To be honest, Chrysler hasn't really been my cup of tea; sure they made cars, but their portfolio hasn't really been filled with jaw-droppers-- till now. Sure, the Dodge Viper is awesome, and the Charger is rear wheel drive, but honestly, aside from that, did anyone gives these guy any kind of look? I did, and that look was a quick glance. Not exactly awe-inspiring by any means. Enter 2011-- every vehicle in the Chrysler portfolio is either all new, or majorly revamped. I'll first start off with my favorites, and wind my way down to the "I shot it because it was there" cars.
Some of you old-timers (sorry!) may remember Fiat for selling either unreliable deathtraps, or cute little sports roadsters that were a joy to drive-- when they ran. After leaving the US in the early 1980s with the unsuccessful Strada, the boys from Italy are back, and this time they have no intention to pack up and go home. Launched in Europe in 2008, the new 500 picks up where the first iteration of BMW's "Mini" left off; it's a small, fuel efficent car with a punch-- and racing history. Not so much the new one as the old one, but still-- a sporty minicar is a sporty minicar. Like Mini, Fiat, too, will be offering multiple variations, including a 500C (a Cabrio-- not a large 4 door), and the much-loved Abarth performance model. Fiat had several on stand, as its the only vehicle they offer so far in the States. I say "Welcome Back" and cue the pictures :) I'm not gonna lie-- and why would I? This was quite possibly my favorite car of the show-- almost! I love this little guy! It's like omgcute.
HEMI is BACK, ALL 392 CUBES OF IT!
If you remember the 1960s and 1970s, you likely remember the muscle car wars; forget miles per gallon, this war was fought to see which car packed the most horespower, and the most cubic inches; and Dodge is reliving the horse-wars now in 2011. This year, they've brought back the famed 392 Hemi. Here it is, in the all new Challenger 392. Quite lovely in this awesome blue and white scheme made famous by the Dodge Viper GTS 15 years ago. Wait-- 1996 was 15 years ago? Really? It certainly doesn't seem like it. Anywhoo, this particular car sits atop the Challenger tree, boasting all of of 470 horses, which are chanelled through a proper 6 speed manual. Since I mentioned MPG, I would like to add that this beast gets.. maybe 12 or 13 MPG combined, if you care about that.
REAR WHEEL DRIVE SAVIOR? NOT QUITE.
Back in 2005 when the Chrysler LX cars were launched, the Chryler 300 won Motor Trend's Car of the Year; great, but what's its like outside the limelight? Honestly, despite these being "cult classics" from Chrysler, they're not that much different than any other Chrysler product once the showroom shine begins to fade. Cheap interior plastics, paint that loses its luster, and an "eye-catching shape" that begins to become bland after awhile due to strong sales. Although motoring critics are acclaiming these cars left and right, to me thses are a simple rehash of the typical Chrysler formula. Sure, the interior quality is drastically improved, and the styling has been freshened up, but in a years' time, how will these look on our streets? I predict the same outcome as the 2005-2010 cars. Nice try, Chrysler, but you have some catching up to do.
FROM JUNKYARD DOG TO SHOWROOM STAR
To be blunt, Chrysler's SUVs, like the car counterparts, have been a big mess; not very attractive, cheaply built, horrid quality, horrid to drive, awful on long trips, but apparently that's change. Quite. The new Jeep Grand Cherokee (The only Jeep I cared enough about to look at) has arrived. It picks up where the old one left off; it's still a town car for yuppies, and yes it does cost more than the old one, but.. the old one didn't look as good as this. The old one's interior didn't feel high end, and the old one surely didn't warrant the $45k MSRP; this does. For 2011, every square centimeter of this perennial best-selling SUV is new or drastically changed. Gone are the turbo diesel, and low output V6. In their place are the new Pentastar 3.6 V6, and the Hemi returns. Sitting inside the new Jeep, your eyes dance around, looking for a shoddy surface-- none. Next, you start to peer into crevices looking for gaps, and uneven texture-- nope, not there. The seats are firm, but comfortable, the driving position and gauge placement is pretty good, almost Land Rover like. And it gets marginally better gas mileage than the old one. Oh, did I mentioned it starts at a lower price than the old one, too?
For 2011, the much-loathed Dodge Durango gets extremely sexy skin. The previous Durangos were nothing to look at, nor were they any good to drive. The interiors were what seemed like acres of grainy, hard plastics, and so-so fit and finish. Like the Jeep Grand Cherokee, I was impressed -- no, amazed is the right word here. Elegant texture, rich feeling materials, gorgeous color combination, and a definite upmarket feel about it. Outside, my reaction is much the same. Like the Grand Cherokee, this, too, has street presence. I still stop and stare when I see these coming. Definitely can't say that about a previous generation, I'll say that much. So, two big SUVs-- two very good big SUVs from an ailing brand. I gotta hand it to Chrysler for this. Do you think it makes up for the LX cars? Just maybe it does.
Great news-- there is a new Sebring! Wait, I mean 200. Moving on now..
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