2011 Chrysler 200 Review: More than Expected/200S Coming in Spring...

[Atomic]

a pretty good review of the sebring sedan replacement. have another article to post later. i doubt any of us would ever buy one (at least in sedan form), but i will make a point to rent one and see if any of the elders i car shop for might be intrigued by the car. the upcoming chrysler 300 might be too large or costly for some on a tight senior budget.

Article #1:

Chrysler 200 Nicely Replaces Disgraceful Sebring: The Chrysler 200 Replaces the Sebring with Style and Grace

THE BOTTOM LINE

Reasons to buy:

Interior materials, quiet, features, price

Shortcomings:

Torque steer from V-6, four-speed automatic transmission in base model

By: Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press

In: USA Today Weekend Edition: December 3-5, 2010

Chrysler's 2011 200 Limited sedan is the automotive equivalent of new neighbors moving in and painting and landscaping the dilapidated house down the street from your place. The midsize 200 is an admirable reworking of the Sebring sedan, a ramshackle construction that had been dragging down its neighbors' property values for years.

Chrysler stopped just short of a complete teardown, but a new engine, transmission, interior, styling and suspension make the 200 look and feel like a new car, and a pretty good one at that.

The Sebring sedan is the embodiment of Chrysler's demise. DaimlerChrysler mismanagement created a car crippled by interior noise, imprecise handling and idiosyncratic looks that appealed to few. It had a roomy interior and optional heated or cooled cup holder, but not much else going for it.

PHOTOS: More views of the Chrysler 200 (Online/In Print)

The Sebring's ills might not have been terminal, but neither Daimler nor Cerberus, the equity firm that acquired Chrysler in 2007, was inclined to spend any money to cure them. The Sebring became the auto industry's most dreaded commodity: a vehicle that not only lost money but was so bad that each one sold diminished the value of its brand.

When Fiat took control of Chrysler last year, the new leadership team ordered an immediate renovation. It started by renaming the sedan the 200 to establish a connection with the exquisite Chrysler 300.

The 200 then got a new grille with matte chrome crossbars shaped like wings and a new badge. The winged badge's resemblance to Aston Martin's logo stops just short of plagiarism, but it completes the 200's new look.

The 200 also got a new hood, fenders, trunk and head- and taillights. It's much better looking than the Sebring sedan. The coupe and convertible keep their old name.

Prices for the 200 start at $19,245 for a base model with a 173-horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and four-speed automatic. A 283-horsepower 3.6-liter V-6 and six-speed automatic are also available.

The interior is virtually all new. The trim fits together well and looks good. Chrysler replaced the multipart dashboard cover with a single piece, eliminating seams that could cause squeaks if they didn't fit perfectly.

Every spot that you're likely to lean an arm is cushioned, a feature that became welcome when I recently drove a 200 nearly 400 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

The passenger compartment is a roomy 100.3 cubic feet, while the trunk is a snug but useful 13.6 cubic feet. The interior was extremely quiet on my long, fast and frequently windswept drive through the Central Valley.

The steering is responsive and had good on-center feel for the long, flat straightaway that constitutes the middle of California. The suspension kept the car stable on curving coastal roads. It cushioned impacts from rough pavement well, but the car developed a rocking ride over more widely spaced bumps.

The V-6 produces very noticeable torque steer when you floor the pedal, but acceleration is not overly impressive. The car is a more than competent highway cruiser.

The Chrysler 200 is a vast improvement from the benighted Sebring. More important, it's good enough to merit a look from shoppers who want a roomy, quiet and comfortable midsize sedan.

Welcome to the neighborhood.

ABOUT THE 2011 CHRYSLER 200

What: Front-drive, midsize, five-passenger sedan.

When: On sale by year's end.

Where: Made at Sterling Heights, Mich.

Why: Get Chrysler back into the game in the lucrative but very competitive midsize sedan market, the biggest U.S. sales category. With Sebring, it was essentially shut out.

How: Major renovation of old Sebring with new sheet metal, new interior, chassis modifications and powertrain upgrades.

How much: About $800 less to start than the Sebring. Three trim levels to start with base prices of $19,995 for LX (including shipping), $21,995 for Touring and $24,495 for Limited. Sportier S due later.

Price for 200 Limited as tested: $27,540 (with $750 shipping), which included 18-inch aluminum wheels, automatic climate control, leather upholstery with heated front seats and Garmin navigation system.

