Vehicle: 2011 Chrysler 200 Limited with sunroof
Price as tested: CDN$30595
Performance: Is the new 200 just a rebadged Sebring or is this Chrysler’s final chance to challenge the best in family sedan class? We will find out after this test drive.
As with most new Chrysler, 200′s biggest highlight has to be its sweet Pentastar engine series. In 200′s guise, it has a 3.6 liter V6 with variable valve timing. This engine is good for 283 ponies and more importantly, 260 lb/ft of torque at driver’s disposal. In terms of refinement and NVH, Pentastar is one sweet rat of an engine. Its able to match anything from Nissan to Toyota’s V6 like Chrysler has never gone before. Gone is Chrysler’s old rough and noisy racket of 6-cylinders, in with the newly innovative yet refined unit that is simply world-class. Another important improvement over the Sebring is the additional gear on the manumatic. A 6-speed manumatic has better use of the sweetspots in the Pentastar series. While the 1st and 2nd gears are for peppy launch, 3rd and 4th always keep the engine in the sweetspots during mid-range acceleration, 5th and 6th work so effortlessly as a highway cruising gears. What’s most impressive about Pentastar is the healthy mid-range with the right engine note, while the top-end has a slight breathless when pushed even with the help of a 6-speed manumatic. Given 260 lb/ft of torque, the bottom end is impressive.
Handling: Although Chrysler has claimed they have put Sebring’s chassis through lots of engineering progress, in order to make it a capable handler. 200′s dynamic package can only be describe as benign and reassuring instead of class-leading. While the chassis certainly feels lots stiffer when pushed, suspension caliberations work much better when absorbing bumps and roughness. Its level of handling and ride compromise remain far from being class-leading, it can be only describe as only reaching the class standard. Considering the outgoing Sebring has been considered as one of the worse cars I have ever driven, 200 represents a huge step forward. The steering feel and feedback are competent and reassuring, if not exceptional. Ride and roll control have given a significant improvement. In the Sebring, you can feel every expansion joints but 200 returns in a more forgiving manners. Body rolls are more controllable. Best of all, 200 has received the latest iteration of ESP. That means it works exceptionally well, if you have pushed it too eagerly into a corner.
Brakes: With 4-wheel discs and standard ABS, 200 has stopped decently. The stopping distance and pedal feel are better than expected. The pedal always feels crisp and alive, while ABS doesn’t step in unncessarily.
Interior: “Rubbermaid” always comes to mid when it comes to interior appointment of Chrysler in the past. The outgoing Sebring simply has the worse interior in its class. The new 200 has come a long way, when it comes to use of materials and fit-and-finish. The uneven interior panels, rotten plastic and finger-cutting edges have gone for the more pleasing soft-touch plastic and soften edges. While you can’t compare 200′s interior furnishings with class-leaders, it represents a 180 degrees improvement over its horrible predecessor. The rest of the interior is logically layout, with proper instrumentation gauges and climate control that is very initutive.
Conclusion: The hosts of improvements certainly proved 200 is more than just a rebadged Sebring. It also serves as a stop-gap product in this fiercely competitive segment before the entirely new mid-size Chrysler sedan arrives in 2 years. At the very end, at least Chrysler is able to deliver a product that is at class standard instead of far below.
Competitions:
Chevrolet Malibu
Ford Fusion
Honda Accord
Toyota Camry
Mazda6
Nissan Altima
OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2011 Chrysler 200 sedan
=====================================
Performance: 4/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 3/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 3.5/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 3.5/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 3.5/5
Value-for-money: 2/5
Overall rating: 2.5/5