By David Colman

Hypes: Strong Motor, Excellent Packaging
Gripes: Stay Away From the 4 Cylinder Engine

The memorable 200S is Chrysler’s satisfying replacement for its eminently forgettable Sebring line. When fitted with the company’s all-purpose 3.6 liter V-6 engine, the 200S is an understated sports sedan capable of chasing down much more expensive products from Germany, Italy and Japan. For those of you who enjoy driving, but don’t need to make an audacious public statement about your choice of vehicle, the 200S is the ultimate stealth driving machine.

The 283hp, 24 valve V-6, connected to a 6-speed automatic, is so explosively potent that you need to apply throttle judiciously, especially when the front wheels are turned. If you aren’t careful, the torque-steering proclivity common to all high powered front-wheel-drive layouts will snatch the steering wheel right out of your hands. As long as you are prepared to unwind the wheel as you feed in the power smoothly, the 200S will become a willing accomplice to fast, precise driving.

The generous fitment of 225/50VR18 Goodyear Eagle LS2 tires on striking polished and painted 7 x 18 inch alloys endows the 200S with the kind of cornering power you’d expect of a front-line sports sedan. Yet the 200S’ subdued styling, modest brightwork, and family-serviceable proportions give no clue to the performance bouquet lurking within. In fact, only the driver of this car will ever recognize the car’s performance potential. Meanwhile, passengers will assume that this unprepossessing Chrysler is primarily designed to haul people and baggage without hindrance. All 4 doors open wide for good ingress, the front and back seats are comfortable enough for long jaunts, the trunk is spacious and easily accessible thanks to remote keyfob control. There’s even a drop down armrest between the two rear seats which hides a fold-down parcel door to accommodate skis or 2x4s.

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By David Colman

Hypes: AWD, “Doctor Dre” boombox, Silent 8-Speed Automatic
Gripes: Poor Detents on Stubby Console Shift Lever

A year ago, Chrysler announced a second quarter loss of 436 million dollars. This year’s second quarter figures show a profit of 370 million, on track for a projected earnings of 1.5 billion dollars for 2012. What could possibly account for a quarterly turnaround of $806,000,000? Sure, you can cite the fact that last year Chrysler refinanced government bailout loans, while this year they didn’t. But the real reason for the tectonic shift is product. Chrysler is building cars that consumers want to buy. And the 300S is a perfect example of that philosophy.

Start with the fact that no other domestic car builder currently offers a full-size 4-door sedan like the 300. Ford’s Taurus and Chevy’s Impala are mere shadows of this once abundant species. The 112 inch wheelbase of the Taurus and the 110 inch wheelbase of the Impala both fall nearly a foot short of the Chrysler’s 120 inch wheelbase. So if you’re looking for stretch-out space for the buck, there’s simply no comparison. The 300’s cabin is so large that it will easily accommodate five passengers and all their belongings. And if it’s appointed with Customer Preferred Package 27G ($2,420) and the Luxury Group ($3,250), then the Canadian-built 300S will rival the finest European sedans in fit, finish and level of comfort.

From the moment you slide into the amply padded driver’s seat and survey the reams of “Radar Red” leather padding the dash, transmission console and door panels, you’ll feel like you just checked into your suite at the Ritz. Chrysler has done a remarkably good job of counterfeiting posh European transports like the S Class Benz and 7 Series BMW for less than half the money. The base price of the 300S is a frugal $35,820, and even loaded with the afore mentioned packages and a stellar $1,495 Dual-Pane Panorama Roof, the bottom line on this bruiser came to just $44,705. For the record, the 27G option group brings you Adaptive Bi-Xenon headlights, memory settings for the driver’s seat, steering column, mirrors and radio (!), adaptive cruise control, and a bevy of cameras to monitor adjacent lane traffic, rear vision and blind spots. The Luxury Package ups the leather and contrasting stitched thread count, heats the steering wheel as well as the first and second row seats, and chills or warms the front seat cupholders. The pedal position is remotely adjustable and becomes part of your preferred memory setting. Chrysler hasn’t missed a trick in personalizing the 300S. It’s a level of driving comfort you won’t soon forget.

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By David Colman

Pros: Brutal power, acceleration, handling, stopping, Gauge pack
Cons: Door opens so wide it can’t be reached to close

Chrysler’s storied 300 Series “Letter Cars” from the Fifties and Sixties were forerunners of the muscle car era. With them, Chrysler concocted the classic performance formula of cramming a huge V8 into a family sedan body, then upgrading suspension, brakes, and tires to match. The latest 300 SRT8 is a remarkable sedan, in every way the deserving heir to Chrysler’s long and proud tradition of letter car 300s. At $57,725, the SRT8 is not inexpensive, but then neither were the 300G and 300H in their day. However, a sound argument can be made that even at this price, the 300 SRT8 is a stellar performance bargain, unmatched in its ability to go, corner and stop by cars costing two and three times as much. To gain a true measure of the SRT’s stature, you’d do well to think of its competition as the $150,000 Porsche Panamera Turbo, or the $225,000 Aston Martin Rapide. The Chrysler really is that fast and that good.