How powerful: Standard on all trims is 2.4-liter four-cylinder rated 173 horsepower at 6,000 rpm. Optional 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 rated 283 hp at 6,400 rpm. Four-speed automatic standard with four-cylinder on base LX, otherwise six-speed automatic.

How big: Like a Toyota Camry. 200 is 191.7 in. long, 72.5 in. wide, 58.4 in. high. Weighs: 3,389 lbs. (four-cylinder LX) to 3,559 lbs. (Limited V-6). Interior space: 100.3 cu. ft. Trunk: 13.6 cu. ft. Turning diameter: 36.5 ft. (17-in. wheels), 37.7 ft. (18-in. wheels).

How thirsty: Chrysler projects EPA rating for V-6 automatic of 19 mpg city, 29 highway. Engines run on regular; midrange (89 octane) preferred for V-6. Tank holds 16.9 gallons.

Phelan's overall rating: Three out of four stars

Test Drive today is by Detroit Free Press auto columnist Mark Phelan. James R. Healey is on medical leave.

[Atomic]

Article #2:

Shhhh! 200 Shows Off Chrysler's New, Quieter Vibe: Chrysler Says Passengers Can Talk without Raising Their Voices in the 200

By: Bradford Wernle

For: Automotive News -- November 29, 2010 - 12:01 am ET

NAPA, Calif. -- Ask Ben Winter what he is most proud of on the 2011 Chrysler 200 sedan, and he replies without hesitation.

"It's what we've done with the NVH," said Winter, Chrysler Group vehicle line executive for minivans and mid-sized vehicles. That's noise, vibration and harshness, engineer-speak for how quiet a car is.

Winter and his colleagues took the mid-sized Chrysler Sebring, a car described by Consumer Reports magazine as "noisy and unrefined," and transformed it into a sedan, now called the 200, in which passengers can converse without raising their voices.

The Sebring's rebirth as the 200 is the poster child for an engineering full-court press at Chrysler in the past year on its widely criticized current lineup.

The engineering staff reworked parts or all of 16 vehicles, improving suspensions, NVH and powertrains. Designers updated the exteriors and redid interiors in response to critics who had labeled them cheap.

4 on road; more coming

Of the 16, the Jeep Liberty, Grand Cherokee and Wrangler and the Ram HD Chassis Cabs are already on the road. The Jeep Patriot is hitting showrooms this month. Coming late this year or next year are the Jeep Compass; the Dodge Durango, Charger, Avenger, Grand Caravan, Journey and Challenger; the Chrysler 200, Town & Country and 300; and the Fiat 500.

CEO Sergio Marchionne ordered the changes to tide the automaker over until new vehicles based on Fiat platforms arrive in 2012 and 2013.

For the 200, engineers used 45 sound-deadening techniques to make the new sedan quieter than the Sebring, Winter said in an interview here at the 200 media launch.

The acoustic changes were a small part of the numerous design and engineering modifications to the Sebring. Chrysler changed the car's name to the 200, and hopes it will compete more successfully with the Chevrolet Malibu, Ford Fusion, Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.

Through 10 months this year, Toyota sold 275,844 Camrys, while Chrysler sold 35,827 Sebrings.

Measured on an "articulation index" that Chrysler uses to gauge how easy it is to hold a conversation inside the car, the 200 improves 9 percent over the Sebring, Winter said. The measurement includes road, wind and powertrain noise, all of which intruded into the Sebring's cabin.

The changes include a new sound-deadening windshield, laminated side glass, new three-point engine mounts to isolate low-end powertrain growl, a retuned exhaust and sound-absorbing foam throughout.

New V-6, too

The 200 also gets Chrysler's new Pentastar V-6 engine, which is more refined than the previous V-6. Four-cylinder versions of the 200 get a six-speed automatic, which is quieter than the four-speed automatic offered on the Sebring. That four-speed automatic is still available on low-end versions of the 200.

The 200's sibling, the Dodge Avenger, also benefitted from the same modifications.

The redesign and re-engineering of the Sebring/200 took a year, a very rapid timetable for such a project.

"We knew could do it," Winter said, "but would anybody notice? We concluded we wanted people to notice."


BUSY ENGINEERS

The 16 vehicles Chrysler Group reworked for this year or next

Chrysler: 200, Town & Country, 300

Dodge: Avenger, Charger, Durango, Challenger, Grand Caravan, Journey

Fiat: 500

Jeep: Grand Cherokee, Compass, Patriot, Wrangler, Liberty

Ram: Full-sized pickup HD Chassis Cabs