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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  Electrical Ghost Cost me serious money... - 1999 Chrysler 300M
  By mjanssen - November 13 - 8:59 pm

  I loved this car, my kids loved this car, I enjoyed driving it...I hated giving it up! I was nickled and dimed with the windows and some other small electrical issues and the shifter had to be fixed as well and the air conditioner as well. But the killer was I lost my shirt when it just didnt start up or started up real ugly one day...never drove it again after spending THOUSANDS on "Well, it must be this" and "well, well try this"...it got so bad the dealership actually did most of the work at the end for free and brought in a professional who was baffled as well. A friend finally told me to dump it and go on from there...he was right. The ghost won on this one!

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  Nice road warrior car - 2013 Chrysler 300
  By t4r4me - November 8 - 10:38 am

  I am a sales professional and choose over similar priced competitors. In the low $30k price range this vehicle is the clear winner hands down. The US automakers are closing the gap on the other brands. And what you get in this car and compared to the previous years 300 is night and day. This is a really nice car. It has a great turning radius, power on tap when you need it, decent brakes, it is quiet so you will be able to conduct business via phone and blue tooth if that is your thing. Also compared to the Passat with its V6 and this is still the better value.

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  Decent Fullsize - 2000 Chrysler 300M
  By edmundsauto1 - October 12 - 12:54 am

  I just got mine 00 300m not to long ago, 263K miles now has 265K on it, Havnt had to do anything previous owner didnt really take car of it but it is a sound car i have gotton 28mpg out of it! not bad for a full size car alltho if you look at what you save you will have to put it back into it..... all in all seems like a decent car.

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  Nice ride~ - 2004 Chrysler Pacifica
  By dkrogh - October 8 - 5:52 pm

  I bought my Pacifica 2004 brand new. Its a beautiful vehicle and the ride is unbelievably comfortable. If you are driving this vehicle and you dont feel its comfortable then maybe you have cheap tires because my vehicle glides along the freeway smoothly. I absolutely love this vehicle. Sure its has some quirks, front end makes a noise when braking and Ive read reviews on this and many have the same issue but doesnt effect proformance at all. Gas mileage sucks but I knew this when I bought it as I read reviews first. It seats 6 but the rear is mainly for children and their is no cargo space with full load so you would need luggage rack. Ive had it 8 yrs. 106,000 miles

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  AFTER 9 MONTHS - 2011 Chrysler 200
  By 200sowner - September 14 - 7:57 pm

  After 9 months and 22,500 miles several problems engine shuts down at red lights happen so far 2 times in a month. looked it up on-line seems like alot of 2011 owners with the v-6 has the same problems and of course Chrysler cant figure it out why this is happening, front end noise ? overheating (FIXED) overflow tank had crack in it After spending $24,000 on this car in (Nov2011) think it shouldnt have any problems Thats it will keep you up dated. center arm rest keeps moving when arm rested on it. Transmission does not shift smoothly.

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  I once said I would never buy American again. - 2012 Chrysler 300
  By peegeejr - September 7 - 12:09 am

  OMG...... Now this is the weirdest thing about this vehicle its a base model but has a couple of features that doesnt come on the base but is in mines so lets say for the argument its a base model 2012 Chrysler 300. It states on the sticker "Up to 19 cty/31 hwy mpg" and it does, I owned a Toyota Corolla as my last car previously had a 2001 Cadillac DTS Honda Accord and a Pontiac since 1997 the mileage is slightly less then the Corolla yeah thats right but I do drive mostly hwy back and forth to work. This car beats the Caddy hands down in ride and performance I accidentally stepped on the gas accessing the highway and for the life of me the car raised up and went .... wow beautiful insi

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  Great looks, great drive - 2006 Chrysler 300
  By sahr - August 28 - 1:33 pm

  Bought used this year. Car is 2006. Drives really nice, suspension is a tad stiff for my liking but I live down a dirt road, performs great on the highway. The 3.5L engine has enough power to push the car without feeling sluggish, but the SRT-8 would be much more fun for a speed junkie such as myself. Love the way the engine sounds when put to the floor. Gets between 16-19MPG city and 25-27 MPG hwy.

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  Will it be a classic? - 1999 Chrysler 300M
  By jefe4x4 - August 27 - 6:08 pm

  We bought in 1998 and had problems with the sound system right off. Finally replaced the whole sys. on warranty and worked fine after that. At 140K mi. its as good as ever. Replaced frnt. tie rods @102K the radiator @ 135K mi. I like the car, and I dont like most of the cars Ive owned. It is our summer car now as we live in snow country and with 4" of clearance its not going to push snow like our Jeep, although the limited slip frnt diff works well on snow. Its not worth anything and just keeps going and going so well keep it till it stops moving. We try to keep it up as Im thinking more and more like this will be a Mopar classic. We wont live long enough to know, however.

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  Not good for all, great for enthusiats - 2004 Chrysler Sebring
  By kiaitools - August 19 - 12:31 pm

  I bought it at 2005 with 30000 miles on it, now it has 110000 and this car woks great, I just needed to change brake pads, motor and transmisión mounts, that is normal maintenance for a car: This car is great, is made with high quality standards but take care becasuse is not is a car for all, this car requieres delicate maintenance to work well or will turn in to a piece of crap in few months. I use only syntethic oil and each service is made according manual, before to buy check very well if the original owner had made all it´s services, all turbo motors needs special attention to keep well

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  Surprised and pleased - 2012 Chrysler 300
  By dasbmr - August 13 - 12:00 am

  I was in need of a full size sedan with decent gas mileage and went out looking. I drove a couple of German options and others. I decided to try the Chrysler 300. I went to the dealer not expecting much, but after test dricing the 300S version, I was hooked and drove him with it that night. Its very quick and it gets an amazing 30 MPG highway. Its very quiet inside and the BEATS audio system is excellent. Finally, an American sedan that can run with the big dawgs from Germany. Nice work Detroit!