It’s a point I proved to my satisfaction on a Sunday morning run from Mill Valley to Point Reyes Station. About 10 miles South of Pt. Reyes Station, I was startled to see my rear view mirror full of motorcycles jockeying for position to pass my 300. I decided to see whether the SRT8 had the mojo to stay ahead of this throbbing pack of bikes, so I floored the 470hp V8 and watched the throng of bikers get smaller in the mirror. The Chrysler’s superb Brembo brakes allowed me to use the Hemi’s thrust to maximum effect on the straights, then lay hard into the binders as the 300 reached maximum velocity after each spurt. The car’s handling in the turns was also impeccable, with Goodyear F1 rubber (245/45R20) offering maximum grip. Only one Super Motard style bike was able to keep the SRT8 in sight before arrival at Pt Reyes. Such stout performance from a 4 door luxury sedan is simply beyond the pale of expectation, and a tribute to the continuing excellence of Chrysler engineering.

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Below is a comprehensive list of all the Expert Car Reviews and feature articles published on CarReview.com [updated 10/11/2011]:

By Bill Clark

Pros:

• Eager V6 engine
• Quiet interior
• Sporty handling

Cons:

• Clueless transmission
• Clueless climate controls
• Clueless seats

I’ve got to hand it to the Chrysler marketing team. Their Superbowl ad sure left me yearning in anticipation to check out the “all new” Chrysler 200. Those momentary glimpses of smooth, flowing black lines and chrome accents really piqued my curiosity. Chrysler’s full-size 300 has been a major success and I think was instrumental in resurrecting the brand. Would the new 200 be any less game-changing than the 300?

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2011 Super Bowl XLV (45) , the biggest television event of the year is coming up this Sunday, February 6, and the auto companies are spending big bucks ($3 million for 30 seconds) on advertising that will rival beer companies’ air time. Car makers such as Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Suzuki, Volkswagen, and Bridgestone are all going to be making TV appearances from pre-game through post-game shows. Some companies have already started to build their campaigns before Super Bowl Sunday through social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Audi is stirring up interest for their A8 Super Bowl commercials by posting the “Audi Estate Sale” on Facebook and messages on Twitter. Audi will also takeover YouTube’s homepage on Super Bowl Sunday.

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The partnership between Chrysler Group and Fiat will unveil the new 2012 seven-seat crossover Fiat Freemont at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

The Fiat Freemont features the body of a Dodge Journey but is rebranded with a Fiat logo, new bumpers and grille, and includes different engine choices that have been developed by Fiat PowerTrain (FPT).

For FWD manual transmission models, a Fiat 2.0-liter MultiJet turbo diesel engine with 140- or 170-horsepower will be offered. Being released later will be the AWD 4×4 models with a 2.0-liter MultiJet 170-horsepower engine and Chrysler’s 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 276-horsepower engine, both with automatic transmissions. Read the rest of this entry »

An electric Fiat 500 and plug-in hybrid Ram are in development

Fiat-Chrysler announced that the company will build an all-electric car based off the Fiat 500 by 2012 and a plug-in hybrid Ram by 2011. The Fiat 500EV was revealed earlier this year at the North American International Auto Show, but details are still scarce on the car. What is known is that the 500EV is co-developed by Chrysler and Fiat. The engineering work will be done at the Chrysler Group headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan and not in Italy.

The 500EV will run off a lithium ion battery, but the current range is unknown. It’s possible for the 500EV to have a range of 60-100 miles. Last year a Swedish company named Adapt converted Fiat 500′s to electric. The company claimed an almost 125 mile range for their Fiat 500 conversions. Unfortunately the electric 500′s Adapt produced cost almost $50,000.

Chrysler has said the 500EV will be priced competitively for an electric vehicle of its size. The 500EV will likely be in the same price range as Nissan’s Leaf, which will have similar specs. Pricing will be withheld until the car comes closer to production.

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$30 billion is gone, but it could have been worse

This was a bad year for both the auto industry and the American taxpayer. The Obama administration’s effort to save General Motors and Chrysler will cost taxpayers $30 billion. The Detroit News reported last week that the losses were less than expected. Earlier forecasts projected a loss of $44 billion of the $82 billion loaned-out.

GM received $50 billion of the money, with $43 billion given in exchange for 61 percent of the company.
A large portion of the $30 billion loss is due to Chrysler. Chrysler has had much of its $12 billion debt forgiven. The government is requiring Fiat to pay back $6 billion in loans before it can increase its 20 percent stake in the company, said Detroit News.

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Honda laps a broken down Chrysler to become No. 4 in US auto sales

Honda, the company that got its start selling mopeds, has replaced Fiat-Chrysler as the No. 4 automaker in the US.

If you think Honda gained the No. 4 spot by selling a few extra Civics from the cash for clunkers program, think again. The Japanese automaker has sold over 1 million cars this year and has crushed Fiat-Chrysler with a sales lead of 200,000. Last year, Chrysler outsold Honda by 25,000 cars.

Fiat-Chrysler has insisted that this is just a temporary setback and they will regain lost ground after their new products hit the US market. Honda is going to stay at No. 4 for the time being because it’s going to take years to fix Chrysler.

Sergio Marchionne, the CEO of Fiat-Chrysler, announced last month a five-year plan to restructure the company. Deadweight like the PT Cruiser has been axed, but its replacement may not come until 2012.

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