Spotted: a Chrysler 200
The Chrysler 300 is familiar. It has also shone in this column before. Less well known is that there was also a Chrysler 200. Understandable, because that model was never delivered in Europe. Still, you may know the first generation 200 without knowing it.
The first Chrysler 200
The first Chrysler 200 came on the market for model year 2011, but was really just a thoroughly facelifted version of the Chrysler Sebring. That one was still officially delivered in the Netherlands. From 2012 through 2014, the Chrysler 200 also returned to the European market, but only as a convertible and under the name… Lancia Flavia… Because this Chrysler 200 was actually just a facelift model, a new model generation appeared relatively quickly. That was in 2014, for model year 2015.
The spotted specimen
The one we spotted on the A12 is one of those of the second generation. To be precise, it is a Chrysler 200 Limited from the first production year 2014, which has also been in the Netherlands since 2015. By the way, the “Limited” lettering on the bumper of the spotted specimen is not original. Furthermore, the type designation on the tailgate makes it clear that the standard 2.4-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine is under the hood.
The second-generation Chrysler 200
The second-generation Chrysler 200 shared its platform with the Dodge Dart and two cars we know better: the Alfa Romeo Giulietta and the then Jeep Cherokee. The later Chrysler Pacifica is also related. Only the four-door sedan of the Chrysler 200 remained, as the demand for convertibles had declined and it would be too great an investment to make this platform suitable for an open variant. With an air resistance coefficient of 0.27, the Chrysler was one of the most aerodynamic cars in its segment when it was introduced.
Engines Chrysler 200
In addition to the already mentioned, 137 kW (186 hp) strong four-cylinder, you could also choose a 3.6-liter V6 with 220 kW (299 hp). At the time, that was one of the most powerful V6 engines in this segment. Both engines were mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive was standard, but the V6 could also be combined with all-wheel drive.
The Limited we spotted was pretty much the “middle model” from the range. Below it you still had base model LX, above it were the semi-sporty 200S and the more luxury-oriented 200C. For the 2016 model year, these offerings were already undergoing changes. The LX and 200S remained, but the Limited and 200C were replaced by the Touring, Limited Platinum and 200C Platinum.
Short career
The second-generation Chrysler 200 also had a fairly short career. There was another 2017 model year, with another revised offering. However, the model year was not fully completed, as the production line stopped in December 2016. The main reason for the production halt was that (then) parent company FCA wanted to focus on more profitable market segments such as SUVs and pickups in the US. Production of platform-mate Dodge Dart, for example, was also discontinued. Yet interviews also hinted that then-CEO Sergio Marchionne himself just wasn’t that enamored with the Chrysler 200….
