Everywhere I turn, I note the stiff competition among carmakers to turn out roomy, comfortable sedans. Chrysler just updated its 200 and lent me the 2015 200S AWD for a week to let me see how it stacks up.
photo courtesy Chrysler
Performance
The 3.6L V6 24V VVT (variable valve timing) engine provides quiet, competent acceleration. Step on the accelerator and the 200 quickly revs up, though the engine roar stays largely outside the cabin.
As is to be expected from larger engines like this 3.6L, fuel economy isn’t a strong suit. The vehicle’s in-car electronics told me I achieved about 10 L/100km on each trip. (I didn’t have time to take lengthy highway trips, and the times I did get on 400-series roads I regrettably had my foot on the brake as much as the accelerator.) Chrysler offers a 2.4L engine on other variants of the 200 that ought to sip less fuel.
The 9-speed automatic transmission plays a large role in limiting engine noise. Most of the time, it limited rpm to the engine’s sweet spot almost as well as if it were a continuously variable transmission.
Exterior styling
The attractive vivid blue pearl coat paint on my tester complements the well-behaved look of the 200S. Halogen headlights accent a smooth front end. Satin carbon aluminum wheels fit this refined sedan’s design.
photo courtesy Chrysler
The rear glass seems to slant almost to the end of the trunk lid, which swings up to allow great access to a cavernous trunk. My hockey bag slid in easily, and I could almost fit my sticks diagonally without lowering one of the 60/40 split-folding rear seats. (I also put my sticks through the fold-down rear-seat armrest.)
When putting gear in the trunk, I was mindful of the woofer and two speakers suspended from the rear deck. A 506-watt amplifier drives the whole nine-speaker sound system.
Interior
Keyless entry leads to a well-appointed interior. The “S” badge on the seats reminds you of the trim level you’re about to enjoy.
photo courtesy Chrysler
I couldn’t shake the notion of piloting the Starship Enterprise, such was the unusual (albeit mostly logical) layout of the switches and the abundance of readouts.
photo courtesy Chrysler
Facing me was a leather-wrapped three-spoke steering wheel that Mr. Sulu could relate to. The side spokes were so wide that when the wheel was straight (as it was when I first got into the car), I couldn’t see the engine start/stop button hiding behind the right spoke. I had to lean to my right to look around the steering wheel to see the button.
Since the ring around this button tells the driver whether the car is on, off or in accessories (Acc) mode, Chrysler needs to place the button where it’s more easily visible. This button ought to join the slanted instrument cluster just ahead of the centre storage console, where the automatic gear shift sits.
This shift is a dial which sits below five letters: P, R, N, D, S. The “S” stands for Sport mode. The 200S comes with steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters so you can manually control the nine gears. I found that a little odd in this particular car, but then I’ve seen paddle shifters in SUVs as well. In any case, you can use the paddle shifters in either D (just start using them, even if the car’s in motion) or S (press the dial down, turn to “S” and start shifting).
The parking brake switch is to the right of the transmission dial. Just above, Chrysler placed climate and vehicle controls in an attractive, easy-to-learn and easy-to-reach layout. I’d like to see frequently-used controls, like those for seat heating and ventilation, move here so drivers don’t have to fiddle with the touchscreen above to access them. These controls are easy to access via touchscreen, but it somehow seems more logical to have physical switches for them.
Note placement of the engine start/stop button behind the steering wheel. It should join the clean, logically arranged instrument cluster below it and to the right. photo courtesy Chrysler
A panoramic power moonroof sits over both the front and rear seats and opens above the front seat passengers.
Thoughtful interior design continues with cabin storage space, Chrysler designers outdid themselves here. The central “cubby” has a cupholder lid that slides longitudinally on rails to either side of it. It locks in three positions so that it’s either:
- entirely shut (with the centre armrest down) and showing two cupholders (great to keep devices connected to power outlets and safe from prying eyes)
- partially open and showing one cupholder (with the centre armrest down)
- fully open with the cupholders where the fold-up armrest normally sits (it can cover the cupholders)
A photo with the upholders hidden by the armrest. Note the useful space under the “control panel” and, just to the right, a power outlet accessible to the front passenger only. photo courtesy Chrysler
Instructions
Please forgive this geeky tangent, but I am a technical writer at heart. That’s why I actually leaf through the manuals that come in cars I review. Most of them are bricks, which makes sense since they cover pretty complex machinery, but their sheer size can be a turnoff.
