage for me has been very poor really, about 16- 20 average. I do live in Seattle where there is nothing but hills. But love it, there is too much room! Only complaint in interior is there is no spot to pt cell phone.