- 2015 Chrysler 200
- Interior / Exterior »
The passing resemblance to many other new and recent vehicles shouldn’t distract from its good looks. Yes, the 200′s profile has a long lineage, from its Saab-like front end to a roofline that’s been passed down from the Audi A7 to the Ford Fusion to the Hyundai Genesis, no worse for the wear. The twist here is the downturned shoulder line that drops to the rear end with the same visual effect as the similar line in the current Hyundai Elantra.
The long roofline obscures the reality on the ground: the Chrysler 200′s wheels sit well inboard from its nose and tail. It’s a larger car built on a compact-car wheelbase, so there’s plenty of overhang front and back.
No matter which version you choose, all Chrysler 200 sedans have LED taillamps; LED fog lamps and running lights are available. Most Chrysler 200 sedans have bright trim around the windows, though the 200 S wears gloss black instead.
The distinctive cabin is the Chrysler 200′s real showpiece. It’s convincing in its quality, and the split between dash and console highlighted by some unusual trims in more expensive models. Chrysler is drawing and building some beautiful interiors, and the 200 takes its place on their greatest-hits list. The gauges and center display float together in a sleekly curved cut-out from the soft-touch dash, and trimmed in attractive colors and grains, including an open-pore wood on the 200 C that’s simple and beautiful.
The lower controls–including a rotary shift knob and big dials for volume and air speed–are laid on a separate plane atop a console with open storage beneath, a la Volvo, and the console has a slide-back portion under the cupholders that reveals charging and power ports. The details speak to lots of attention and time: there’s an embossed Detroit skyline in the under-console on its protective rubber mat (though neither the car nor the company hail from the city itself), there are volume and seek controls on the back of the steering wheel, even a natty interior trim with black surfaces, blue piping, and a blue cast on the dash trim.
- Performance »
The 2015 Chrysler 200 slots in somewhere in the middle. It’s very powerful in V-6 trim, pretty well-damped in most situations, but not the sharpest carving tool in the family-sedan set.
The base Chrysler 200 sports a 2.4-liter four-cylinder and a nine-speed automatic, which send their power to the front wheels, just as the same drivetrain team does in the Dodge Dart and in some versions of the Jeep Cherokee. The four’s rated at 184 horsepower and 173 pound-feet of torque. It’s pleasant to pull the four through its powerband, even though the automatic doesn’t allow any shifting of the semi-manual variety. It’s always optimizing shifts for road conditions and above all, for fuel economy, and as a result it’s not difficult to drive smoothly. You’ll want to order the optional acoustic glass with this drivetrain, we think, to damp out any typical four-cylinder noise.
With the optional 3.6-liter V-6, the Chrysler 200 barrels ahead of some sedans that come only with four-cylinder engines. Rated at 295 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque, this Chrysler 200 has some of the strongest acceleration in the segment. It also has some noticeable torque steer, at least in front-drive versions. It’s potentially cured by the 200′s optional all-wheel-drive system, which can send up to 60 percent of the torque to the rear wheels, but we weren’t able to test that model.
If only for its standard shift paddles, we’d order the V-6. The paddles give direct control over shift timing, and tap into all the driving enjoyment the 200 can muster. It does take a few clicks of the paddles to get through some of the nine-speed’s less needed top gears–with so many ratios, the 200 is overstocked on highway cruising gears. The rotary shift dial also enables a sport mode that gives the 200 another talking point in the driving-dynamics discussion, upping steering weight and moving the shift points higher.
Predictable, unremarkable handling puts the 200 in that middle band between Altima and Fusion. The Ford’s quick steering and borderline stiff ride feel sporty all the time; the Altima does the best job of anonymizing road surfaces and road noises. The 200 does its best to tamp down the worst of the road without really encouraging a side trip to one of Rand McNally’s lesser-known routes. Chrysler’s basic setup of front struts and rear links meets its match with the heady acceleration of the V-6. It wants to surge, while the 200′s tires want to scrub off speed and some of the car’s finer responses. The 200 is smooth and steering is reasonably responsive, but its attention drifts as the cornering forces build.
The new 200 sedan makes major strides in that direction (the 200 convertible has been axed). It has more power, a more advanced automatic transmission, more interior space, and a look that’s faintly glamorous.
The problem: all the self-improvement work still doesn’t bring it close to the all-around brilliance of a Ford Fusion or a Honda Accord, or close to the high-economy serenity of a Nissan Altima.
With its smooth, rounded, and very refined grille and front-end appearance—which sets a new, less upright look for Chrysler and seems to pick up where Saab left off—the Chrysler 200 sedan shows up with an unexpectedly fresh face. With an elongated roofline, nice taper going to the tail, and flush decklid with ‘hidden’ exhaust outlet, and the 200 doesn’t follow the look of the current Chrysler 300 or the outgoing 200. Inside, the 200 is transformed on the level of the Jeep Cherokee and Dodge Durango. The dash is swathed in top-grade materials, fits, and finishes, and sports an innovative center-console design that allows pass-through storage area beneath, as well as sliding cupholders and versatile cubbies. The rotary shift control is its calling card.
For performance, the 200 depends on the same drivetrains found in the Dart and in the Jeep Cherokee. It’s very powerful in V-6 trim, pretty well-damped in most situations, but not the sharpest carving tool in the family-sedan set. The 184-horsepower, 2.4-liter four is admirably smooth–so long as you opt for acoustic glass–but the 295-hp V-6 is the very strong counterpunch to turbo-four offerings elsewhere. Manual-shift modes and paddles stir the best of the V-6 to the top of the mix, but there’s torque steer unless you also opt into all-wheel drive.
Predictable, unremarkable handling puts the 200 in that middle band between Altima and Fusion. Built on an extended Dart platform, the 200 shares its strut front/four-link rear end and electric power steering. It’s not as exciting as the taut Fusion, nor as supple as the Altima, but the 200 has pleasant, progressive responses that we think would feel more polished with a set of mildly aspirational tires.
It’s only about an inch longer and an inch lower than the outgoing model of the same name, but the Chrysler 200′s proportions are quite different. It’s acceptably roomy in the front seats, though the driving position is low. The rear seat is difficult to access if you’re tall, and impossible to find comfort in if you’re more than six feet tall–the low roofline really exacts its penalty. All models get a 60/40-split back seat with a trunk pass-through, and a flip-down seat armrest that includes storage and cupholders.
The base 2015 Chrysler 200 LX will start at just $21,700—or $22,695 with destination—which makes it one of the most affordable mid-size sedans; and it includes air conditioning, rear heat ducts, a full-length console with sliding armrest, overhead storage, keyless entry, LED ambient interior lighting, a tilt/telescopic steering wheel, an auxiliary input back, USB connectivity, and Bluetooth connectivity. Limited models step up to alloy wheels and an audio upgrade, and they can be optioned up with packages that include dual-zone climate control, remote start, heated mirrors, a heated steering wheel, a rear backup camera, and satellite radio, among other features. Chrysler 200S models get a sportier look, plus fog lamps, heated mirrors, bigger 18-inch wheels, a sport suspension, and other upgrades, while top 200C models heap on additional features that include a garage-door opener and upgraded materials and trims—and they can be optioned with packages including HID headlamps, LED fog lamps and running lamps, ventilated front seats, real wood interior accents, and a SafetyTec package.
That package includes both an available LaneSense lane departure warning system as well as Rear Cross Path Detection and a Full-Speed Collision Warning-Plus system (with autonomous braking under some situations), plus adaptive cruise control and rain-sensing wipers. The 200C will also offer Chrysler’s first automated parking system—for both parallel and perpendicular situations.
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