Chrysler’s attention to detail extends to the 2015 200S manual. It’s a slim thing of beauty, well laid out, illustrated, on high-quality paper (though the font could have been a little bigger). Drivers can download a PDF of the full manual by following the instructions on the back cover of the paper manual.
A DVD shows demos of the car’s various features. Just put it into your computer and you can choose specific explanations much like you would scenes on a video DVD. This is a nice touch, and I’d like to see this professionally produced video content reside on Chrysler’s website. Drivers could stream the content or download it to their computers for later viewing. (I say this since optical discs are on the way out. The world is converting to streaming video and many computers today ship without optical drives.)
In-car electronics
The beefy steering wheel offers the most obvious hint that this is a tech-heavy vehicle. Controls on the left spoke let the driver cycle through the display that sits between the speedometer and the tachometer. The display below shows tire pressure, and it’ll also show battery condition, current milage, what’s playing on the audio system and other information.
photo courtesy Chrysler
Just under the readout switches sit three phone and voice control buttons.
Buttons on the right steering wheel spoke (the one that obscures the driver’s view of the engine start/stop button) manage cruise control. Oddly, three “dummy buttons” appear under the cruise control buttons on my model. A little research tells me that some 200 models use these buttons for adaptive cruise control.
Want more buttons, Sulu? Check behind the wheel, under the paddle shifters. Your fingers will find buttons that you can use to control the entertainment system. These buttons let you switch bands, change channels, cycle through presets and adjust volume. This seems like as good a place as any to put these controls, and in any case, real estate on the front of the steering wheel is largely spoken for.
Chrysler’s UConnect system is meant to help smartphone-owning drivers stream apps via the touchscreen. If you have an unlimited data plan and a hankering for your own streaming music app, go right ahead. Those of us who pinch our mobile data pennies won’t have as much use for uConnect. Fortunately, the rest of the in-car entertainment system offers enough free options to satisfy most drivers, IMHO.
When I tested the 200S in late October, the Apple iOS version of uConnect was not available in Canada. That said, I’ve tried such apps from other carmakers. I don’t really care for them. I don’t blame automakers for producing them, though. I’m starting to feel sorry for them. They seem to develop these apps to keep up with the Joneses. With any luck, in-car systems from Apple and Google will arrive on more models and relieve automakers from having to tie up resources providing in-car support for the vast and ever-expanding smartphone and tablet app universe. Let the developers of mobile operating systems and third-party apps handle that. It’s their bailiwick, after all.
Issues
For all the refinement Chrysler put into the 200S (and there’s a lot), a few shortcomings struck me as oddly egregious.
Drivers seat
This vehicle is so refined from stem to stern that I still can’t believe that the drivers seat won’t comfortably accommodate my 6’5″ frame.
I could not get comfortable driving the 200S, no matter what I did. I ended up lowering the seat all the way down, leaning it back so I wouldn’t have to lean my head to one side or cram the top of my head against the ceiling (leaving out the moonroof would have made a difference), and bringing the seat forward so I could somewhat comfortably reach the steering wheel.
Shorter drivers will love this power 8-way drivers seat. Controls on the side move it up and down and adjust support for the lumbar spine. Seats are also heated and ventilated via the touchscreen.
Driver’s side door
I can reach the open door when seated, if I lean way out. Remember, I’m tall, and I found my “wingspan” is just enough to reach the door handle without stepping out of the car.
Blind spot
The 200S features blind spot and cross path detection. Lights appear on the side view mirrors if a vehicle enters your blind spot. You can program the system to sound a chime as well, a feature that served me well in a parking lot.
I was glad to have this option on the road. On my first left shoulder check after picking up the car, I found the pillar behind my door to be so wide it impaired my view. This doesn’t matter as much in moving traffic, but I noticed this during a right turn in which the car was already at a 45-degree angle to moving traffic I wanted to join (the intersection was structured that way – no, I didn’t pull out further than I should have). I bobbed my head backward and forward to see around the pillar, and punched the V6-equipped 200S to merge safely into traffic.
Conclusion
Chrysler prices the 200S I drove at $38,790 MSRP ($31,495 base plus the “S” customer preferred package 26L). The base 200 starts at $19,495 MSRP.
For people under, say, 6’2″, the Chrysler 200S (with moonroof) provides a refined motoring experience. It’s design and engineering done almost perfectly, and while a bit thirsty at the pump, the 200S stacks up well against refined sedans from any other marque.