2015 Chrysler 200s AWD, Test Drive, Specs, Rating, Price

The Chrysler 200 – Wait… that’s a Chrysler?!

Let’s be honest, the consensual impression of the Chrysler brand has generally been mediocre in the past. But with the emergence of the Italian Fiat merge and the release of the all new 200 mid-size sedan, Chrysler is determined to cleanse the minds of those that dare to curse one of the Big Three pioneers of the automobile.

I was truly impressed when I first saw the Chrysler 200 on a TV commercial. Its bold looks and ultra modern interior design actually made my heart heart skip a few beats from excitement. And its amenities stack up well in the technological and safety standpoint. I simply couldn’t wait to get my hands on one of these to test drive.

Key Design Features

The design philosophy of the Chrysler 200 revolves around a Coupe-like architecture with iterative refinement in the overall curvatures and integrating distinctive key design features. The result is a mid-size sedan that embraces aggression, luxury and sophistication.

Up front, the Chrysler 200 gives off an elegant look with its slim profile grille flowing seamlessly around its curvaceous headlamps. Headlamps also integrates modern white LED’s in the front and rear tail lights. For premium looks and feels, the Chrysler 200 can be equipped with High Intensity Discharge lamps with optional LED fog lamps. Around back employs a simple yet stylish faux spoiler with its slim LED tail lamps accompanying the rear chassis edge. Also a key design trait particularly in the Chrysler 200s and any models equipped with the V6 engine, is a distinctive trapezoidal chrome plated exhaust tips.

Interior Design and Technological Features

Chrysler has been notorious for its archaic interior design and the lack of quality materials used, even with its symbolic icon – the Dodge Viper. We were pleased to see step up in quality in the new Chrysler 200. But even so, it still behind some of its competitors within the vicinity of its price point. Nevertheless, it’s a significant improvement. One of the key interior design elements is the re-designed center console layout that offers an optimized ratio of space-saving and ergonomics. And the way they achieved this was to employ the least number of buttons and knobs in the center console panel that allows simple controls over cabin space HVAC, stereo control, parking brake, and a copy cat of the rotary PRND shift knob borrowed from the JLR (Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover) intel.

The caveat to this low profile center console layout is the lack of other climate controls such as heated seats, and HVAC modes. Instead, the detailed climate control settings are punched in via the 8.4″ infotainment screen. But it’s not a bad feature as the climate control user interface on the infotainment screen is well laid out and fairly easy to use.

However, we felt that the instrument panel cluster was a bit excessive. To put words into perspective, it was simply too “busy” with an extensive palette of different colors and information, resulting in a divergent from its simplistic design trait.

A nice engine with a lot of gears

In terms of power train options, the Chrysler 200 can be configured with either Chrysler’s in-house 4-cylinder 2.4 liter TigerShark engine producing 184 horsepower and 173 ft.lbs of torque, or the more powerful 6 cylinder 3.6 liter Pentastar engine producing 295 horsepower and 263 ft.lbs of torque. That is a significant difference in power output between the two models. Our test vehicle came equipped with the latter engine option. Both engine configurations are coupled to a 9 speed automatic transmission that can also be controlled in manual shift mode via the E-Rotary shift knob.

Even with the large capacity 3.6 liter 6 cylinder engine, the Chrysler 200 EPA fuel consumption is rated at 19 and 29, averaging out at 24 MPG. Our final test drive averaged out to about 21 MPG, which is not bad for a mid-size sedan powered by a sub 300 horsepower engine.

Driving Impressions and Final Thoughts

Once hopped in, the Chrysler 200 feels like a big car, and it translates to a good cause. there is no shortage amount of leg and arm room in the cabin space. But compared to other mid-size sedan, the Chrysler 200 feels does feel a bit excessively large at times. This could be contributed by larger 19″ wheels configured on our test vehicle and larger panels layered throughout between the interior cabin space and chassis panels.

Acceleration is not bad. It’s smooth and powerful thanks to the high resolution gearbox. We weren’t particularly fond of the handling and response as the massive 19″ wheels increased the center of gravity a bit and disturbed the potential handling. But the suspension setup offers a good balance of comfort and handling performance.

Our tested model came equipped with the AWD power train option, and it’s not bad. Upon hard acceleration on slippery road, all four wheels were able to synchronously distribute torque for seamless acceleration.

Despite the improvement in interior materials used, the seats seemed to be more or less designed for large people. It did take a bit of getting used to, but generally, they held up well during longer drives.

Our tested model came priced in at $33,420 which falls in on the upper spectrum of mid-size sedans. Although on the upper bracket, the price point is fair considering the amount of technological and styling features this car has.

The 2015 Chrysler 200 is the first iteration of its model; and therefore, it’s not perfect. Seat materPreviewials could be improved, and even though our test vehicle has only been on duty for 7k miles, its aging process has already begun to take place. But with a robust platform and a well laid out driver interface, we look forward to what the next big thing Chrysler will come up with in the near future.

Base Price: $22,695
Drivetrain: 2.4-liter, 184-hp, 173-lb-ft I4; FWD, nine-speed automatic
Curb Weight: 3,473 lb
0-60 mph: 8.4 sec (est)
Fuel Economy (EPA City/Hwy/Combined): 26/35/29 mpg (est)