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:

• 

  Excellent car! - 2007 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By Charley - January 12 - 1:15 pm

  I bought mine when it was 9 months old and had 7900 miles. My most expensive repair was $350 for a sensor. It was also my only repair in my ownership of the car other than routine maintenance (battery, tires, oil change). Ive owned it over 7 years. Couldnt be more pleased with it.

• 

  christine is her name - 2006 Chrysler Sebring
  By rick flanagan - January 11 - 12:25 am

  I bought the 2.7 litre v6.i absolutely love it.i named her christine.i bought it off a lot in 2013.paid 5.,000.had 89,000 miles.i noticed a small issue that a full tune up would fix.i was right, new coils and plugs did the trick.what people havent figured out is that the engine is designed by mercedes.from a dead stop, it produces massive torque.very fast.i upgraded the exhaust to flowmaster, now she rumbles.I love this car so much that now it has a bluetooth cd player with a awesome sound system.im very pleased.its a smooth ride, everything is reaching distance when driving and plenty of power when i need it.from my research i have found that the v6 touring sebring is basically a sports car with four doors.

• 

  Its Beautiful, BUT - 2006 Chrysler 300
  By Theresa - January 9 - 11:36 pm

  I love the way the car looks but if I had realized it was underpowered I would have gotten the 3.5. The salesman didnt offer for me to test drive the 3.5. Im worried about the transmission on a car that almosts weighs 4,000 lbs. My 98 Ford Taurus had a better performance. Oh, well. Live and Learn. Ill probably try to trade it in before the warranty gives out.

• 

  Great van. However Uconnect is a nightmare - 2017 Chrysler Pacifica
  By Sean Monahan - January 8 - 5:07 pm

  We moved up from a Town & Country to a Touring L Plus. So many things have been improved. However the Uconnect is so bad I can’t believe they would release the system at all. Not fix for it. Software update is coming?? Whatever that means. You know you have a hardware issue when a software fix takes so long. No apple car play. I would wait for the 2018.

• 

  Not too bad - 1996 Chrysler Sebring
  By rose - January 6 - 5:21 pm

  I love driving my car. Its great. The passenger door, below the handle rusted right through. A weird place to rust. Maybe thats why theyre not suppose to be driven on the winter.

• 

  Perfect fit - 2006 Chrysler Pacifica
  By SOUTH FLA FAMILY - January 4 - 5:46 am

  Perfect fit for us enough room for the kids and traveling seats are very comfortable, classy enough for going out on the town, very comfortable to drive, drives better then most entry level luxury cars and safety features are a plus , for the price loaded with leather,dvd, power lift gate sun roof etc, and extra bells and whistles you cant beat it for value of under 27k with chrysler factory incentives. compared it to the Odyssey, quest, sedona and sienna it was a much better value and a lot more stylish and safer feeling. had it for a month now and altough the gas tank is a bit thirsty , we LOVE IT!1

• 

  Pacifica Content - 2005 Chrysler Pacifica
  By bojuharris - January 3 - 11:34 am

  OK!! Way underpowered. Needs at least 75 more horsepower and a 5 or 6 speed transmission. 4300 pound vehicle, need I say more. AWD is wonderful. Have never hydroplaned one time in Houston rain. Actually from Detroit but the vehicle hasnt seen snow yet. Mileage is below what I would like to have. Actual 16 and 20.5. Would sincerely consider another one. Rear visibility badly compromised.

• 

  Great Idea and design lousy quality - 2005 Chrysler Pacifica
  By Harold Parkison - January 1 - 8:10 pm

  Loved the vehicle when we first got it. It is a great road car and fun to drive. The problems are the dealership and the car company. The unit has experienced electrical system problems and been back four times. the dealership failed to address the issues and told my wife to drive the car with a bad alternator because they were on national backorder. When we complained they fixed it. When we filled out the customer survey the dealership employee literally attacked my wife on her next warranty visit. Chrysler was notified and did nothing. Wont buy another Chryser product

• 

  M1 ABRAMS - 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By PBrown - December 31 - 10:00 am

  At 14.5 MPG, a tank gets as good gas milage. And I think I should take stock in Exxon. Some things take getting used to: window switches, short shifting action, easy clutch.

• 

  A fun to drive family car - 2004 Chrysler Pacifica
  By amyb2 - December 31 - 8:30 am

  In my expeience, this car is fun to drive. You have the room of an SUV or minivan but you dont feel like you are just a soccer mom in it. It feels a little bit flashy, like you are a mom with some style. I drove it to the mall a couple days after purchase and I could not believe the great turning radius it has getting into a tight parking spot. It turns on a dime and handles beautifully too!